Master's degree in the USA: how I entered and how much it costs. Where to study for a master's degree in the USA. Finding a Master's Degree in the USA

The United States is considered a kind of melting pot of various races, nationalities, and opinions. It is an excellent place to study for a master's degree. A large number of students come here with the aim of obtaining a certain master's degree. Wherever you find yourself in such a country, you can find first-class universities that provide excellent opportunities.

Master's degrees in the United States are extremely diverse. It includes a huge variety of areas, ranging from programs in the field of modern business and ending with programs in the field of arts. The most popular disciplines in the magistracy:

engineering;
public administration;
education;
psychology;
international relationships;
business and provision.

The master's degree lasts one or two years, but the duration of study depends directly on the program of the university.

Among master's programs American universities are renowned primarily for their MBA programs. The United States is home to business education and is home to many prestigious business schools such as Wharton (University of Pennsylvania), Harvard Business School, Sloane (MIT), Stanford Business School, Haas (Berkeley), Ross (University of Michigan) and Kellogg (North -Western University). It is not easy to enroll in them, and it is expensive to study, but it is worth it: American business education is valued in the world, and with such a diploma you can start or continue a career in the USA and anywhere in the world, but the main thing is why such a diploma has weight. are useful contacts.

In addition to a high-quality education and a diploma from a prestigious institute, a master's degree in the United States provides an opportunity to get a higher-paying job in the same United States.

Structure (degrees and steps)

In all universities in the United States, two higher degrees are offered - a master's degree, as well as a doctoral degree. In addition, all graduates of Russian universities, holders of academic degrees and postgraduates can enroll in the master's program.

Academic Master's Degrees - Master of Arts in Humanities as well as Master of Science. A professional master's degree is a thorough preparation of students for certain professions. For example, Master of Business Administration, Master of Education and so on.

The professional master's degree in the United States focuses directly on practical training, not theory. All such programs last from one year to three years.
A master's degree in the United States is considered a postgraduate education, and also allows you to obtain a Master of Business Administration (MBA), Masters of Science (MS), Masters of Arts (MA) degrees and others. Often, master's degree requires relevant work experience in the very specialty in which you want to get a master's degree, but for some programs such experience is not required.

How to apply and receive a scholarship?

You don't have to be a genius to enroll in a prestigious master's program, as well as receive a scholarship. However, by the time you submit the required application, you must have a set of specific skills, knowledge and experience that qualify you as a good student.

You must have a high GPA (minimum 4.5), as well as excellent knowledge of English, another language of instruction, a certain experience in your specialty, publications, participation in certain conferences and other successful extracurricular activities.

Since grades are often not selection criteria at all, even if you changed your mind in the last year, you still have a chance. As a rule, work experience, knowledge of the language and conferences can be obtained with a strong desire a year or even six months before admission.

How the living and everyday life of applicants is structured

For the first couple of weeks, you will have to find yourself a temporary shelter. You can also stay at a hotel or with old-time students who are returning to study.
It is not worth counting directly on living in a hostel on the campus, since, as a rule, undergraduate students live in hostels.

It is best to consult in advance about such a question with the university, so that later you do not have to solve it in a hurry.

Prospects after Master's Degree

Remember that in the USA, a country of unlimited opportunities, finding a good job depends on a graduate, how well he studied and how he managed to present himself. Good luck!

Educational institutions with a master's degree (English) in the United States. We ask you to familiarize yourself with educational institutions verified by our specialists, offering unsurpassed quality in the field of education and character development, student discipline. This section offers comprehensive information about schools, international programs training, prices and reviews. If you have any questions, you can always consult our specialists. FREE enrollment services at partner institutions, the number of places is limited. Assistance in the selection of institutions, advice on what documents need to be collected, what are the requirements for filing and terms of admission.

For information on the training program, check the official website educational institution.

A small cut from the description of educational institutions in this section:

1947 was the year of the beginning of the pedagogical and scientific work of the University of California at Los Angeles (California State University Los Angeles). The abbreviated name of the university is SCULA. The central building of the university is located in Los Angeles.

For many decades, SCULA has not left five percent of the world's top universities.

SCULA is a large university. About 29 thousand students study here. The selection committee receives not only applications from US residents, but also from citizens of other countries. More than 2,500 specialists conduct their activities at the university, among whom there are also foreign ones. For successful students there is a chance to participate in the exchange program and try their hand at another university.

For Russians, a master's degree in is a kind of guarantee that in the future they will be able to find a quality job in almost any foreign organization located abroad. This is due to the fact that domestic diplomas are not highly valued abroad. American in this situation is the exact opposite.

