Is it a shortcut to study abroad or a new scam?
"It doesn't matter if you fail to study abroad", "Go straight to a master's degree to restore your degree", and "guarantee your graduation"... In the past two years, a new term has appeared in the study abroad circle - "cross-the-book application for a master's degree".
In the publicity of many overseas study institutions, "cross-study application for master's degree" is a way to restore academic qualifications, especially for overseas students: if you fail to graduate successfully due to various reasons, you can "skip" the undergraduate degree if you cannot get a foreign undergraduate degree. Apply directly to the master's program.
Does the emergence of the new term "cross-the-book application for masters" mean that the "education gap" can be solved by studying abroad, and that there is actually a "shortcut" to improve one's academic qualifications?
Is "Cross-Ben Shenshuo" reliable or not?
Academic gap? "Cross-Ben Shenshuo" can't make up for it
At present, the publicity of "cross-study application for master's degree" in the market is mainly aimed at two groups of people: one is overseas students who have not successfully graduated, and the other is junior college students who have not been successfully admitted to the undergraduate program.
What these two groups have in common is that they do not have an undergraduate degree certificate.
Generally speaking, education needs to be “gradually advanced”. After technical secondary school or high school, it is a junior college or an undergraduate degree. If you want to continue your studies and get a master’s degree, you will need to review the pre-requisite qualifications.
In China, in most cases, the master's program can only be enrolled after the undergraduate has successfully graduated.
In both cases, international students cannot get a degree certificate because they fail a course, or junior college students only obtain a junior college diploma. In these two cases, they directly apply for a master's degree, and there is a lack of a bachelor's degree in the middle, which is a kind of "educational fault".
In this case, without an undergraduate degree, can you really study for a master's degree directly?
If so, how does it work?
The reporter consulted several study abroad agencies that carry out "cross-study application for master's degree" consulting, and found that the actual operation process of domestic intermediaries to carry out "cross-study application for master's degree" is actually not clear, and many agents have indicated that "skip" undergraduate study directly Master's "is not the norm."
Under normal circumstances, applying for a master’s program in a foreign university requires “a complete transcript of the undergraduate study period, a degree certificate, and a letter of recommendation from an undergraduate teacher, and other materials that meet the admission requirements of the institution”.
A consultant from an institution said that to solve this "abnormal situation", it is necessary to "make a fuss" at the two levels of undergraduate background and application submission.
On the one hand, students need to supplement the complete undergraduate background, and by looking for undergraduate teachers to write recommendation letters, essays, etc., the students' undergraduate background "looks exactly the same as other students"; on the other hand, students need to find the target master's college. The admissions officer and teacher "did the relationship" to ensure that the submitted materials are reviewed by the teacher found by the intermediary, so as to pass the school's verification smoothly and enter the "admission by merit" link.
However, this kind of "cross-study application" model is more like a "repackage" of "guaranteed admission" for studying abroad, and its feasibility needs to be considered.
There are also some intermediaries that provide a list of colleges and universities that can "apply for a master's degree across the board". Most of these colleges are not ranked high in the world.
Among them, some institutions said that some universities in the United Kingdom, such as the University of Central Lancashire (University of Central Lancashire), offer "cross-study application" programs, and the school's 2022 QS World University Rankings Ranked between 801-1000.
The institution said that the master’s dual course co-operated by the University of Central Lancashire and Century University Malaysia does not require an undergraduate degree.
However, the reporter did not inquire about the relevant information of the course on the official websites of the two schools, and Century University Malaysia issued a statement in August last year, which stated that some domestic institutions "do not have any prerequisite education requirements" for the school. The propaganda of direct progression to a master's degree is untrue.
New scam? Similar master's programs do exist
The process is not clear, there is false publicity, and the application process is suspected to be operated in a dark box... Is "cross-the-book application for masters" actually a new scam for studying abroad?
The reporter browsed the official websites of some foreign colleges and universities and found that at present, some foreign colleges and universities do not need an undergraduate degree to study for a master's degree.
There are many colleges and universities in the United States and Australia that offer such courses.
For example, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States offers "MicroMasters" courses in data, economics and development policy, which can be registered without an undergraduate degree. After passing the proctored exam, students will receive a certificate of completion of the MicroMasters course, and then can Apply to MIT's official master's degree program.
