I'm in Degree Hell

[sal1820]

Hi everyone,

I need a bit of expert guidance to pull me out of degree hell. I started off at a prestigious American university and had to pull out nearly 2/3 of the way into my degree. I then enrolled simultaneously for another in-person bachelor's degree in my home country and an online associate degree at University of the People. My home country is not recognizing my bachelor's degree because it is based on my associate degree and that was online. They don't grant equivalence for an online degrees in my home country.

I tried getting admission abroad in the UK and most institutions rejected my application because my qualifications were not equal to a UK bachelor's degree according to UK ENIC. I have attached a screenshot with this message. But eventually I was admitted to a triple accredited business school. It wasn't the best idea to go down this route. I think I should have first sorted out my degree issues before heading abroad the way I did.

Now I have blown a lot of money and effort into my education but still don't have a lot to show for it. I can't get a job in my home country since they are not attesting my bachelor's degree. Based on the UK-ENIC assessment, my bachelor's degree will not get an international equivalence assessment for a US or UK bachelor's degree. Most of the Middle East (Dubai, Saudi Arabia) is closed off to me because my bachelor's degree is not being attested by my home country (I still have the UoPeople associate degree but its online and some countries like mine don't grant equivalence for online degrees).

 I think a good and cheap bachelor's top-up program could solve all my issues. But would that reduce the value of my triple-accredited UK master's degree? I would appreciate some well-meaning and expert guidance for how I can pull myself out of degree hell.

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in case someone is interested in credit breakdown:
77 American credits from first university - no degree
45 from University of the People - Associate Degree
64 from top-up undergraduate degree in home country - Undergraduate degree
180 UK credits from UK university for master's - Master's degree

[Tomas]

IMHO you shall consult it with someone who knows how the system in your country works.

I would take those first university and top-up credits to UMPI and finish bachelor there, online, but no idea how it would be examined and evaluated in your country - with UoPeople it is obvious, they have no campus, but with schools that have campuses, how do they find out whether degree was online...

[freeloader]

A few questions which might help us understand your situation a bit better:

Did you earn the 77 credits from the university in the United States in-person at the university or as an online/distance student?

You said that you earned your bachelor’s degree via a top-up in your country. What do you think would be different in earning a second top-up bachelors degree? Would you take that degree from a university in your country or another, say the UK? What subject area would you select for this second top-up?

Do you know (or think you know) why your bachelor’s degree was determined not to be equivalent to a UK honours bachelor’s?

Can you give us a bit more detail about what you studied (major/focus area) at the American university, U of People, and the university in your home country?

In regards to the possibility that a second top-up bachelors will somehow devalue or cheapen your prior education—at this point you have 3 degrees, a lot of credits, and a lot of money spent and you are not eligible for jobs that require a university degree. You NEED to do something to change that, obviously. At this point, assuming there is no opportunity to appeal the determination that you don’t hold a valid bachelor’s degree per your country’s rules, it seems to me you only have 3 options:

1) Pursue the cheapest/fastest additional courses/credits/degree(s) that will be held as valid in your country
2) Pursue the best courses/credits/degree(s) that will be held as valid in your country
3) Try to move somewhere that will recognize your degrees as valid

What are your priorities? What is your financial situation to pursue further education at this point? Are you able to emigrate, including the possibility of getting a visa at this point? Part of that depends on your field of study. Unfortunately, if you are in a field like CS, IT, or finance, it’s not a great time to be trying to immigrate to a lot of countries.

[sal1820]

A few questions which might help us understand your situation a bit better:

Did you earn the 77 credits from the university in the United States in-person at the university or as an online/distance student?

You said that you earned your bachelor’s degree via a top-up in your country. What do you think would be different in earning a second top-up bachelors degree?  Would you take that degree from a university in your country or another, say the UK?  What subject area would you select for this second top-up?

Do you know (or think you know) why your bachelor’s degree was determined not to be equivalent to a UK honours bachelor’s?

Can you give us a bit more detail about what you studied (major/focus area) at the American university, U of People, and the university in your home country?

In regards to the possibility that a second top-up bachelors will somehow devalue or cheapen your prior education—at this point you have 3 degrees, a lot of credits, and a lot of money spent and you are not eligible for jobs that require a university degree. You NEED to do something to change that, obviously. At this point, assuming there is no opportunity to appeal the determination that you don’t hold a valid bachelor’s degree per your country’s rules, it seems to me you only have 3 options:

1) Pursue the cheapest/fastest additional courses/credits/degree(s) that will be held as valid in your country
2) Pursue the best courses/credits/degree(s) that will be held as valid in your country
3) Try to move somewhere that will recognize your degrees as valid

What are your priorities?  What is your financial situation to pursue further education at this point?  Are you able to emigrate, including the possibility of getting a visa at this point?  Part of that depends on your field of study. Unfortunately, if you are in a field like CS, IT, or finance, it’s not a great time to be trying to immigrate to a lot of countries.

Hi! I am happy to answer these questions to get you a better understanding of my situation.

I earned the 77 credits in-person at a US University. The university is accredited by the Middle States Commission. 

I earned a bachelor's degree in my home country. I characterized it as a top up, but a better approach would be to say it was a 'lateral entry' program. I think the only reason they let me in was because of administrative lapses. I have researched some more and have found that I was ineligible for admission at that point. The requirement for admission was that you should hold a 2-year associate degree (which is equivalent to 14 years of education) to be eligible for a 2-year lateral entry bachelor's degree program. The university reasoned that they can award me admission because I did have 14 years of education (i.e. the 77 credits from the American university) even though that was wrong since I only had loose credits and didn't have an associate degree. I simultaneously enrolled at University of the People and ended up with an associate degree in January and a bachelor's degree from my in person university in July of the same year.

