College

[JuneFirst 1]

Hey...

I just signed up for psychology and child development, 3 credit hours a piece - taking general education classes to get my associates and I guess a Ph.d is my goal.

I am doing all this from Germany while waiting for my 1-130 petition to be approved.

I am not real familiar with the American college system and now am wondering if I am doing everything right.

The lady on the phone is nice and helpful but still...

Can somebody explain to me how it works?

How many credit hours to I have to take and how many years does it take to get an associates, masters, Ph.d?

Aren't there any rules like "You have to take Class A B and C to become a Psychologist" - or will that apply later on, just not now?

What exactly is General Education?

I always thought people go to college for 2 years, achieve an associates and then can decide if they wanna keep going to school to specialize? so is General Ed just the name for those 2 years?

Uh, I hope somebody can help me out.

[The_Dude 1,142]

Generally speaking, a 2 year school or degree is from a Junior college or a community college. You can go there, and then transfer to a 4 year university to get a bachelor's degree (4 year degree). How fast you can get your degree depends on you, and how crowded your school is. If you went to like Ohio State University or University of Texas at Austin, who have 70,000 students or more, you'd be lucky to get your bachelors degree in 5 years.

[Amby 490]

2 yrs associate

4 yrs bachelor

6yrs master

8yrs phd

these times estimates and are if you're going full time which is 12-15 credit hours per semester. for a phd you have to write a dissertation and lots of research.

general ed are classes like math & english that everyone has to take. there will be required things that focus on psychology once you're in a psychology program.

[PhiLandShiR 18]

An associates degree is generally used for tech school and its a 2 year degree.

A bachelor's degree is next then the Masters then the PH.D.

The bachelor's degree is also known as a baccalaureate degree in many countries. The word baccalaureate is a distorted version of the German word bakkalaureus. The bachelor's degree was first awarded in Germany, but was later abolished. The degree resurfaced in 1820, however, as part of a change in the higher education system.

Through the years, bachelor's degrees have been referred to by many names, particularly in Germany, where it was once called the magister degree, which was a five-year study course. It was then called the diplom, but the term bachelor's degree was reinstated officially in 1998.

Bachelor's degrees are also called by various names in different countries. In Japan, for instance, the bachelor's degree program is a six-year course of study referred to as gakushi. The Commonwealth of Independent States refers to the degree as the bakalavr. Regardless of the country, the bachelor's degree is usually awarded to a student after completing four or five years of schooling at a college or University.

--------------

In the recently standardized European System of higher education (Bologna process), a master's degree corresponds to a one- or two-year postgraduate program (60 to 120 ECTS credits) undertaken after at least three years of undergraduate studies. It provides higher qualification for employment or prepares for doctoral studies. In general, though, the structure and duration of a program of study leading to a master's degree will differ by country and by university.

Last but not least:

Ph.D.: a doctorate usually based on at least 3 years graduate study and a dissertation.

Hope that helps....

[Niels Bohr 72]

Let me make a suggestion.

Goto a 2 year community college. For many state universities, if you have a GPA of 3.5 or above from a community college and transfer to the state's university system, you will pay half of the state's university tuition. A very good incentive. And, doing this will not reduce your chances of getting a an excellent job.

A friend of mine who received his GED, went to a 2 year community college, obtained a 4.0 GPA, transferred to a 4 year school (he only needs to spend 2 years at the 4 year school to get his degree), got a job a Raytheon and making 67,000/year.

Amazing, right? Just make sure you keep up the education.

Edit: He got a degree in Computer Engineering, not psychology. I would say psychology is not a lucrative degree though.

Edited May 5, 2010 by Niels Bohr

[JuneFirst 1]

2 yrs associate

4 yrs bachelor

6yrs master

8yrs phd

these times estimates and are if you're going full time which is 12-15 credit hours per semester. for a phd you have to write a dissertation and lots of research.

general ed are classes like math & english that everyone has to take. there will be required things that focus on psychology once you're in a psychology program.

So i just take ANY class I want the first 2 years?

For instance I take math - and then for my bachelor I could take somethink like English?

That does not make a whole lot of sense to me.

sorry, gotta ask again: are genEd classes couting towards an associates?

[PhiLandShiR 18]

Let me make a suggestion.

Goto a 2 year community college. For many state universities, if you have a GPA of 3.5 or above from a community college and transfer to the state's university system, you will pay half of the state's university tuition. A very good incentive. And, doing this will not reduce your chances of getting a an excellent job.

A friend of mine who received his GED, went to a 2 year community college, obtained a 4.0 GPA, transferred to a 4 year school (he only needs to spend 2 years at the 4 year school to get his degree), got a job a Raytheon and making 67,000/year.

Amazing, right? Just make sure you keep up the education.

Edit: He got a degree in Computer Engineering, not psychology. I would say psychology is not a lucrative degree though.

This only works if all of the classes taken at the 2 year college transfer to the 4 year college.

