April 5 – 6, 2017Minneapolis, MN

AICE Minneapolis SymposiumSetting the Standard for Graduate Admissions:Three-year degrees and other admissions challenges

MINNEAPOLIS

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MMoodduullee 11..Bologna-patterned Three-year Degrees

The Bologna process of 1999 reformedhigher education in much of Western Europe.Before the reforms, most countries’ highereducation systems (with some notableexceptions) were structured to include a long-cycle first university degree which grantedaccess to doctoral programs. The reformsmandated the development of a 3+2 structure,consisting of a three-year first degree, typicallyreferred to as a Bachelor, and a two-yeargraduate level degree, typically referred to as aMaster.

The European three-year Bachelor degreebrings about several challenges. Fundamentally,it does not meet the number of years required(four) to be equivalent to a US Bachelor’sdegree. However, many European countrieshave or had thirteen-year or longer secondaryschool programs, which, it can be argued,makes up the difference. Furthermore,graduates of the European three-year Bachelorare often equally advanced in their field ofstudy as their US counterparts because mostcurricula place a greater emphasis on subjectswithin the major.

Credential evaluators consider a US bachelor’sdegree to consist of four years of study. Assuch, Bologna bachelor’s degrees do not meetthe minimum standard and are typicallyevaluated as three years of undergraduatestudy. Autonomous universities are not held tothis mandate. Some admit holders of Bolognabachelor’s degrees directly to graduateprograms. Others require completion of abridge program. Others still deny admission toanyone not holding the minimum of a four-yeardegree.

In this session, the panel will address the issuesof secondary preparation, specialization,academic rigor and employment opportunitieswithin the context of three-year Bolognadegrees. This discussion will provide guidanceto graduate admissions officers and attempt toestablish the standards for graduate admissionsin the United States.

TTOOPPIICCSS Bologna Process overview and historical context

(introduction) Include admission requirements and

components of a Bologna bachelor’s degree

Does the 13+ of secondary education make up thedeficit between US Bachelor’s degree and BolognaBachelors? Not all European secondary programs are 13+

years, and increasingly they are transitioning to12 years. Theoretically, all graduates fromsecondary school in any Bologna signatorysecondary program are eligible for admission.

There is a greater focus on the major subject inBologna bachelors. Does this equal to the fourth year of study in the

major subject of a US Bachelor’s degree?

European students generally claim to be strongeracademically in their field of specialization than theirAmerican counterparts. Does this make up for the shorter duration of

Bologna bachelor’s?

The perception of a three-year Bologna bachelor’sdegree is lower than the previous 5-year first degreein the employment market, leading most students topursue Master’s degrees for similar employmentopportunities. Does this have any effect on academic evaluation

in the US?

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MMoodduullee22..Three-Year Bachelor’s Degree: South Asia(India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka)

The conflict between some keypublic universities and the UGC concerningthe four-year bachelor’s degree came to ahead in September 2014. The UGC orderedthose institutions that The three-year degreedebate from countries in South Asia (India,Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka) is one thatcontinues to persist given the steady numberof international students seeking graduatedegrees at U.S. institutions of highereducation. As the second largest exporter ofinternational students to the U.S. after Chinaand its leading source from South Asia,India’s three-year bachelor’s degree is ofparticular interest.

India’s three-year Bachelor’s degree in artsand sciences has been typically a three-yearprogram patterned after the British system.Attempts were recently made by someIndian universities to champion the idea ofexpanding the three-year program byanother year to include a researchcomponent and additional courses at theadvanced level, particularly in the sciences.These institutions viewed this move asessential if India intends to be competitiveglobally, especially in scientific research anddevelopment.

This push toward expanding the three-yearinto a four-year degree was met with strongresistance from the University GrantsCommission (UGC), India’s higher educationregulatory and funding had either embarkedon offering the four-year bachelor’s degreeor were already offering them, to abandonthe program and revert to the standardthree-year programs or lose their fundingaltogether.

On the other hand, Pakistan, India’s neighbor, istaking steps to adopting the four-year bachelor’sdegree, and reforming its two- and three-yeardegree programs. Some universities in Sri Lanka,India’s other neighbor, are beginning to offer four-year bachelor’s degree.

