Many U.S. universities have formal links with universities outside
the United States, and they have set up student exchange programs
with these universities. Under such programs, U.S. students and
students from another country trade places and experience living in
each other's countries and studying at each other's universities.
Usually, the courses studied count toward the student's degree
program in his or her home country. Most of these programs run for
either a semester or an academic year. The advantage of this
arrangement is that students from outside the United States
generally pay the amount of tuition charged by their home university
rather than the tuition and fees of the U.S. university, which can
be considerably higher.
Contact the office responsible for international programs and
linkages at your institution to ask if your school has exchange
agreements with any U.S. universities. If it does, find out how the
exchange program operates and whether you are eligible to take part.
Or, if you are applying to study at universities and colleges in
your home country and know you would like to spend some time
studying in the United States, find out whether they operate any
U.S. exchange programs. Also, many U.S. universities list their
exchange programs on their websites.
You may be able to apply for funding for an undergraduate exchange
program from your home university or institute, even if study abroad
is not a requirement for your program of study. Funding from U.S.
institutions for short-term study of this kind is very limited. If
you are not eligible to receive funding from your own school or from
the U.S. institution, you might try to obtain funding from social,
welfare, or community organizations like Rotary International; from
multinational companies; or from local businesses.
If you have completed secondary school or an undergraduate degree or
if you are in the process of studying toward an undergraduate or
graduate degree, many U.S. universities will allow you to take
degree-level courses without enrolling for a full degree program.
Under this arrangement, you may be able to take classes in a
specific department, in several departments throughout a university,
or, possibly, at several universities in a local area.
Non-degree students who take degree-level classes may be called
special students. Many universities impose a specific time limit on
the number of semesters for which you can be registered as a
non-degree or special student. For detailed information on how to
choose and apply to U.S. universities, see Undergraduate Study or
Graduate Study.
General information on the opportunities and requirements for
special student study should be available in most universities'
catalogs. For specific information and application procedures for
schools and programs that interest you, contact university
admissions offices directly as well as the individual departments
concerned, explaining that you wish to do short-term, degree-level
study as a special student.
Special students are usually, though not always, ineligible to
receive university-sponsored financial assistance such as
scholarships or assistantships. Funding may be available from
independent foundations and organizations, such as Fulbright
Commissions, that award scholarships for postgraduate study. Further
information can be found at EducationUSA information and advising
centers, your local university's study abroad office or career
placement center, or public libraries that have funding directories
such as Funding for United States Study and The Grants Register. See
the Bibliography for a listing of these and other useful
publications.
Some universities in the United States offer classes during the
summer break between May and August. The school may offer one or two
"summer sessions," and each session usually lasts between six and
ten weeks.
Many universities open summer session classes to the outside public,
and they sometimes make available on-campus dormitory
accommodations. You may find that students who are enrolled in a
degree program at the university also take classes during the summer
in order to finish their degree faster than usual or to catch up on
classes they missed or in which they want to improve their grades.
This is a great way for you to experience living and studying at a
university in the United States while improving your knowledge and
skills in a specific subject area.
Universities and colleges may offer you the option to take classes
for "credit" or to "audit" classes without earning credits.
If you take classes for credit, each subject you study will be worth
a certain number of units or credits. You may choose to receive an
official transcript at the end of the session, which will state the
classes you took, how many credits they were worth, and what grades
you achieved.
Some international students who attend summer sessions are able to
use the credits they earn in the United States toward their degree
completion at home; you should ask your department and university
officials if they will allow you to do this before you enroll.
Likewise, if at some point later in your studies you decide to
enroll in a full degree program at a U.S. university, you may be
able to use the credits earned during your summer session study as
credit toward your degree program. This is decided on a case-by-case
basis, and you will need to ask the university admissions office
which courses they will recognize and how much credit they will
grant.
If you choose to audit courses, you will attend the class meetings
and usually will be expected to complete all assignments and
examinations, but no grades or credits will be awarded at the end of
the session. Audited classes usually cost less than regular classes.
To avoid any potential misunderstandings, be sure to verify
requirements and program costs for classes you wish to audit with
the admissions office of the U.S. institution before enrolling.
Universities usually place certain restrictions on students
attending summer session classes. For example, some will not accept
students under 18 years of age or those who have not finished
secondary school. However, a few universities may allow students who
are in the final years of their high school studies to attend.
Deadlines for enrolling are often one to two months in advance of
the start date of the class. You should check directly with the
school's summer session brochure or Web site for eligibility
requirements and application procedures.