That is why so many talented young people from Russia successfully enroll in similar programs and use numerous ones as material aid.

Master's and Bachelor's programs in the United States are happy to accept Russians into the ranks of their students. First of all, this is due to the fact that our compatriots have a high potential and have a strong scientific base. Despite the fact that domestic education is not particularly recognized abroad, it prepares good students who subsequently successfully continue their education abroad.

According to official statistics, more than 16% of undergraduates studying in the United States are stateless and foreigners.

Basically, the demand for Russian students is manifested in technical and engineering specialties and mathematics. The second place in the ranking is occupied by the sphere of business, management and marketing. Well, on the third - the professions associated with humanitarian specialties (sociology, political science and art).

To a large extent, in America, there are only a few states that are popular among international students in 2019:

California - IT technology, Silicon Valley is located here;
New York, Florida - Humanities and Economics.
Washington - political science.

In addition to these areas, quite several more regions of the country are successful: Texas, Massachusetts, Illinois.

Finding a Master's Degree in the USA

In general, studying in the United States is quite expensive, and there is a large list of candidates for each place. But in the case of a master's degree, there are significantly fewer applicants. Therefore, Russian students have very real chances to qualify.

For Russian students interested in the question of how to enroll in a master's program in the United States, it is advisable to start looking for and prepare for admission in advance (preferably a year before the planned admission). You can start the process while still in the last year of your faculty.

This can be done by taking the "School Transcript" certificate, then it must be translated and certified by your dean's office. Notarization of documents is usually not required. Therefore, the translation can be done independently, as well as a copy of the diploma and grades.

To do this, you can use any online reference that is available at every American university. In addition, the applicant can independently prepare a list of universities of interest to him. In this case, you must adhere to the following criteria:

The reputation of the program for the category of specialty of interest.
The price of the entire course of study.
Grants, scholarships and any other material incentives that can be obtained from this university.
The cost of renting housing in this city and hostel.

Requirements for candidates and preparation of documents

Admission to the US master's program implies a certain course of action that differs in each individual university. But, a number of requirements can be identified that are similar for almost all applicants entering American higher educational institutions:

Having a bachelor's degree or a specialist from the university of your country.
Academic transcripts with grades in the subjects studied at the institution are one of the main documents. In order to confirm these grades, it will be necessary to pass several standard tests, which check both general course knowledge and specialized ones.

There are many offers on the Internet for assistance in writing the "Statement of Purpose" for admission to foreign universities.

Sending documents and paying registration fees.

The procedure is considered relatively costly. Approximate prices for a registered letter with a diploma will cost about $ 25, and the average cost of each application is another 70 - 90. It turns out that to apply for admission to just one American university, you will need 5 - 10,000 Russian rubles. In about 1.5 - 2 months in the United States, the magistracy will consider the submitted documents.

Therefore, by mid-March, you will receive a response with an invitation to interview or a negative decision. In case of receiving a positive result from several establishments, it is somewhat easier. You just need to choose one of them, the conditions in which are more interesting.

Usually, the deadline for sending documents to the selected universities is the first days of January. After this period, documents for the next academic year are no longer accepted.

It should be borne in mind that the diploma, in most cases, is sent by mail, the "Statement of Purpose" is uploaded to the website of the admissions committee, and tests are performed online, following the link provided by the university staff.

You can apply for a master's program for free. Some American universities accept documents from applicants for study online. This allows you to fill in registration data via the Internet.

In this case, you only need to register on the website of a specific educational institution. Moreover, the data is indicated directly from the passport.

When filling out the questionnaire, it is forbidden to leave blank lines, therefore, in case of a negative answer, you cannot put a dash. In this case, it is enough to make the inscription "Not Applicable".

Solving the problem with paying for education

Having solved the problem of how to enroll in a master's program in the United States, a Russian student is faced with the following question. The specific cost of training depends on the degree of the university, its prestige and location.

The average amount that our compatriot will have to pay for a year of study is $ 20,000, and this does not include travel expenses and accommodation.

For the majority of domestic applicants, there is only one way out of the situation: the search for a certain form of financial assistance from the university or from third parties (grants, scholarships or other types of financial assistance).

