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Non-degree status vs qualifying year?


eliza1

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Hello all,

I want to do an MA in history but I only have a three year degree from my previous school. I have a 3.3 GPA overall but only 2 courses in third year courses and no 4th year. Some schools it seems you can apply and get admitted to a qualifying year to make up the deficiencies but it doesn't seem like this is the norm. Does anyone know if it's possible to apply to a university as a non degree status to make up the deficiencies and the apply to other schools from there?

Thanks.

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Hello all,

I want to do an MA in history but I only have a three year degree from my previous school. I have a 3.3 GPA overall but only 2 courses in third year courses and no 4th year. Some schools it seems you can apply and get admitted to a qualifying year to make up the deficiencies but it doesn't seem like this is the norm. Does anyone know if it's possible to apply to a university as a non degree status to make up the deficiencies and the apply to other schools from there?

Thanks.

Applying as a non degree student is (generally) not competitive. If you are interested in taking graduate courses as a non-degree seeking student, the admission office will need to confirm that you earned a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution and that you don't have any academic issues on your transcript. Usually though as a non-degree seeking student, you cannot take any course (some courses may be restricted to particular programs) and you have to wait until the degree seeking students register before you can register. I would check into this before you go this route because it is not going to work out if the classes that you want to take are restricted or popular.

I was a non-degree seeking student in two different institutions a couple years ago and I had a good experience with the classes I took.

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Usually though as a non-degree seeking student, you cannot take any course (some courses may be restricted to particular programs) and you have to wait until the degree seeking students register before you can register.

Hm, thanks, I didn't even consider that. Definitely good to keep in mind. It's good to know you had a good experience with your non-degree classes... it gives me hope. The situation is redeemable!

Does anyone know how common it is for applicants to be admitted to an MA with only a 3 year BA? I'd much rather go the qualifying year route (or right into the MA haha), I'm just not sure how common it is and it makes me nervous that it seems to be only for "exceptional candidates" (according to most of the school websites i've looked at.). Any tips on how I can boost myself into the "exceptional" category? Has anyone been in this situation and had some success?

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That's the route I'm going! I didn't feel as though I was really ready for grad school yet, so I'm taking a year off to volunteer, do some research and take classes at the school of my choice. From what I understand it's a fairly normal thing.

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I don't quite understand what you mean by 3 year BA? If you graduated in 3 years, then it's fine. There should be no problems because you have a BA. However, if you have only 3 years worth of classes and NO BA, then you didn't graduate yet, right? blink.gif If you wan't to take classes as a non-matriculating student, then usually they admit students who already have graduated from their first degree. Well, schools have different rules for that, I think.

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I don't quite understand what you mean by 3 year BA? If you graduated in 3 years, then it's fine. There should be no problems because you have a BA. However, if you have only 3 years worth of classes and NO BA, then you didn't graduate yet, right? blink.gif If you wan't to take classes as a non-matriculating student, then usually they admit students who already have graduated from their first degree. Well, schools have different rules for that, I think.

In Canada a lot of the schools I've looked at require a 4 year BA in order to meet the minimum requirements for admission. The school I graduated had a choice of 3 year BA, 4 year BA or 4 year honours BA. I did the 3 year so I do have a BA degree but it still leaves me a bit short for what they require for a lot of the schools I've looked at in Canada. Certain 4th year class requirements I guess. Is it different other places? Maybe I should broaden my scope of the schools I've been looking at. I was thinking of looking at some American universities too but figured the requirements would be pretty similar... I was just wondering if I should just take some classes on my own to make it up or if I should bother because I do have a BA already, I don't know. I might just take some classes as a non-degree student to prepare a bit more....

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In Canada a lot of the schools I've looked at require a 4 year BA in order to meet the minimum requirements for admission. The school I graduated had a choice of 3 year BA, 4 year BA or 4 year honours BA. I did the 3 year so I do have a BA degree but it still leaves me a bit short for what they require for a lot of the schools I've looked at in Canada. Certain 4th year class requirements I guess. Is it different other places? Maybe I should broaden my scope of the schools I've been looking at. I was thinking of looking at some American universities too but figured the requirements would be pretty similar... I was just wondering if I should just take some classes on my own to make it up or if I should bother because I do have a BA already, I don't know. I might just take some classes as a non-degree student to prepare a bit more....

Sounds a little different from the typical U.S. undergraduate situation (at least I haven't heard of anything comparable here), so it's hard to know how you'll fare. I'm sure international applicants are assessed differently just because the undergraduate accreditation (if any) is different from what we have here.

I think the non-degree study option is a good one, especially because it can help you in other ways by providing another source of recommendation letters, writing samples, and so on. But I'd also contact the grad admissions office at any U.S. schools that interest you, and ask them specifically how they evaluate cases like yours. More information is always good.

Good luck...

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