Many EducationUSA centers have information on summer session
programs at U.S. universities and colleges. Also consult the listing
of Related Links and the Bibliography for additional references.
Note that summer schools and institutes offer another way to study
in the United States during the summer months. While summer sessions
at U.S. universities offer degree-level courses, summer schools and
similar programs offer a broad range of courses structured for
personal enrichment and professional development. Such programs can
be found at certain English language centers, as well as at
institutes offering classes in cooking, diving, fashion, music, the
arts, and other topics.
A number of public, and many private, training institutions in the
United States offer short-term, intensive training programs designed
for professionals; some are even specifically designed to meet the
needs of professionals from outside the United States. Institutions
that offer such programs include departments within U.S.
universities and colleges, as well as public and private training
organizations. These programs do not lead to a degree, but they do
provide you with professional knowledge and help to improve your
professional skills, and many award a certificate to show that you
have completed the program.
Professional short-term programs last between a few days and an
academic year, and meet daily for six to eight hours. They are
practical and experiential in orientation, with an emphasis on case
studies and activities outside the classroom. The program might
include hands-on work experience, site visits, opportunities to
network with U.S. counterparts, and application of theory to your
own professional situation.
Professional short-term training is expensive but cost-effective.
For example, the number of classroom hours in a one-week, short-term
training program is approximately equal to the number of classroom
hours in a 14-week course that meets for a few hours per week. Also,
individuals in short-term training programs are away from work and
home for a shorter period of time than if they were enrolled in a
traditional academic program. Because of the short duration and the
relatively high cost of these programs, it is extremely important to
identify the program that best meets your specific educational needs
and circumstances and your professional training objectives. Primary
factors to consider include:
Short-term
training programs are available in a wide range of areas. What is
your particular interest and, within that, what is your area of
specialization?
Although trainers try to
communicate clearly and simply, to participate effectively in an
intensive training program you will need to be proficient in
English. If you have limited English skills, there are a few
programs that are also available in other widely spoken languages
such as Arabic, French, or Spanish.
What level of
sponsorship is available from your employer or other sources? This
will affect which programs are open to you.
How long can you be
away from your home country? How long you are likely to need
training for?
Consider what type of work you would
like to be doing in the future; this may help to define the type of
training that is most suitable.
Consider the goals of the
training and any new responsibilities you will be expected to assume
when you return to your job at home. Then, look carefully at the
course information to see whether it will meet these needs. Also
look closely to see whom the course is intended for. Some programs
provide specific training geared toward learning a particular skill,
while others cover broad topics such as management techniques. Some
courses are designed for experienced professionals, while others are
oriented toward beginners. Will you have to share your expertise on
your return? If so, you might consider programs that include
training and presentation skills, as this will maximize the benefit
of the program to both you and your employer.
Once you have identified programs that meet your circumstances and
needs, you should look at each one and ask these questions:
How many hours per day of instruction are provided?
What are the academic/professional backgrounds of the trainers?
What facilities and resources are used for training?
What kinds of support, services, and activities are provided beyond
the training itself?
What is the typical background of trainees?
Is the program U.S. or internationally oriented?
How flexible is the curriculum?
How does equipment used in the training compare with what is
available at home?
What follow-up support is available?
Because of the range of organizations that offer training and the
variety of programs offered, finding information about professional
training programs often requires more research than for other types
of short-term study. The EducationUSA center nearest you may have
information on short-term professional training programs in the
United States. Other possible sources of information and advice
include your employer, professional associations, home country
government agencies, or U.S. training institutions, universities,
and colleges. Contact the Office of International Programming,
Office of Continuing Education, or similar office at individual
colleges or universities. Searches on the Web may help identify
appropriate training organizations and programs. As appropriate, you
also can contact suppliers of computer or technical equipment for
your field, teaching/research hospitals, or, for public service
fields, U.S. government organizations and offices.
Opportunities exist at many U.S. universities for those who already
hold a doctoral degree who wish to pursue further research.
Universities also may allow visiting fellows to audit graduate-level
courses (that is, take courses without receiving a grade or any
credit for them), while having use of all academic facilities for
personal research. General requirements for visiting fellows can be
found in a university's catalog or on its website. For specific
information and application procedures, prospective fellows should
contact the university admissions office and the appropriate
department directly.
Visiting fellows are expected to be self-funded or to have financial
assistance from an outside source. Funding directories are available
for reference at EducationUSA information and advising centers. See
the bibliography for further details. In addition, the sections on
Graduate Study or Specialized Professional Study contain more
detailed information on opportunities for visiting scholars at U.S.
universities and institutes. |
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