Sunday, October 31, 2010

University Extension Programs for International Students - Fast-Track to a Better Career

In today's challenging and rapidly-changing global economy, many people are seeking ways they can gain the best advantages in the job market. The solution for many international students may be enrolling in an extension program offered by many prestigious universities throughout the USA.

What are "Extension Programs"?
Extension programs are focused education programs taught by regular university instructors that help students develop specific types of practical knowledge and/ or skills they can apply to current or future jobs. There are extension programs designed for recent high school and university graduates, as well  as experienced professionals. Extension programs offer students the opportunity to earn a certificate from the university after successful completion of a certain set of courses. Many certificate programs can be completed in less than one year, some in as little as 2 months.

What are the Main Benefits of Extension Programs?
University extension programs offer many important benefits for students seeking additional knowledge, skills, and training:
  • Low Cost - Because of their shorter length, the school and living expenses for extension  certificate programs are far less than for traditional university degree programs. 
  • Practical Training - Extension program courses teach students current, relevant knowledge and gain experience in applying it to real-life situations. Certificate programs lasting at least 9 months will qualify students for the Optional Practical Traiuning (OPT) program that provides the opportunity to get paid work experience with an American company for up to one year.
  • Flexibility - Most university extension programs offer multiple starting dates each year to accommodate different students' schedules.
  • Accessibility  - University extension programs offer students who are academically inadmissable to traditional degree programs the opportunity to earn valuable education and training from regular university instructors.     
  • Professional networking opportunities - Students work closely with classmates, instructors, and outside businesspeople during their program and naturally develop connections with them. These connections can become important parts of a student's professional business network and sources for future business opportunities. 
  • Prestige - Completion of a university extension program provides students with the prestige of having earned an education certificate from a good American university. This accomplishment can be added to students' resumes and help them advance their careers.

What are the Admission Requirements for University Extension Programs?
Most students considering a university extension program will need to meet the following requirements for admission:
  1. Strong English skills - Most programs require students to submit a minimum IBT TOEFL score of 80. Students who do not yet have strong English skills may first enroll in intensive English courses offered by most Extension Programs. 
  2. Bachelors degree (for post-graduate programs) - Students must have earned the equivalent of at least a bachelors degree in order to be accepted to post-graduate-level Extension programs.
  3. Sufficient financial support - Students must be able to demonstrate that they have enough money from personal, family, business, or government funds to cover all of the expected school and living costs during the program. Financial requirements will vary depending on the length of the program, school, location and housing type selected.  
Some programs may have additional requirements, depending on the nature of the program and the prior knowledge required for successful participation.

AEP works closely with several prestigious university extension programs throughout the USA that offer a wide variety of programs in art, business, education, hospitality, information technology, sciences, and many other fields. To learn more about which programs may be best for your students and how AEP can help them get accepted, contact our School Placement Team at: info@americanedpartners.com

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Educating Overseas Advisors About American School Programs - "It Depends"

AEP staff recently conducted a series of training meetings with our newest Global Network Partners in Beijing, China. These meetings provided opportunities for our Asian partners to learn the latest news about AEP programs and effective delivery of AEP school advising and placement services. It also offered a forum in which they could get answers to their most frequently asked questions about admission requirements, course content and delivery, and housing options. One of the main things highlighted during the Q&A sessions was the distinctive nature and large variety of American school programs. It seemed that the answers to most questions had to be prefaced by the phrase, "it depends". Some of the many questions asked included: "What kind of housing do American universities offer?", "What is the minimum GRE/ GMAT score for masters degree programs?", "What kind of student support services are available?", etc.

While American high schools, colleges and universities share many things in common, their vast numbers, compounded by the slight and not-so-slight differences unique to each, mean that even generalizations are difficult to make. For this reason, AEP invests significant effort in developing detailed, up-to-date information about each of our American partner schools. AEP's U.S. Headquarters then provides this information to our global network of advisors who, in turn, share it with potential students. Students who wish to enroll in AEP programs are guided through the school application and visa process through the coordinated efforts of AEP's overseas Global Network Partners and our U.S.-based school placement team.
AEP welcomes inquiries from overseas agents seeking expert school advising and placement support for programs starting in early 2011. Please contact our placement advising team for assistance at: info@americanedpartners.com

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

"Best Value Schools" To Look at for Spring 2011

The old saying, "You get what you pay for" tends to be true in most cases. When it comes to American colleges or universities, however, it's possible to find many institutions that provide great education programs, great campus facilities and student support services at prices that are far lower than other schools that provide much less.
In this week's message, we take a look at what a "Best Value School" is and introduce you to one of them.
What Is A "Best Value School"?

A "Best Value School" is one that provides students with a high quality educational experience at a reasonable cost. Schools can provide these experiences in several different ways:

1) Offer small classes and a small student-to-faculty ratio.
2) Offer a wide variety of academic programs and student support services.  
3) Have clean, modern campus facilities that utilize the latest learning technologies.
4) Have easy access to computers, wi-fi connections, and research/ study facilities.
5) Have highly educated and experienced instructors.
6) Have a dedicated international student office with experienced staff committed to helping each student succeed.

Featured "Best Value Schools" For Spring 2011  
Here is just one example of what American Education Partners has found to be a "Best Value School" here in the USA:
Cascadia Community College- Cascadia is the newest community college in Washington state, but has quickly risen to become one of the best in the United States (Ranked #2 in the USA by Washington Monthly magazine).
Cascadia students receive many benefits not available at most other schools. First, Cascadia shares its campus with the University of Washington. Students not only get access to University of Washington's vast research archives and publications, but many Cascadia instructors are also University of Washington instructors. Second, the college has a student enrollment of just 3,000 students. This means small class sizes and a much greater amount of student-teacher/ faculty contact time than possible at larger schools. Third, students benefit from Cascadia's corporate partnerships. Cascadia classrooms use the latest learning technologies developed by Microsoft and students have internship opportunities at this and other well-known local technology companies. Fourth, Cascadia has the highest percentage of students transferring to the University of Washington (Ranked #41 in the USA).
Considering all of these features and the fact that tuition fees are typically $10,000 - $20,000 less each year than most 4-year universities, Cascadia Community College is truly a "Best Value School".



Cascadia Community College is accepting applications for Winter 2011 beginning in early January. American Education Partners' placement team can help international students through the application process to Cascadia Community College and other carefully-selected schools and provide other services like airport pick-up, housing placement and on-going student support service. Please contact the AEP placement team for more information at: info@americanedpartners.com