Canadian degrees?

[arya 22]

Hi all,

For those of you who have higher degrees, did you have to get them accredited to be able to work in USA? I'm going to be applying for jobs soon, but I don't know if I should get my degree accredited here or it's maybe not needed.

Thanks for your replies

[bluenoser77 0]

Hi all,

For those of you who have higher degrees, did you have to get them accredited to be able to work in USA? I'm going to be applying for jobs soon, but I don't know if I should get my degree accredited here or it's maybe not needed.

Thanks for your replies

I have never heard of this. I'm applying for jobs as if I were applying in Canada. I have an MA in Education from McGill. If I were a certified teacher for public schools, I would probably have to take a state test or exam of some sort. But I'm not and I don't plan on doing anything as far as accreditation is concerned. I guess it might depend on your field. You should ask others who are in your field of work.

[arya 22]

I have never heard of this. I'm applying for jobs as if I were applying in Canada. I have an MA in Education from McGill. If I were a certified teacher for public schools, I would probably have to take a state test or exam of some sort. But I'm not and I don't plan on doing anything as far as accreditation is concerned. I guess it might depend on your field. You should ask others who are in your field of work.

That's what I wanted to find out, if people have had to do that. I know that immigrants from other countries have to, but I wasn't sure if Canadians do. I'm planning on looking for a job teaching College Math which I don't think I need to take any exams for. Thanks

[antda 13]

There was a similar topic posted on VJ about this as well.....

Canadian Degrees in the US? how do they translate?

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/246954-canadian-degrees-in-the-us/page__p__3799269__hl__canadian%20degrees__fromsearch__1entry3799269

Hope this helps too. Good luck on your educational endeavours too!

Ant

[zenaxe 22]

Hi all,

For those of you who have higher degrees, did you have to get them accredited to be able to work in USA? I'm going to be applying for jobs soon, but I don't know if I should get my degree accredited here or it's maybe not needed.

Thanks for your replies

This topic has been posted many times and covered fairly well. A quick search in the VJ engine should show this

The USA wants to ensure that any foreign degree, including Canada's, is the accredited equivalent. Last year when I had set up an interview , the agency required foreign degree equivalency. They suggested Educational Credential Evalutors (www.ece.org). There is a cost of about $85 US for the service. They ask that you have your college/university/ies send ECE all transcripts - you cannot obtain them and send them to ECE. They review and determine whether your degree is the equivalent or not and you get an original copy, plus one copy you can choose to send anywhere ie employer.

There are several others that provide this service.

Edited April 18, 2010 by zenaxe

[darkchilde794 5]

I think most community college will allow you to teach as long as you have your master's degree. Universities aren't as accepting. I have my master's in Bio and I currently teach at a local college in Maryland. I know a lot of new immigrants or visa-holders teaching at the college and they only had to show their certificates.

Maybe its different state to state though...

[arya 22]

Thank you all for your help. I was looking into ECE this morning and it seems pretty easy to get my degree accredited. I do have a Master's degree and while I lived in Canada I taught University Math courses, but of course I know that was a special situation and it won't work somewhere else. I am hoping that I will be able to get into teaching College math and knowing that other people have got those jobs makes me feel a little better. Thank you

[zenaxe 22]

Thank you all for your help. I was looking into ECE this morning and it seems pretty easy to get my degree accredited. I do have a Master's degree and while I lived in Canada I taught University Math courses, but of course I know that was a special situation and it won't work somewhere else. I am hoping that I will be able to get into teaching College math and knowing that other people have got those jobs makes me feel a little better. Thank you

You won't have any problem if your degree was from an accredited university and an accredited Masters program. It would be nice to simply have a treaty between Canada and the USA for education and degrees much like a tax treaty which does exist. However non does so it's another formality and another expense....welcome to the USA I guess. Wait til you start with that lovely health insurance system. I'm not there yet as I'm still in Canada but will be soon enough...

[Flames9_RN 358]

Once you move here, you will soon realize their is no "UNITED" in United States!! A lot differs from State to State, so one truly can't expect something to transfer from Canada to the USA,lol A simple drivers license in a lot of cases does not transfer!

[HeatDeath 430]

It is going to depend wildly on what kind of institution you are applying with, and for what purpose. I have a B.Sc in Computer Science and a B.Ed in Computer Science and Math Education from the University of Manitoba. These got me my new job (just started last week, yay!) doing software development, no problem. They didn't even ask to see a transcript, let alone a credentials evaluation report. Canada is fairly close to the US: most employers will recognize that a credentialed-university Bachelor degree here is pretty much the same thing there, and vice-versa. There is far more variance amongst schools within the US, and within Canada, then there is between Canada and the US, and I think most private employers will recognize that.

Where credential evaluation becomes far more important is in licensing and certification for heavily regulated, professional positions [not sure if college level teaching would count - it isn't as heavily regulated by the state, generally]. I am in the process of getting certified to teach high school math and computer science here in Utah (it's just a fallback now though - I started the process before this new job came up) and they want me to give them a transcription/credentials evaluation report and do a math skills test. The Utah State Office of Education has a list of credentials evaluations companies they trust, and you get to choose which one you have do your transcript evaluation. I posted the list in this thread:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/250758-credential-review/

Now be aware, different institutions trust different credential evaluation companies, so don't have a transcript evaluation done until specifically requested by an employer or certifying institution, and don't drop any cash until you find out from them which company(ies) they want you to use.

[darkchilde794 5]

Once you move here, you will soon realize their is no "UNITED" in United States!! A lot differs from State to State, so one truly can't expect something to transfer from Canada to the USA,lol A simple drivers license in a lot of cases does not transfer!

I agree!!!

If you are looking for jobs and have not moved yet, I would suggest contacting the institutions you want to work for, and ask them what the qualifications are for you to be employed in those positions.

The other thing too is with the economy, full-time teaching jobs at the college level is so hard to come by. Just heads up that you might be adjunct for a while... So if you are also interested in teaching at HS, you definitely need to get the state's teaching accreditation -- whatever it is for that state Or apply at different local colleges...

[SapphireDreams 71]

I work in public relations and neither one of my jobs here wanted to see my BA or get evaluated. I think that's partly due to my industry and partly because it's really not uncommon for Canadians to work in this industry in the US.

I think it'll largely depend on where you apply for jobs. Also, the fact taht you went to McGill should help since it's a very popular school and better known in the US than other schools.

[Spoom 8]

Nearly 100% of this is the employer's preference. If they like Canadian degrees, they'll take you. (And really, most do.)

Teaching may be a special case as there may be laws involved as to who may legally teach; if this is the case with you, I'm sure you'll be told as such by their hiring department. So basically, call up your potential hirer and ask.

[Tina&Roland 4]

Depending on the field, it may be easier to go through recruiters/headhunters. They can translate to their clients (potential employers) the Canadian degree to the U.S. one. A B.Com. in Accounting in Canada, for example, is equivalent to B.A. in Accounting here in Indiana.