ESL and Graduate

1. Advisers:
Claudia Ortiz & Sofia de la Garza
EducationUSA.state.gov
Study in the USA:
Graduate and English Programs

2. What is EducationUSA?
• A global network of advising centers
supported by the US State Department’s
Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs
(ECA).
• Unbiased, accurate, comprehensive
information about the full range of
accredited U.S. higher education
institutions
• Free access to introductory information on
U.S. study
EducationUSA.state.gov

3. EducationUSA in Mexico

4. EducationUSA.state.gov
Graduate Studies

5. Key Topics
• Different types of programs
• Application process
• Entrance exams
• Financial Aid
• Questions & Answers
EducationUSA.state.gov

6. Master degrees
• Academic Master’s
– Master of Arts (M.A.)
– Mastr of Science (M.S.)
• Professional Master’s
– Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.)
– Master of Social Work (M.S.W.)
– Master of Education (M.Ed.)
– Master in Fine Arts (M.F.A.)
EducationUSA.state.gov

7. Doctoral degrees
• Academic:
– Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
• Professional:
– Doctor of Education (Ed. D)
– Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.)
EducationUSA.state.gov

8. The Calendar: Dedicate Time
12-18 months before (Mar-Sept)
• Research schools: choose 5-7
• Find out deadlines for financial aid
and application
• Register to take standardized tests in
required
September-December
• Study and take exams
• Request required materials:
recommendation, transcripts,
financial statements
• Write your personal statement
• Submit completed applications
EducationUSA.state.gov
January-April
• Application deadlines, early
admission deadlines will be sooner
April-June
• Letters of Acceptance/rejection
• Decision making
• Organize finances: fund transfer to US
June-August
• Student Visa
• Travel Arrangements

9. The Application
Depends on the program or university
• Typical Requirements:
– School/program’s application form
– Statement of purpose
– Letters of recommendation (2-3, translation required)
– Official undergraduate transcripts (translation required)
– Exams (TOEFL, GRE, GMAT etc.)
– Résumé
– Sometimes a portfolio or sample of past work
– Financial statement
EducationUSA.state.gov

10. Exams
• TOEFL
– www.toefl.org
– $170 USD
• GRE
– www.gre.org
– $195 USD
EducationUSA.state.gov
• GRE Subject Tests
– Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology,
Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science,
Literature in English, Mathematics,
Physics, Psychology
• GMAT
– www.mba.com
– $250 USD

11. Calculating your expenses
• Application Fees ($35-250/institution)
• Tuition ($15,000-30,000+/yr)
• Room & Board ($5,000-12,000/yr)
• University Student Fees ($100-$300/term)
• Medical and Dental Insurance
• Travel Expenses
• Living Expenses
EducationUSA.state.gov

12. Patterns and Trends in Funding
• More funding is available for:
• PhD programs
– compared to master’s programs.
• Research and Doctoral universities
– compared to master’s institutions
• Academic programs
– compared to professional programs (law, medicine,
dentistry, MBAs, etc.)
• Many programs don’t offer funding until the second year.
EducationUSA.state.gov

13. Funding Varies by Field
• Engineering, computer science, math
– 82% of PhD candidates are funded
– 55% of master’s candidates
• Humanities
– 56% of PhD candidates are funded
– 41% of master’s candidates
• Business, law, and other professions: funding
is rare and loans are common
EducationUSA.state.gov

14. Financial Aid Programs
• U.S. Universities
• Government
• Private Foundations
• Loans
EducationUSA.state.gov

15. Types of Funding: U.S. Universities
Assistanships
• Teaching (TA): Awarded by department. Must
demonstrate strong spoken English and teaching experience.
Can be in other departments (languages, math).
• Research (RA): Awarded by professors. Contributes to
your thesis research.
• Graduate (GA): Awarded by grad school. Administrative,
library.
EducationUSA.state.gov

16. The Professor
Professors manage teaching and research
assistantships.
• You need to communicate with the professors
• Learn about them and their research from the
school’s website and scholar.google.com
• Write to them about your academic interests and
what you can contribute to their research
They should know you before they receive your
application!
EducationUSA.state.gov

17. Types of Funding: U.S. Universities
Out-of-State Tuition Waivers
• Several universities and/or state governments offer out-of-
state tuition waivers
– (based on country of origin, region or ethnicity)
• In Texas: PASE & Good Neighbor Scholarship Program
– Mexican nationals who demonstrate financial need pay in-
state tuition at public universities in Texas
• For more information visit each university’s website
EducationUSA.state.gov

18. Types of Funding: Government
CONACYT
• Full and partial scholarships for graduate
students already accepted by universities
• Give preference to PhD students
• Focuses on science and technology
www.conacyt.com.mx
EducationUSA.state.gov

19. Types of Funding: Goverment
Comexus: Fulbright-Garcia Robles
• 25,000 USD, medical insurance, visa and
applications
• To start 2014:
apply from Oct 2012 – Feb 2013
www.comexus.org.mx
EducationUSA.state.gov

20. Types of Funding: Foundation
Magdalena O. Vda. De Brockmann (MOB)
• Full and partial scholarships for graduate students already
accepted by universities
• At least 2 years of work experience
• Any field of study
– except medicine, architecture, sports and fine arts
• Must return to Mexico for a minimum of 5 years
• Must reimburse MOB 30% of the scholarship within 3 years
www.becasmob.org.mx
EducationUSA.state.gov

21. Types of Funding: Foundation American
Association of University Women (AAUW)
• Fellowship for full-time study or research to support
community-based projects that are designed to improve
the lives of women and girls in the fellow’s home
country.
• Female graduate students already accepted by
universities
• One year:
– $18,000 for Master’s, $20,000 for Doctorate $30,000 for
post-doctorate
EducationUSA.state.gov

