Will my degree still be valid in the U.S. if I study in a foreign country?

Question

I'm a JR now in high school and I've been thinking of where i want to go to college. I have been thinking of going to Spain or Mexico but I'm worried if I get my degree in either country will it still be valid in the U.S. I've herd of stories about people coming from Spain or Mexico with their degrees and only to find out that it's worth nothing here. (BTW I'm interested in studying Languages both foreign and classical, Linguistics. I'm Hispanic i know how to speak Spanish.

Answer 1

It depends on what you want to do. If you go to medical or law school there, you would have to start all over again in the U.S., because you need an American degree, or at least to have passed a U.S. test, to be licensed here. If you are thinking of going into business, or something like that, then your degree would be worth as much as it would be if you earned it here, especially if you go to a good school in the other country.

Answer 2

It really depends. If it's a well respected, appropriately accredited university, and if the degree you obtained is actually the equivalent of a US bachelor's degree, then you can have it certified by a company that does such things. That proves that it's the equivalent of a US bachelor's degree, and most employers will accept that. However, no school in either Spain or Mexico has any level of name recognition in the US, so you'll be up against that. Also keep in mind that, according to most rankings tables, the universities in Spain and Mexico aren't exactly at the top of any list - not in the top 50, and not in the top 100, from my brief review of a few lists just now.

I think it may be a better choice for you to focus on US universties with strong programs in your possible major subjects (someone suggested Middlebury, and I'll second that). Make sure that you do a one-year foreign exchange at a university in a Spanish speaking country. Also, try to spend your summers doing work, even if that's in the US, with Spanish speaking peoples. You can also travel abroad on summers, do volunteer work overseas, etc., all of which will get you to your goal. And, once you graduate, you could consider doing a work exchange with Spain - your school's international exchange office can explain how that works. They give you a nine month visa, and off you go.

Answer 3

You have many options. You could study in the US at a good school -- Middlebury in Vermont comes to mind because it is the best school for languages in the US. You could then do a year abroad in a foreign country. This would be the safest option because you know your credentials would be valid here in the USA.

I have heard also that entrance into most foreign universities is competitive because only a small percentage of foreign students go to a university.

I have searched for a list of foreign universities that are accepted here in the US but I cannot find one. However, I found a site that describes what foreign students should do to apply to a Spanish university. Nothing similar seems to exist in Mexico though.

Best of luck to you!