I think a second top-up will help in the sense that the degree achieved will not be illegitimate. I was thinking about the UK since they have many one-year, top up, online programs (Tesside, Arden, Coventry, Cumbria). You are right that this is basically a second top-up degree. But it would help in the sense that I could move abroad with a valid bachelor's degree. Right now, my bachelor's degree is not being attested or legalized. Of course, even by this route, doors in my home country will be closed to me for further education or skilled employment. This is not ideal but I think this is my best bet for now.

I believe UK ENIC did not equate my bachelor's degree with a UK honors undergraduate degree for two reasons:
1. My credits are not on one transcript and are on three different transcripts. The bachelor's degree has credits for just two years and so UK ENIC determined that my degree was more of an HND than an undergraduate degree.
2. My associate and bachelor's degree were simultaneous. I think it's much better to show clear progression from one degree to the next to show progression of level of difficulty. It simplifies the education trajectory for evaluation.

In terms of what I studied, I studied economics at the American university. Then I studied business administration at UoPeople (with 15 credits successfully transferred from my US university). I also studied business administration for my undergraduate degree. I am now studying finance in the UK. 

I am currently abroad and in the UK for my master's degree. I think I have enough financial resources for another year of education, particularly if it helps me recoup the locked value on my previous education. I am very flexible with where I am headed. Right now, all I want to do is find a way out of this situation.

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IMHO you shall consult it with someone who knows how the system in your country works.

I would take those first university and top-up credits to UMPI and finish bachelor there, online, but no idea how it would be examined and evaluated in your country - with UoPeople it is obvious, they have no campus, but with schools that have campuses,  how do they find out whether degree was online...

Hi, because this situation is so unique, I haven't been able to find many people who have had experience with how to proceed from here.

I think UMPI is one viable option, now that you mention it.

[ss20ts]

I would really consider UMPI. No one would ever know you attended online unless you tell them or they somehow check your travel history. Nothing on the transcripts says online. Nothing on the diploma says online. It is a state university that is RA as well. They also accept international credits after an evaluation is completed.

[bjcheung77]

*Queue the Country Blues Music...* @OP, I got your Private Message pointing to this thread... Great intro post trying to paint the picture of your scenario and finding pathways or options to continue your education, but you're missing all the info in the addendum and template asked for here: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Forum-D...ing-Advice

I need info... Especially the country you're from, the country you're looking to finish your education from, and my country here, all have different college and university systems. Without clear info from where that country of origin is, and the rest of the countries you're looking at, you're leaving out the most important detail.

[sal1820]

Here is the template with requisite details:


Any certifications or military experience? APM Project Fundamentals (I may get three credits for it); my 77+ 45 + 64 credits are my saving grace (I will need to get my home country credits processed by an agency like WES)
Budget: I would be comfortable with something below $5000 (something slightly above - like $6000-$6500- should also be fine)
Commitments: I study full time for a master's degree and work part time for twenty hours
Dedicated time to study: I can study for four to five hours daily. This is excluding the time I need for my current master's degree
Timeline: I am looking to get a degree as soon as possible
Tuition assistance/reimbursement: I will have to pay out of pocket

I am from a country in South Asia. I could PM you the exact country if you want.

I am in the UK and would ideally want to stay in Europe. An online degree works particularly well for me since I have physical commitments like university that tie me down here.

I believe they have eased the criteria for recognizing online degrees in my home country. My main problem is that I am struggling in convincing international universities and organizations (UK ENIC) and local authorities (for apostille purposes) that I have a proper bachelor's degree. Universities like Stirling university, Edinburgh Napier University, and University of Glasgow have refused to recognize my undergraduate degree. In the eyes of my government and universities around the world, I only have an associate degree and not a bachelor's degree (in spite of having many more credits than any bachelor's degree). I don't know how that will impact my current master's degree either. I've attached the communication from UoGlasgow with this email.

I think this is the main issue I am facing -- convincing everyone that I do have a bachelor's degree. The degree was a lateral entry program so none of my previous credits show on my transcript, and because my associate degree was parallel and online, universities and government regulators don't see the progression (at least that's my reading).

Look forward to hearing what you have to say.

[wow]

For UK and Europe, I think a University of the People bachelor's would be adequate, but UMPI would also work and might have broader acceptability due to having a brick-and-mortar school and regional accreditation for a longer period. (UoP has only had it for the last year or two.)

[sal1820]

I'm quite certain you can't get admission in Germany with a UoPeople degree without a lot of wrangling. This is because it's not rated H+ on the Anabin datase: https://anabin.kmk.org/db/institutionen. 

I don't know about other European countries like Italy or Spain, however.

[Tomas]

I'm quite certain you can't get admission in Germany with a UoPeople degree without a lot of wrangling. This is because it's not rated H+ on the Anabin datase: https://anabin.kmk.org/db/institutionen. 

I don't know about other European countries like Italy or Spain, however.

It is not listed in the database, but that doesn't matter that much - UoPeople degree is recognized as equivalent to German degrees (as long as you got it after they received regional accreditation). Students already asked and got the recognition paper. It shall be no problem. 
No known system problem in other European countries either, except of course you might rarely encounter individual problems (still fixable by following proper procedures).