Can I be admitted to a master's in the USA after a 3-year European bachelor's program?
Solution 1
The answer to your question is yes, no, and maybe. It all depends on where in the US you want to go.
As Brian indicated in his answer, these are some universities that don't accept a three-year bachelor:
However, there are certainly universities that do accept a three-year bachelor:
- Stanford University
- University of Minnesota
- Columbia University
- New York University (Wagner)
- Almost all business schools accept a 3-year degree (including Harvard, MIT), source
And then there are who evaluate the three-year bachelor on a case-by-case basis:
- University of Michigan (Rackham Graduate School)
- UNC Charlotte
Certainly, this list is incomplete. So, do your own search if you like to apply in the US, and if a university does not state anything about the three-year bachelor, ask their Graduate Admissions office.
Solution 2
Many universities in the US will not admit foreign students as graduate students after a 3 year bachelor's degree. Students in this situation typically complete a master's degree, some kind of post graduate certificate or an "honors degree" in the English system.
You're right to be concerned about this, but there aren't any easy solutions.
Some examples (from a quick google search): San Jose State University, UNCC, and University of Idaho.
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Rahul baboota
Updated on August 01, 2022Comments
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Rahul baboota over 1 year
I am an Indian citizen and I'm planning to go for my bachelors to Germany. Since schooling in Germany is 13 years in length, I'll study 1 year in India before going there. I wanted to ask that after completing my Bachelor's in Germany, will I be eligible to apply for Masters in USA straightaway right after my BS (I plan to pursue a BS in Computer Science). I had this doubt in my mind as BS in Germany would be 3 years compared to that in USA which is 4 years.
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Niko over 8 yearsPlease note that school nowadays takes 12 years in Germany (although I don't see how that's important), and that most Master programs are two-year programs.
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Cape Code over 8 yearsrelated: PhD in the US compared to Europe and to some extent: academia.stackexchange.com/q/34457/10643
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DCTLib over 8 years@Niko - It depends on the state. Some states have 12 years of school, others have 13. Whether it is 13 or 12 is in constant flux, and sometimes a student can even choose.
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Piotr Migdal over 8 yearsMy friend started PhD in Caltech after 3-year Bachelor's in Poland - so it's certainly possible. But as there is no 1-1 mapping between Continental European and US degrees, it may depend on a university, field, some exceptions being made (or not) etc.
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Rahul baboota over 8 yearsSo If I pursue MS also from Germany which is of 1 year again , will I then be eligible for admission into the Masters programme in USA because then, wouldn't i have 2 masters degree?
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Brian Borchers over 8 yearsYes, you could then apply to MS and PhD programs in the US. Some programs might make you start by earning a second MS degree, depending on how strong your application looks. It's not uncommon for students to earn 2 masters degrees on the way to a PhD.
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DoubleYou over 8 yearsCan you clarify your answer a bit more, what is the reason they won't admit foreign students into Masters after Bachelor? I myself applied for a US Masters after my Dutch 3-year Bachelor. Although I did not get accepted in the US, I went to another country. When I did join a summer project in the US, I met plenty of Masters students from Europe - and at least in the Netherlands all Bachelor degrees are 3 year. So I must admit, I very much doubt the correctness of your answer.
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Steve Heim over 8 years@DoubleYou: note he said "many universities". In the end, it will depend on the university you're applying from, and to. Also note that, despite the same terminology, a bachelor or master in the US simply isn't equivalent to the same degree in Europe, not just in terms of time-investment. In the US, you're expected to enter the industry after a bachelor, whereas in Europe, it is expected that you also do a masters.
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Brian Borchers over 8 years@DoubleYou the idea behind such policies is simply that 3 year bachelor's degrees aren't equivalent to four year US bachelor's degrees. That's a debatable point, and I don't want to personally defend such policies- I'm simply stating the fact that such policies exist in many universities.
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DoubleYou over 8 yearsOf course, I understand that. However, I felt your answer was quite negative and did not provided a complete answer to the OP. Therefore, I posted my own answer. I did link your examples in it too.
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MikeP about 7 yearsSome may "accept" the degree, however, you then might need to take additional Bachelors level courses before being admitted to the Master's. This is also common in the US where one changes fields.