The US vs. Europe: Measuring the difference for studying your master’s PART I

April 19, 2021

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Best places to study, Campus jobs, overseas admission, overseas education, Study abroad aspirants, UK versus US

The decision to choose between many universities with prestigious names abroad could be a tricky task, especially for the students who are new to the group of study abroad aspirants. After graduating from a university in one’s own country or a foreign university, one has the option to choose a road towards mastering a particular subject. Pursuing a master’s degree decides the fate of your career further, and you walk on that road for the rest of your life. Your master’s degree shapes you for the task in hand for which you need to choose a suitable study destination.

Sometimes, an international student with previous studying abroad experience chooses to pursue their master’s program from the same or different study destinations overseas. It happens because of the newly obtained expertise and a better academic direction to shape their careers in a specific field.  The quality of education would be a factor in this case. However, aspects like cultural exploration, meeting new people and forming connections go with you a long way. How wisely one chooses the university decides the future scope of their career and job opportunities.

Moreover, there seems to be a seamless application procedure that helps a candidate save time and efficiently enroll themselves in a study program. Students always prefer easy-to-apply study destinations or universities. The universities abroad usually load the applicants with extra paperwork and assembling various test results and certifications. The international students have to go through extra effort and pain compared to the local candidates living in the country. Hence, reaching two top-tier study destinations is a preferable step to take when pursuing a master’s from a university abroad.

One of the most preferred and shifted destinations for pursuing a master’s has been UK and US for a long time. The two overseas destinations remain a top priority in the list due to the quality of education and a good list of institutes to choose from to pursue a master’s degree. Employment opportunities also remain a significant aspect. Hence, the competition is also cut-throat.

In this article, the expert’s team at Student Cover will discuss the top categories you need to compare and measure the difference before opting out for one study destination; US or UK. These differentiating measures tend to define the institutes in both the destinations for pursuing a master’s degree in your preference of subject.

 

Measuring the benefits of Studying Master’s Programme: The US or Europe

The educational experts have measured the stats to understand the average rate of international students choosing which study destination to opt for a master’s program. The figures indicate higher mobility of the students towards either US/ North America or top countries in the European region, mainly in the UK. The destination has a lot to offer in a study program for an international student’s overall development while pursuing a major in a specific field. However, they differ in both these regions in terms of admission procedure, accessibility, culture, teacher interaction, etc.

Let us look into some of the significant differentiating categories that make one aware of the advantages of choosing the US over Europe or vice versa.

Students on a university campus with books.

1. Admission Procedure: Ease of access or Handling the Paperwork

When it comes to applications and the enrolment process, students are most worried about documentation capability. They seem in a constant state of fear whether they would be granted a chance to study in a foreign university and a top-tier destination like the US or nd aptiEurope. Here is how the US and UK are different from each other and easy for the students to get through:

The US

Getting through any US university is a tough nut to crack, especially for international students. Universities in the US or, per se, North America generally have a demand and requirement for much documentation from the applicant’s side. An international student to prove his/her capability to understand the mode of instruction and teaching methods enabling him to study in the US must add additional language and aptitude test scores in his master’s application, such as TOEFL, GRE, GMAT, and many more.

Some institutes require more than one LOR in undergraduate courses to establish students’ capability to study in a top-tier destination and university.

Europe

European universities provide a free hand on the applicants’ admission process compared to American or US universities. There are some universities where there is a surety of getting into the study program. These European universities do not have a formal interview round in the application procedure, giving all the applied international applicants the chance to enter the master’s study program.

European universities prefer to select the applicants during their study program’s duration based on their interest in the selected choice of course work or any specific major. The coursework is designed keeping in mind this selection procedure while a student is pursuing his/her study program in that university. A student needs to present their documentation or pass an entrance exam only if asked by their university. It happens only if applying to pursue a highly specialized or flagship course in a particular European university.

2. Specific difference in curriculum design

Universities in both of these study destinations have their own designed and modified curriculum, which gives students different exposure. One can say that no one is particularly perfect, but they have their strong suits to present the international students.

The US

American universities are more likely to stretch their master’s program duration to one and a half or two years. This happens due to their particular emphasis on a special internship period in the mid-term made mandatory. American universities offer a broader range of newly introduced master’s programs not found in European universities. It attracts more international students to move to the States for their master’s education as they are being provided with the concept of self-exploration.

Europe

European universities again provide ease of access and flexibility to perform internship work during their study program duration. It depends on the applicants to continue with an internship. Instead, they are encouraged to go for work placement rather than moving towards an internship period and spending a year or six months over it. They believe in solidifying the base by following the traditional system of a mandate course structure within a one-year academic program.

Moreover, European study programs are still not diverse the way American universities are. Both the study destinations offer a master’s program in numerous fields. However, American universities offer admission to master’s programs in unique areas of study such as Music-Jazz Studies and Performance and much more.

3. Tuition Fees

Whether one will afford an overseas education is the big-time question and decides the rest of the applicant’s planning. One might prefer a specific university in the States or any European country. However, then if the tuition money burns a hole in their pockets, things might go south.

The US

US universities are known for their high pricing study programs, making applicants prefer not to go that way, even though the study programs are diverse if they pursue a master’s program. In a master’s program, a US university could cost an international student somewhere between USD 5,000 – USD 50,000 per year a program.

Europe

Specific criteria will decide how much one needs to pay for pursuing their masters in a particular subject in European universities. There are criteria like whether you are a European Union citizen and which European country you prefer for your master’s. For example, there is no cost to study your master’s in countries like Austria and Denmark. Then there are universities in the UK expensive to look for your master’s.

Since Europe gives you the freedom to select the country according to your budget and affordability, you will not feel pressured to pay the tuition.

 

Let’s Wrap Up!

These are some of the factors that decide whether you should go for a European university or look onto American University, which has always been a point of attraction to pursue higher education. There is more to know than application procedures and applying for the visa. Reading and researching your preferred destination and universities makes half of your job easier and puts less pressure on you financially. You can plan your tuition and always look for a scholarship opportunity to make your education journey worthwhile.

There are more categories for differentiating and analyzing the difference between studying master’s programs in the UK versus the US, which would be extensively discussed in the second part of the article. A collective understanding of the best thing to do while considering these broad categories would be looked into to better knowledge of the options available in these study destinations.

Disclaimer: This blog was written based on the personal research of the writer. Readers’ discretion is advised. Neither Student Cover nor the writer will be held liable for any wrongful interpretation of this blog’s content.

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