The proponents of India’s four-year bachelor’sdegree, like their counterparts in Pakistan and SriLanka, see the additional year as a more holisticapproach to teaching and learning, allowing forbroad-based training in the humanities andsciences. The abrupt dismissal of the four-yearprogram by the UGC is seen by many of theeducators and the institutions India asshortsighted and lacking any serious academicdiscussion that is supported by convincing factsand arguments. Many foresee that the UGC’sresistance toward the four-year degree will onlypush students away from studying sciences,pursuing careers in sciences and stymieing India’schances in scientific innovation.

While educators in India grapple with theweaknesses and global competitiveness of theirthree-year Bachelor degree as compared to thefour-year Bachelor, a cursory search of graduateadmissions requirements of U.S. institutions ofhigher education show variations in theacceptance of the Indian three-year degree. Thethree-year Indian bachelor’s degree appears to beviewed by some universities as sufficientpreparation for admission to graduate schoolwhile regarded as insufficient by others. Thereare U.S. graduate schools and credentialevaluation services that consider the three-yearIndian degrees from select universities asequivalent to the U.S. bachelor’s degree, whileothers recommend three years of undergraduatecredit equivalence.

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TTOOPPIICCSSThree-Year Bachelor’s Degree: South Asia(India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka)

IInnddiiaann IInnssttiittuuttiioonn RRaannkkiinnggSome U.S. institutions and credential evaluationservices are considering three-year bachelordegrees as U.S. equivalent based on the rankingof the institution in India.

Does the rank of the Indian institution inthe country’s education hierarchy play afactor in the eligibility of a three-yearbachelor’s degree holder for graduationadmission?

Who determines the ranking of universitiesin India? And, what are the criteria todetermine the ranking of institutions? Howis quality control enforced?

TThhrreeee--yyeeaarr bbaacchheelloorr ddeeggrreeee ccllaassssiiffiiccaattiioonnSome U.S. institutions and credential evaluationservices are considering three-year bachelordegrees as U.S. equivalent based on theclassification of the degree. For example, a three-year bachelor degree First Class withDistinction/Division I is required for admission tosome graduate schools. Is the classification of the three-year degree

conferred considered a criterion foradmission to the graduation school?

IInnddiiaann UUnniivveerrssiittiieess PPeerrssppeeccttiivvee oonn tthheeiirr 33--yyeeaarr ddeeggrreeeeSome institutions of higher education in India (ascited above) have argued on the limitations ofthe three-year degree and in favor of expandingthe degree to four years.

If the three-year bachelor degree is seen bysome institutions in India as inadequatepreparation for graduation school, shouldthis be the deciding factor in determininggraduation admission eligibility at U.S.institutions?

Is the UGC's order for universities to revertback to 3yr programs primarily a fundingissue?

Are the 3-year Bachelor degrees treateddifferently than the 4-year degree holdersin India? Is the quality of the 3-yearBachelor considered to be less than the 4-year Bachelor degrees in India?

Are holders of 3-year Indian Bachelordegrees at a disadvantage in theemployment market compared to holdersof 4-year Bachelor degrees?

UU..SS.. PPeerrssppeeccttiivvee oonn IInnddiiaann DDeeggrreeeessSome U.S. institutions and credential evaluators,recognize the three-year Bachelor’s degree fromIndia as sufficient preparation for admission tograduate studies.

Is the General Education course componentof U.S. bachelor degree programs appliedto the three-year bachelor degrees fromIndia (given its absence from the Indianbachelor’s degree and the argument fromsome Indian universities supporting itsinclusion as part of a “more holisticapproach to teaching and learning”)?

Is focus to be placed on the Major-specificcoursework of the three-year bachelordegree?

Why are the Indian three-year bachelor’sdegrees assessed based on institutionranking and degree classification, whenthe same is not true of three-year degreesfrom other countries?

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MMoodduullee33..Beyond South Asia and Bologna: Three-yeardegrees from Australia, South Africa and Israel …

Three-year bachelor degrees inAustralia and South Africa are modeled after theUK educational system. Australian Bachelor’s(pass or ordinary) degrees require three years offull-time study or the part-time equivalent. Thesequalifications include Bachelor of Arts, Scienceand Commerce, i.e., BA, BSc. and BCom; Bachelorof Applied Science (BAppSc) and Bachelor ofBusiness Administration (BBusAdmin). InAustralia, four-year Bachelor’s degrees exist inprofessional fields like Engineering, Education,Law, etc. An Honours degree usually follows an(Ordinary) three-year Bachelor’s degree. Itcomprises one year of study in an area ofspecialization. Students are typically selected topursue the honours degree based on academicachievement. The three-year Bachelor’s degreeis often accepted for access to higher educationdegrees. An Honours Degree is normallyrequired for access to higher research degrees.