American Faculty Scholarships

"Fellowship" - with this amount you can study for free in the Master's degree in the United States. It completely covers the cost of education and insurance required for foreigners.
"Teaching Assistantship" - a similar amount to the previous amount, the condition for the provision of which is the obligation of the recipient to conduct classes with junior courses in the volume of 16 - 21 hours per week.
Research Assistantship - Until a student earns a master's degree he is unlikely to receive such compensation. It can only be accessed as a result of his outstanding abilities. The reason is that it is the responsibility of the recipient to assist the supervisor in his research.
Administrative Assistantship - Receive an additional scholarship and tuition discount in exchange for a mandatory 20 hours of cleaning or kitchen work per week.

Currently, there are many ways to get grants to study in the United States. One of the most widespread and demanded is the Fulbright program. Every year, more than 5,000 students receive financial aid through it, which pays for the cost of their studies in a master's degree in the United States.

It is worth noting that the offer is relevant for Russian citizens, and is paid for from funds State Department U.S.A .

In addition to this way of receiving compensation for education, there are also numerous grants for these purposes. Among them, both and individual offers from commercial and government agencies American and domestic origin.

Funding for the training of students is carried out with some requirements, for example, the obligation to work in a paying organization for some time.

In the Fulbright program, the competition for the academic year 2018-19 will begin in February 2018.

The United States is the host country for a record number of international students. Every year, about 750 thousand foreigners enter the higher educational institutions of this country. About half of them receive financial assistance from universities, foundations, and the government.

This attention to American universities is due to the high standards of education, the excellent reputation of educational institutions, career prospects of graduates, and simply the country's cultural and social attractiveness.

Obtaining a master's degree American university for a year or two is a very common practice among successful and ambitious young people around the world. Russia is no exception. Whatever area of expertise you specialize in and whatever resources you have, there is sure to be a suitable master's degree program in the United States.

How to start looking for a master's degree in the USA?

The search and preparation for studying in the master's degree in the United States must begin in advance, at least one year before the date of the intended admission. The procedure for admission to a master's program in America can be started even in the last year of the institute. To do this, you need to take from the dean's office, translate and certify an academic certificate, the so-called School Transcript.

You can use online guides such as Directory of Graduated Programs or Peterson's Guide to find the right university. List the universities that will grab your attention. The selection criteria should be as follows:

The reputation of the program in the chosen specialty and the faculty as a whole;
Cost of education;
The possibility of obtaining grants, scholarships and, in general, additional funding;
How satisfied are you with the training program, its format, teaching methods, etc .;
Availability and price of housing.

Funding issue

The cost of a master's degree in universities in the United States depends on the location, prestige, and form of ownership of the university. For local residents (living in the same state), the cost of training is three times lower than for foreigners. You can expect that the amount that you will have to pay for a year of master's degree in America will not exceed 35 thousand dollars (excluding the cost of housing, meals, flights, etc.).

Very many foreign students enjoy various forms of financial assistance from the university itself. It can be of the following form:

Fellowship is an amount that fully covers all necessary expenses: training, medical insurance and a scholarship sufficient to live in this area of the United States.
Teaching Assistantship (TA) - this is about the same amount of funding as in the previous case, but the student must instead teach junior courses in the amount of 15 to 20 academic hours per week.
Research Assistantship (RA) - full allowance in exchange for assisting the supervisor in his research. Graduate students are rarely given: only in case of outstanding academic success.
Administrative Assistantship (AA) - A scholarship and tuition discount in exchange for 20 hours of administrative work per week on campus or university.
Tuition Scholarships are the most common type of financial aid for Master's degree applicants. It includes a discount on tuition fees. The missing amount, as well as living expenses, etc., the student covers from his own pocket.

If you need additional financial assistance, it makes sense to look for grant and scholarship programs that are offered by governments and various foundations. The most famous of these in the United States is the Fulbright Program. Within the framework of this program, 6,000 one-year and two-year grants are awarded annually, most of them for master's degrees in the United States for free in a variety of fields. Another popular scholarship program for future masters is the Edmund Muskie program.

From the whole abundance of possibilities, you need to choose about seven educational programs... You need to soberly assess whether the chosen university and faculty are right for you, and how great your chances are of being enrolled there. This is important for the following reasons:

Submission of documents

University requirements for submission of documents differ. As in Russia, it is more difficult to enroll in some universities, while in others it is easier. The list of documents for admission in one place may be limited to a translated diploma, TOEFL test and application form, while others require a GMAT test, a lot of recommendations and much more.

Application forms

Almost all US universities accept documents online. You can fill out your registration forms in several stages by registering an account on the university website.
In the application form and other documents, you need to indicate your data exactly as in the passport.
You cannot leave empty fields. For example, if you have not been to the United States before, then you have nothing to write in the SSN (Social Security Number). Write "Not Applicable".
Sometimes it is necessary to send documents by mail. Download the forms for filling from the same university website.