There are also institutions such as Western Pennsylvania University and Arizona State University that offer accelerated degree programs that allow students to begin graduate study before completing a bachelor's degree.
In addition, colleges and universities such as Southern University provide comprehensive master's programs (bachelor/master combined programs), which combine a master's degree with a bachelor's degree. The application also does not need to obtain a bachelor's degree first. Students who meet the requirements can obtain both a bachelor's degree and a master's degree at the same time. Bachelor of Science.
In the UK and Canada, however, such courses are largely non-existent.
In Canada, applying for a master's degree generally requires a total of 16 years of education; in the United Kingdom, the official websites of many colleges and universities clearly state that there is no "skip" undergraduate direct admission to the master's degree.
In fact, this kind of "cross-over" undergraduate program to directly study for a master's degree is not a "special offer" for the study abroad circle.
In China, those with a college degree or a bachelor's degree without a bachelor's degree can apply for a master's degree with the same academic ability.
However, although the application for a master's degree with equivalent academic qualifications allows the application for a junior college degree, it is limited to the study of course classes. Students who complete the credits can obtain a certificate of completion of the master's degree program with equivalent academic qualifications.
It needs to be clear that the completion certificate is different from the degree certificate. Students who do not have an undergraduate degree can apply for a master's degree through domestic equivalent academic qualifications, and can only obtain a course completion certificate, not a master's degree certificate; Enrolling in a master's program will lead to the possibility of obtaining a master's degree certificate.
"Wide in and wide out"? The actual application is difficult, the certification is not guaranteed
So, does this prove that students who want to quickly improve their qualifications can "take advantage of the loopholes" by applying for similar "cross-study application" courses abroad?
In fact, although an undergraduate degree is not required to apply for such a master's program, the requirements are not low.
For example, although MIT's "Micro-Masters" program allows students to apply for a formal master's degree after obtaining a course certificate, the program does not guarantee admission to a formal graduate program, and applicants still need to meet the usual admission requirements.
Many students who have taken this course also said that the "Micro-Master's" course "has a lot of learning intensity" and "it is very difficult to get a formal degree in this school".
For other colleges and universities that offer accelerated degree programs, comprehensive master's programs, etc., most of them require students to have "seven years or more of extensive professional experience in the relevant field", or "have work experience equivalent to an undergraduate degree."
Although such colleges and universities may not consider whether the student has an undergraduate degree or not when accepting students, but require students to provide an associate's degree (associate's degree) or other certificates (certification) to prove their professional or work experience.
In addition, some study abroad agencies also stated that the master’s degree obtained by “applying for a master’s degree across the university” is guaranteed to be certified by the Ministry of Education’s foreign (overseas) academic degree, and “the certified master will not check the undergraduate materials” “without a bachelor’s degree does not Affecting Master's Accreditation".
The reporter consulted the Overseas Education Service Center of the Ministry of Education. The center said that the certification result needs to submit an application and upload materials first, and the center will know after investigation and evaluation according to the "Evaluation Measures for Overseas Education and Degree Certification of the Overseas Education Service Center of the Ministry of Education".
Before submitting the materials, the Study Abroad Service Center cannot accurately reply whether it can pass the certification.
At the same time, some non-degree certificates or higher education diplomas with degree validity, such as postgraduate certificates in the United Kingdom and associate degree certificates in Hong Kong, are not yet within the scope of certification.
Once you have not completed the credits of the master's program you are applying for, and you only obtain such a degree certificate without a master's degree certificate, there is a risk that the certification will not be successful.
remind
Educational improvement can not help seedlings to grow
There are additional requirements for application and the risk of degree certification, which are far from the "good graduation" and "100% certification" in the mouth of some overseas study institutions.
At present, the "cross-the-book application" market is mixed, and some study abroad agencies have false propaganda. Students need to keep their eyes open and carefully screen.
The improvement of academic qualifications cannot help the seedlings to grow, and "crossing the school to apply for a master's degree" is not a "Zhongnan shortcut" to make up for the shortcomings of academic qualifications.
Yangcheng Evening News reporter Sun Wei intern Guo Yiluo