A major part of the history of education in SouthAfrica has to do with apartheid which was firstestablished in 1949. Apartheid becamedismantled between 1990 and 1993 and theyears since have allowed for all racial groups toplay “catch-up” with education. Admission intoBachelor’s degree programs is traditionally basedon completion of year 12 (standard 10). Studentssit for the Senior Certificate Examination (anexternal examination) as they approach the endof standard 10. The results of theseexaminations will determine whether one maybe admitted into a Bachelor’s degree program.In South Africa Bachelor’s degrees require threeyears of full-time study or the part-timeequivalent. These qualifications include Bachelorof Arts, Science and Commerce, i.e., BA, BSc. andBCom and the Bachelor of Social Science(BSocSc) degrees. Four to six-year bachelordegrees exist in professional fields likeengineering, law, architecture and medicine. AnHonours degree usually follows a three-yearBachelor’s degree.

It comprises one year of study in an area ofspecialization. Students are selected to pursuethe Honours degree based on academicachievement.

In Israel, admission to higher education requiresthe Matriculation Certificate (Teudat Bagrut) andthe Psychometric Exam, which bears resemblanceto the SAT in the USA. Historically, onlyuniversities could offer Bachelor’s level programs,but that option has long since been extended tocolleges. Bachelor’s Degree programs in Israel aretypically three years in length. Exceptions to thisare Bachelor’s Degrees in Nursing, Pharmacy,Education and Engineering, which are four yearsin length and medical and dental degrees whichtake six years. Degrees are heavily focused on themajor field of study, often with little timeremaining for electives in unrelated subjects.However, pursuit of double majors is quitecommon. In contrast to three-year degrees inEurope and South Asia, Israeli three-yearBachelor’s Degrees are widely recognized asequivalent to four-year bachelor’s degrees in theUS. One reason for this assessment is the level ofstudy required to earn the Bagrut certificate atthe end of High School. The Bagrut can beconsidered to be on the level of the UK’s A-Levelexams. Undergraduate transfer credit is awardedin the US for Bagrut exams in academic subjectscompleted at the level of 3 or higher (on a scale of1 to 6). As such, students entering Israeliuniversities can be considered to have alreadycompleted one year of undergraduate level study,covering the typical general educationrequirements of US universities. In addition,academic requirements in Israel tend to berigorous. Students are typically older than theirpeers abroad on account of mandatory militaryservice and the common practice of taking timeoff to work or travel prior to matriculation. Inaddition, the number of courses taken per year isgenerally higher than at US institutions andsummers are often spent preparing for exams orwriting term papers.

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TTOOPPIICCSSBeyond South Asia and Bologna: Three-yeardegrees from Australia, South Africa and Israel …

AAUUSSTTRRAALLIIAA

Graduates from 3-year Bachelor’s degrees are often admitted into Master’s programs in Australianuniversities. This is almost universal for non-research based Master’s programs. Should the same practice be true for US institutions with non-research based Master’s

programs?

What are the employment implications for graduates of Australian 3-year Bachelor’s programs inAustralia and in the USA? Australian Bachelor’s degrees vary in duration depending on the area of study.

Are the graduates of 3-year Bachelor’s degrees (Arts, Commerce, etc.) prepared to enter theworkforce or should these degrees be considered preparatory for the additional training (eitheran Honours degree or a Master’s degree)?

SSOOUUTTHH AAFFRRIICCAA

Since admission to Bachelor’s degree programs is based on successful passing of externalexaminations, better prepared students are admitted. Would this external examination serve as an extra level of college preparation (such as A-levels

in the UK) or as a compensation for uneven level of secondary education in secondary schools(such as CXC exams in the Caribbean)?

Are graduates of 3-year Bachelor’s programs accepted into Master’s programs by SouthAfrican universities?

What are employment implications for graduates of South African 3-year Bachelor’s degrees inSouth Africa and in the USA?

IISSRRAAEELL

Should the grades on Bagrut exams be taken into account when deciding on whether these examsshould be equivalent to college-level academic work? Should 3-year Bachelor’s degrees from Israel be treated differently from 3-year degrees from

other countries? Why or why not?

What are employment implications for graduates of Israeli 3-year Bachelor’s programs inIsrael and in the USA?