Three-Year Vs. Four-Year Foreign Degree: Is The Success Rate Of Students Different At The Master’s Degree Level In The United States?

In the U.S. and most of Europe, the model in higher education is and has been, the four-year, 120-hour Baccalaureate degree. The main emphasis on college education in the U.S. is to provide a well-rounded education in the liberal arts. In India, where the philosophy of higher education is to prepare a student for a specific field of work, the three-year bachelor’s degree is commonplace in most arts, sciences, and business degrees. There, the tasks of providing a well-rounded education and helping the student determine a career path are goals of secondary education. With the emergence of the European Union (EU), the Bologna Process is becoming popular in Europe, which among other things, has been looking at ways to condense the bachelor’s degree into three years. Merits of the three-year vs. four-year bachelor’s degree are discussed, along with a synopsis of trends in the future of undergraduate education. When converting foreign degrees to U.S. equivalency, credentialing organizations typically have not recognized a three-year bachelor’s degree as equal to a U.S. bachelor’s degree, for reasons discussed herein. From a pragmatic standpoint, a credential evaluation is most frequently requested to show readiness for entry into master's or PhD programs. Thus, it would be beneficial to know if graduates with three-year degrees can succeed at the graduate level. In this study, academic performance was analyzed of international students studying in a Master of Science in Information Technology Management program. All students in this study had earned either a three-year Bachelor of Science or a four-year Bachelor of Technology (engineering) degree from an accredited university in India. No statistically significant difference was found in graduation rate, and of those who graduated, no statistically significant difference was found in first semester GPA (Grade Point Average). Results show that graduates of a three-year bachelor’s degree are as adequately prepared for graduate study as are graduates of four-year bachelor’s degrees. It is recommended that graduate schools consider the three-year bachelor’s degree as equivalent to longer duration bachelor’s degrees when determining entrance into a master’s degree program.