22. Types of Funding: Mexico Loans
FIDERH, FUNED & OAS
• FIDERH (Banco de Mexico): loan for graduate degrees
– Funding for up to 3 years
– Must repay the loan within 10 years
www.fiderh.org.mx
• FUNED: loan for students accepted by a university
– Covers most expenses
– Must repay the loan within 6 years
www.funedmx.org
• OAS-PAN: Interest-free loans for Latin American students
– Must complete studies in 2 years
– Must repay the loan within 5 years
www.oas.org/rowe
EducationUSA.state.gov

23. Homework to get started
• Make an advising appointment
• Visit www.petersons.com and
www.gradschools.com and create a list of potential
schools
Find out the deadlines, costs, and requirements for each school.
• Assess how much you (and your family or sponsor)
can contribute to your higher education
• Visit www.fundingusstudy.org and create a list of
possible scholarship opportunities.
EducationUSA.state.gov

24. Where and how to do the research?
• READ! All the information you might need is in
the webpage of the school.
• Make notes from each of the schools: what do
you like, what you don’t like, whatever you
find interesting or oustanding.
• Read the University webpage and also the
College webpage
EducationUSA.state.gov

25. Narrow your options
• Location
• Internships or overseas study programs
• Student services
• Faculty
• Cost vs Financial aid availibility
• Size of the department
EducationUSA.state.gov

26. EducationUSA.state.gov
English as a Second Language
Programs

27. Selección de un programa
• Consideraciones:
– Lugar
– Tipo de programa
– Estructura de la clase
– Acreditación y membresía
– Costos

28. Ubicación
• Urbano vs. Rural
• Clima
– Zona geográfica
• Actividades externas
– ambiente cultural
– actividades deportivas
• Programas universitarios vs. Escuelas de
Idiomas

29. Tipo de Programas
• IEP (Programa Intensivo de Inglés)
– 15 + horas de clase
– Programas especializados
• Preparación para la universidad
• Preparación para exámenes de admisión
• Inglés para negocios
• Certificados especiales ( i.e., ingeniería, computación,
derecho y arquitectura)

30. Programas en Universidades
• La mayoría ofrecen programas de Inglés como
segundo idioma (ESL)
• Generalmente los cursos de ESL no forman
parte de los programas académicos regulares de
la universidad
• El programa de ESL no garantiza la admisión a
los programas académicos de la institución

31. Programas en Universidades
Ventajas:
• Las clases se llevan a cabo de acuerdo al calendario
escolar de la universidad
• Alojamiento dentro del campus
• Ambiente universitario
• Acceso a todas las instalaciones de la universidad
(biblioteca, gimnasio, cafetería, etc.)

32. Programas en Instituciones Privadas
• Instituciones privadas e independientes
• Pueden estar ubicados dentro o fuera de una
universidad
• Ofrecen únicamente cursos de Inglés

33. Ventajas
-Variedad de niveles y enfoques del idioma
-Horarios flexibles. No se rigen por el calendario académico
de las universidades
-Los estudiantes tienden a ser más diverso
Programas en Instituciones Privadas

34. Estructura del Programa
• Tamaño promedio de las clases
• Niveles
• Regiones de origen de los estudiantes
• Tipo/Enfoque del programa
• Métodos de evaluación
• Profesorado
• Duración del programa
• Servicios para los estudiantes

35. Acreditación y/o Membresía
• CEA
– Commission of English
Language Program
Accreditation
• ACCET
– The Accrediting Council for
Continuing Education &
Training
• AAIEP
– American Association of
Intensive English Programs
• UCIEP
– University Consortium of
Intensive English Programs
Asociaciones que reconocen a los programas e instituciones
educativas que satisfacen los estándares aceptables de
calidad e integridad.

36. Costos
• Cuota de solicitud
• Colegiatura
• Seguro médico (obligatorio)
• Libros
• Hospedaje
• Alojamiento
• Otros
– Cuota estudiantil
– Transporte

37. Costos
• No existen becas para estudiar el Inglés
• Los costos varian de acuerdo al programa y al
lugar donde se llevan a cabo los estudios

38. Trámites de admisión
• Visite al centro de asesoría educativa
• Revise los libros de referencia
• Consulte el internet
• Escoja tres programas
• Haga todos los trámites para la solicitud
• Todos los documentos deberán ser traducidos al Inglés
• Haga copias de todos los documentos que envíe

39. Antes de viajar
• Obtener de la Visa de Estudiante
• Tenga listo el dinero necesario
• Orientación Previa a su salida

40. Proceso de solicitar la visa de estudiante
• Proceso de solicitud
• Obtener la forma I-20
• Contactar a la embajada o consulado para la cita
• Asistir a la cita con la documentación necesaria
*Este proceso puede durar hasta dos meses.

41. Recursos Informativos
• UCIEP Member Profiles
• AAIEP Member Profiles
• IIE Intensive English
USA
• www.uciep.org
• www.aaiep.org
• www.cea-accredit.org
• www.intensiveenglishusa.org

42. Thank You!
EducationUSA Mexico City
Biblioteca Benjamín Franklin
Calle Liverpool 31, Col. Juarez, Del. Cuauhtemoc
Tel: 5080-2801 y 02
Email: MexicoDF@EducationUSA.info
Citas: www.EducationUSADF.appointy.com
www.educationusa.info/mexicodf
https://www.facebook.com/EducationUSAMexicoCity
http://becaseducationusa.wordpress.com/
EducationUSA.state.gov