What's next?

Expect responses from universities. Letters will come with both a positive and a negative answer. Make your final choice and pay the required prepayment carefully so that the seat is reserved for you.

Be sure to undergo a Health Statement medical examination, do tests and vaccinations.

Get a student visa. To do this, you need to send the completed documents upon request from the SEVIS (Student & Exchange Visitor Information System) service, receive confirmation, and then apply for a visa at the embassy.

It seems that by the time a positive answer is received, the question "What to do next?" will be out of date. This is a well-established road to obtaining a high-quality master's degree in the United States, which will certainly open up excellent career and personal prospects for you.

To bookmarks

I study at CCNY (City College of New York), which is part of CUNY (City University of New York). Since I pay for my studies myself and am not a genius, I chose this college based on cost and ease of admission criteria. When applying for a job in my specialty, the name of the educational institution will play a secondary role, and the main one is knowledge and experience, I hope.

The admission criteria are pretty simple

Bachelor's degree in technical specialization.
TOEFL> 73.
Two recommendations.
Motivation letter.

As you can see, the list does not include GRE which is a big plus. I received my bachelor's degree back in 2012, preparing for another exam would require even more time and effort.

How I took TOEFL

To pass the TOELF test for the 73 points I needed, I studied at a language school in the United States. It took me almost six months from the entry level to the passing level: two times three months with a break of six months, which I spent at home.

The cost of one semester (three months) is about $ 900, housing, meals, transportation costs another $ 1000 per month. In the end, maybe I spent about $ 8000 on everything. I took the TOEFL only twice, the first time after the first semester I literally missed 2 points, the second time I got a passing score with a large margin. Each TOEFL test costs $ 200.

Why did I decide to learn English here? Firstly, I was too lazy to learn the language at home, and secondly, I didn’t want to stretch it for many months and years. Since in my entire life I could not pull it up in a comfortable environment, I had to get out of it.

And, of course, it gave me a big advantage, I ended up here, I understood how it works American system education, it was here that I decided to enter this particular program, translated and evaluated my diploma, I communicated with the students who studied here, found many friends, and attended an open day.

After passing the TOEFL, specifying the coordinates of the educational institution to send the results, I returned home. Already from home, I sent all my documents: letters of recommendation, resume, a copy of the diploma, translation of the diploma, bank statement, academic transcript, and so on.

Two months later I received a letter that I was enrolled. I made a deposit of $ 200 confirming my intention to study at this college, after which I was discharged and sent by express mail I-20 for an additional $ 90.

Where did I get the money and how much does a master's degree in the USA cost?

To obtain a master's degree, you need to take 30 credits. One discipline is three credits. In total, you need to take from 8 to 10 disciplines and a project or thesis. Project - three credits, Thesis - six credits. Each loan now costs $ 830.

Ultimately, the entire master's degree will cost me only $ 24,900. Each semester, you need to take a minimum of nine full-time credits. But in the first semester, you can take six credits (two disciplines) and I took advantage of that. I just got scared of the heavy load and decided to gradually increase it.

Where did I get that kind of money, you ask? I don't have rich parents and I didn't have a high-paying job. I graduated from the university in 2012 and worked and saved money all the time after graduation. Every month I converted my earnings into dollars, deposited in an account for many years.

I pay $ 600 for housing and get to school in an average of 1.5 hours. I buy used books on Amazon for an average of $ 5-20. Transportation costs - $ 120 per month, food - $ 400, utility bills and mobile communications - $50.

This results in about $ 1200 per month in expenses. All my monthly expenses are almost covered by income from our web project with a partner, which does not require my participation. You cannot work here on a student visa without special permission.

How to get a visa

If you have honest intentions, and you will really study, then the visa officer will have only one request - to confirm the availability of funds for the study and tell about their source.

I had the following expenses:

SEVIS - $ 200.
Consular fee $ 160.

What about Scolarship

I did not apply for scholarship prior to enrollment. But just the other day I sent my application for a scholarship, which can cover some of my expenses. If I am elected, it will be great, I will keep some of my funds. If successful, I will definitely write an article about it.

What benefits can you get

Before the start of the semester, we had an orientation, where they told us about our studies and took a tour of the campus. During the event, it was possible to fill out an application for medical insurance. I was approved for completely free dental insurance. I got free Amazon Prime, Apple Music, a discounted MacBook, and free software from Microsoft.

I would be glad if I motivate someone to take active actions and if there are questions, I am ready to answer. Thanks to all.