Taking (usa) college degree to another country?

[dan420]

when I get a little older (after I finish all my schooling) I was thinking there's a chance I would move out of the US.. I speak french decently (so maybe france or something) and am taking more classes to learn the language so I wouldn't be limited to just an English speaking country.. anyway basically I was wondering if my degrees in the US would be worth any more or any less across the globe and how it might effect me if I wanted to get a job.

Not making any plans, but something i'm just curious about.

I'm majoring in Psychology by the way and hoping to become a Psychologist, (or a similar profession) if it makes a difference to mention that. Thanks guys.

 

[toolazy2think]

People from around the globe come to the US to attend our universities which as a whole are usually reguarded as the best in the world, I see no reason that other countries wouldn't recognize our degrees.

Only possible exception would be if you want to have a profession in which certain requirements may vary from country to country...I'd imagine a PHd in psych would be pretty universal though.

 

[PlurredChemistry]

What are you studying? What do you want to be doing career wise? Where are you attending college/uni?

This is not easy. Although other countries will recognize foreign degrees, employers often will choose a local graduate rather than you. Why?

1. Grade scales are differently marked. In the UK graduates are awarded degrees by scale (firsts, 2-1, 2-2, etc), which is COMPLETELY different than the US system of GPA. Alot of people don't know what GPA is and find it hard to compare to the local system.

2. Why hire a foreign graduate when most industrialized contries already have several universities producing equally qualified graduates?

3. Visas are a bitch!

4. Hiring foreigners is always risky as your comittment to staying in that country is always questionable (unless you have some sort special situation -wife forex)

There are plenty more reasons, but i gotta run.

Bottom line: it is tough. doable but tough. Answer the above questions and then we can talk about what you legitimately can and can not do.

 

[rollplayk]

What about taking a Pharm.D to another country (for sake of example, UK)

 

[Infinite Jest]

People from around the globe come to the US to attend our universities which as a whole are usually reguarded as the best in the world, I see no reason that other countries wouldn't recognize our degrees.

People from all round the globe come to most universities, though. I'm at a fairly average (ranked about 300-400 globally) university, and most of our postgraduates are foreigners. It would really depend on what university the OP attends - Harvard, Cornell? Yeah, you're pretty good. A mediocre liberal arts college in Nebraska? Maybe not.

Added to that, PlurredChemistry is completely on the money. Language and cultural issues will be a big factor. Plus visa issues (it is not easy to just get a work permit for any country you like; in the EU, you would normally need a job offer from someone who had shown that they couldn't fill the job locally - and 'locally' means in the entire EU: e.g., there isn't some kid in Poland who could do that job in France perfectly well). I know of some very, very competent people (one with a PhD and a good work record) who tried finding jobs in European countries, and had to give up.

It can be done; but don't expect it to be a walk in the park.

 

[The_Idler]

if you come to the UK employers will tend to (unofficially) value an american degree less, unless it is from a well-known uni.

im talking personal ideas here, not corporate policy.

if you have a degree from what, Berkeley CA, they still wont like it as much as one from Oxford, Cambridge, UC London, King's College London, Durham etc. especially if it is in something non-specific. there is a kind of..... preconception here, that degrees that dont lead directly to jobs are stupid.
i mean youll still get a better position in an office job than someone with no degree, but we tend to think "why did you study sociology if you want to work in my office, why not something to do with management or economics"

plus employers dont like the grade system, as was said.

 

[who_can_say]

when I get a little older (after I finish all my schooling) I was thinking there's a chance I would move out of the US.. I speak french decently (so maybe france or something) and am taking more classes to learn the language so I wouldn't be limited to just an English speaking country.. anyway basically I was wondering if my degrees in the US would be worth any more or any less across the globe and how it might effect me if I wanted to get a job.

Not making any plans, but something i'm just curious about.

I'm majoring in Psychology by the way and hoping to become a Psychologist, (or a similar profession) if it makes a difference to mention that. Thanks guys.

It would depend. If you wanted to work in a field that requires registration, like psychology, then you're best bet is to check with the relevant registration body to see what they will/not recognise. For example, I have a psychology degree from an Australian university, but if I head to the UK, my degree may not be recognised as it may not meet the registration requirements for whatever reason.

I suppose in some (if not most) cases, you'll need to show that the units you studied are similar to the ones offered in a degree in the country you want to move to. Usually you need to submit all the documents to the relevant body and they'll decide.

 

[PlurredChemistry]

oh yeah, i forgot to mention i did do this.

i've got a great degree from a (mostly) reputable university and i was a bar guy/waiter for a long while before i got anything worthwhile in my field...

 

[_a_A_C_c_]

your best bet is to teach english abroad if you want to leave the US right after graduating. its going to be hard to get an entry level job with a foreign company.

your other option is to get a job with a multinational company, work there and then transfer to another country with the company. for example, microsoft's main base of operations is in redmond, WA but they have campuses all over the world.

 

[IAmJacksUserName]

your best bet is to teach english abroad if you want to leave the US right after graduating. its going to be hard to get an entry level job with a foreign company.

Yeah, that's a very good idea. Even though you'll technically need a business visa to teach English in the EU, a lot of places are pretty lax about it. My sister is about to leave for Italy on a U.S. passport to (illegally) teach English, but based on the research she's done and her friends' experiences, she doesn't expect to run into any serious problems. (The fact she already has friends there and speaks fluent Italian helps, of course.) I'm not sure how common this is throughout the EU, though. Do your homework first to see how it can be done, and then take a shot at it. Once you've established a presence abroad, you can make contacts who can help you later.

Working in third world countries is a completely different story. When I moved to Cambodia, I simply asked to buy a business visa when I arrived at the airport. When asked how long I planned to stay, I said "Oh, about a year maybe?" Extra five bucks, and viola, a business visa. Later, I forked over some more cash and extended it for a year without any questions asked.