I have a 2 year degree with a 4.0GPA but little, if any, of my classes would transfer to my local 4 year college.

[PhiLandShiR 18]

So i just take ANY class I want the first 2 years?

For instance I take math - and then for my bachelor I could take somethink like English?

That does not make a whole lot of sense to me.

sorry, gotta ask again: are genEd classes couting towards an associates?

Each college will have a list of degree programs and each program will have a class list of required courses.

First you decide what degree you want then look to enroll in the classes listed for that program.

Your GenEd classes may well count toward SOME associates degree but until you check on the class requirements for any given degree its not possible to tell just which one it would be...

[Niels Bohr 72]

Yes.

Look at the University you're planning on applying before you enroll at the two year community college. This will make sure that your classes at the 2 year college will meet the criteria of a 4 year university curriculum.

Most of those classes are genED. And, most first and second year courses are general education. So, you're right to take the genED at the 2 year college.

Make sure you read the standard requirement for the associates at the 2 year college. Since community colleges aren't require to be accredited by the higher education board, you must be aware of what it needs to get into a 4 year university as well.

[Dan J 277]

So i just take ANY class I want the first 2 years?

For instance I take math - and then for my bachelor I could take somethink like English?

That does not make a whole lot of sense to me.

sorry, gotta ask again: are genEd classes couting towards an associates?

You want to figure out what 4 year collage you plan to go to. Even if you do two years at a community collage, you want to make sure you are going to a collage and taking classes that will transfer. In general, you want to take your general education classes at the two year school as those will most likely transfer.

Some 2 year collages have degree programs that are specifically set up for students who intend to transfer to a 4 year collage.

[JuneFirst 1]

Yes.

Look at the University you're planning on applying before you enroll at the two year community college. This will make sure that your classes at the 2 year college will meet the criteria of a 4 year university curriculum.

Most of those classes are genED. And, most first and second year courses are general education. So, you're right to take the genED at the 2 year college.

Make sure you read the standard requirement for the associates at the 2 year college. Since community colleges aren't require to be accredited by the higher education board, you must be aware of what it needs to get into a 4 year university as well.

I feel like I understand ZERO. Time to call the school (once again..) and ask my questions I guess.

Should not be that difficult to figure all that out but I feel like I am stuck, I just don't get it.

Oops, something I should have mentioned:

It is not a 2 y. college. I think it already is a 4 year university...

http://www.wiu.edu/

Edited May 5, 2010 by JuneFirst

[one...two...tree 2,762]

So i just take ANY class I want the first 2 years?

For instance I take math - and then for my bachelor I could take somethink like English?

That does not make a whole lot of sense to me.

sorry, gotta ask again: are genEd classes couting towards an associates?

No. First, not every community college credit will transfer. Second, not every university will allow you to transfer the same credits. Although going to a community college for a couple of years is cheaper than university, I'd recommend transferring to a university as quickly as you can. Because you would be a foreign student until you are here in the states for a year, going to either community college or a university is going to be incredibly expensive, so best to wait until you are resident. Also, any classes you took in your foreign country, you will have to get accredited through the university's program you've applied to. Once you are here in the states, I'd recommend going to see an academic adviser at a local university or college - they'll help to navigate through the coursework and requirements. Best of luck.

Edited May 5, 2010 by El Buscador

[The_Dude 1,142]

2 yrs associate

4 yrs bachelor

6yrs master

8yrs phd

these times estimates and are if you're going full time which is 12-15 credit hours per semester. for a phd you have to write a dissertation and lots of research.

general ed are classes like math & english that everyone has to take. there will be required things that focus on psychology once you're in a psychology program.

You'd need to take more like 17-20 units per semester to graduate in 4 years......

[PhiLandShiR 18]

A 4 year college is even better. No worries about what transfers and what does not.

The first thing you need to do is decide what degree you want to have at the end of it all.

Make that decision and then call the college. Ask them what classes you need to take to get this degree.

They will provide you with a list of classes that will get you the degree you picked.

Then start enrolling in those classes. Good Luck!!!

I feel like I understand ZERO. Time to call the school (once again..) and ask my questions I guess.

Should not be that difficult to figure all that out but I feel like I am stuck, I just don't get it.

Oops, something I should have mentioned:

It is not a 2 y. college. I think it already is a 4 year university...

http://www.wiu.edu/

Edited May 5, 2010 by PhiLandShiR

[Niels Bohr 72]

Sometimes a 4 year university has admission to a division of their school called Division of Professional and Continuing Education (PCE). These divisions does not admit you into a 4 year degree program automatically. Keep that in mind. However, you can obtain an associate degree through PCE but not through the College of the University. The Colleges of the University will only issue Bachelors.

Also, psychology is in the College of Arts and Sciences. They have easy admission rate compared to the College of Nursing, Engineering, etc...Even undeclared majors are forced into the College of Arts and Sciences if they haven't picked a major in their freshman year.