How long does it take to complete a Master's Degree in the USA?

Question

Hi,

I'm British and extremely interested in going to the USA next year to study for my Master's in Tech Ed. As an international student I wondered if anyone knew how long it would take for me to complete? Will I be able to do any work related to my degree after? I've heard that you can? Typically how long does a student visa last? I'm hoping to combine a teaching certification qualification with my Master's to enable me to stay on and teach in CT if possible.

I would ideally like to study part time and work part time, but I've read on a couple of University websites that international students must study full time. I'm not sure if this is applicable to all Universities?

I'd be extremely grateful for any help.

Answer 1

I believe a masters usualy takes 3 semester to 1 year full year of study after a Bach´s degree is completed. As for the visas, student visas and working visas are two seperate things. Im not sure whether or not two can be applied for at once. It would be best to visit your governments website for this kind of information, and probably the site of the uni you are thinking about attending in order to find info on rules applied to international students.

Answer 2

First of all immigration in the United States is governed by Federal and not state laws. This simply means that every learning institution in the U.S. must follow the same laws regarding the admission of international students.

With that said, to answer your questions.

A masters degree in the United States typically takes one-two years to complete after the completion of a Bachelor's Degree.

Regarding your current Bachelor's degree from the U.K. I would either pay for that to be "translated" into the U.S. equivilent by an accredited service or contact the university you wish to attend and find out their policy regarding foreign transcripts. Some universities also have this kind of information on their websites, but it is better to confirm with the actual university you will be attending.

Yes, you will be able to do gain work experience in the field relating to your degree upon completion of your studies. This is called OPT (Optional Practical Training).

The general way go about obtaining OPT is to get authorization from the DSO (Designated School Officer) at your university and then file Form I-765 with the USCIS and await your EAD (Employment Authorization Document). Once you have the EAD you are eligble to work only in employment which relates to your major area of studies. The current duration for which OPT is allowed is 12 months, however the USCIS as just recently had this period of time extended for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematic) students to 29 months.

An F1 (student) visa for the United States for a British citizen is valid for five years. However once you enter the United States with an F-1 visa, this date becomes irrelivent since a visa is only a document to request permission to enter a country. Once inside the United States it is the date on your I-20 (the form issued to you by the university) which determines you legality inside the U.S.

In relation to the very first section which wrote in my answer, all international students must be enrolled in a full-course of study (a minimum of 12-credit hours per semester). Employment is only permitted on-campus i.e. working in the local bar or resturant etc is not permitted and in addition to this you are only permitted to work 20 hours per week during semesters and full-time during the holidays.

With regards to an H1B, you do not apply - a company or U.S. employer must sponsor and petition you for this visa. If you wish to work in a university then universities are excempt from the yearly H1B quota. Meaning you these employers do not have an April the 1st deadline to submit their petition for you and you do not have to wait fo an October 1st start.

Age is of little concern to university applications, work experience for a masters degree however is always a bonus.