Types of degrees to persue in Romania and Financial Aid

You have finished your undergraduate education and you want to further specialize in a certain field or to train in order to become a lawyer, a doctor, a dentist, a vet, etc. So you need to go to graduate school.

Graduate education provides in-depth training and increased specialization. In graduate school the learning process will be more intense and the graduate student will be more self-directed, focused and mature.

Universities in the US offer two graduate degrees: master’s degree and doctoral degree. Master’s programs last between 1 and 3 years while Ph.D. programs take full-time students between 5 and 8 years to complete, depending on the field of study. Both types of graduate programs combine research and coursework. As always in the US, class participation, research and exams will determine you academic success.

Master’s Degree

The right degree for you if you want to acquire additional education or training in your specialized field of knowledge. You can then pursue an academic Master’s Degree or a Professional Master’s.

The Academic Master’s - M.A. or M.Sc. - are usually offered in the sciences, humanities and arts, as well as in technical fields (for example M.Sc. in engineering or in agriculture). Academic Master’s emphasize original research, field investigation and research methodologies. Such programs have between 30 and 60 credits – to be acquired in max. 2 years - and may lead to doctoral programs or be terminal degrees.

Most Professional Master’s are terminal degrees, that is they don’t lead to doctoral programs. They actually lead the students from their undergraduate degree to a particular profession. Professional Master’s may be very specific in their names, like in M.B.A. (Master of Business Administration), M.Ed. (Master of Education), M.S.W. (Master of Social Work), etc. Professional Master’s tend to encourage rather the direct application of knowledge than original research. This type of degree may take longer to complete than the Academic Master’s. Although admission to a Professional Master’s may not request a bachelor’s degree in a specific field, the applicant may need to demonstrate a certain amount of prior study or coursework in the subject area.

Doctoral degree

"You are considering a doctorate in math because you want 'to stay in college'. That's the wrong attitude to go into a doctorate..., because you will be miserable every second of the program if you go for that reason. It should have nothing to do with whether you want to stay in college and everything to do with whether you have a fascination with a narrow area of knowledge that can only be satiated by deep study of that area." Anonymous

The doctoral degree offers training to research scholars and, in many cases, to people who want to pursue a career as university faculty.

The Ph. D. is the most common degree awarded in all academic disciplines. Not all doctoral programs are Ph.D.s. For example, in the professional fields the doctorate will be called Ed.D. (Doctor of Education), D.B.A. (Doctor of Business Administration), D Jur (Doctor of Jurisprudence), D Law (Doctor of Law), etc.

Doctoral programs require mature students with a clear vision, solid knowledge and a passion for their field of study. Doctoral students spend up to 8 years of their lives doing advanced coursework, seminars, and original research which will be described in the dissertation. The last stage of the Ph.D. earning process is the successful defense of the dissertation.

Graduate degrees are usually awarded by universities but you may also see colleges that have developed perfectly respectable graduate programs.

Specialized professional degrees

The path for study and entry into many professions in the United States differs significantly from the process in Romania. The major difference is that admission to these programs requires previous completion of a bachelor’s degree.

Medicine

Admission to medical study is highly competitive in the US. You can apply to medical school after you get your bachelor’s degree. The “pre-med” undergraduate major is not a must for entrance into medical school; degrees in almost any field are acceptable as long as you have taken prerequisite courses in the biological sciences, chemistry, social sciences, humanities, and you have an excellent academic record.

However, it is extremely difficult for Romanian students to get a degree from a medical school, a dental school or a veterinary school. Academic costs are very high and financial aid is usually not offered to international students.

Many graduates of Romanian medical schools choose to apply to doctoral or master’s programs in the US, commonly in biological sciences, dental sciences or animal sciences. These programs prepare graduates for teaching or research careers. There are some forms of financial aid available for international applicants who want to pursue graduate programs in the above sciences.

Law

Just like in the case of admissions to medicine, you can enter law school in the US after you receive your bachelor’s degree. There is no undergraduate major in law and no requirement concerning the undergraduate major; “pre-law” is not required for entrance into law school.

Competition for admission is intense. Requirements generally include fluency in English, an excellent undergraduate academic record, and a satisfactory score on the Law School Admission Test LSAT.

The first professional degree, Juris Doctor (JD), takes 3 years to complete. Students receive an education that is specific to the US legal system. Since training in US legislation will not easily transfer toward practice in Romania, the Juris Doctor has limited relevance for Romanian students.

The Master of Laws degree (LLM) is usually a more appropriate option for Romanian students. The program is offered in a variety of specialties. Romanian law graduates are eligible for this master’s program; however, very limited financial aid is available to international students, if at all.

Other options for Romanian graduate students interested in law are: the Master of Comparative Law (MCL) also known as the Master of Comparative Jurisprudence, and the programs in International Law or International Business.

Almost all master’s programs in law last one year and admit students only for the fall semester.

Doctoral programs in law (D Jur, D Law, LLD) admit only a small number of promising applicants, usually from among those who have completed a master’s program at a US law school and who plan to enter a career as a law school faculty member.

As a general rule, when you plan to apply to law programs, check university websites for specific information on admission requirements and financial assistance for international law graduates.

MBA programs

The Master of Business Administration (MBA) is designed to lead the student from the first degree (Bachelor’s) to a particular profession.

The MBA program usually takes 2 years to complete. However, programs vary in length, focus and structure.

Admission to MBA doesn’t require a bachelor’s degree in a specific field, but recommends a certain amount of prior study or coursework in the subject area.

There are many good reasons to get an MBA: students want to change careers, want to advance in their current fields, want to get managerial positions, want sufficient skills to start and/or run a business, etc.

MBA programs look for academic ability, managerial and leadership potential, character and solid career goals. The admissions committee will examine everything in your application package, from your undergraduate record to your work experience, to determine whether you have what they seek. They also look at your GMAT test score, as a good predictor of academic performance in the graduate management school, although the test doesn’t presuppose any knowledge of business or other specific content areas. Many schools will interview the applicants they perceive as potential students.

When you start the process of application to MBA programs, check all information about admission to the program, profile of the students admitted, etc. This information is available on university websites and in the materials in our Admissions literature section.