3 year Australian Degree Dilemma

Graduate School
1

<p>Hi there.</p>

<p>I am currently going to enroll at Murdoch University - Dubai Campus. I am going for the a double Major in the bachelor of Science Program which includes both Computer Science and Business Information Systems. I will be specializing more towards software engineering. The Degree I receive will be the same one students get in Australia and it will be an Australian accredited degree. </p>

<p>I plan to do my masters in the U.S and I plan to get into the top tier schools for computer science. Stanford, UC Berkeley, UT Austin, etc.. I will also apply to U.K based top schools such as Cambridge. (I haven't done much research yet as I'm just going to start my undergrad but this is the general plan. I HAVE TO DO MASTERS IN CS or my life is incomplete.)</p>

<p>So I'm worried that the top schools won't take me for masters since I will only have a 3 year degree. Is there anyone here who has an Australian accredited 3 year degree and got into a top school in U.S? I really need some advice with this. I talked to the admissions officer at Murdoch Dubai and she said that the credits are equivalent to a 4 year degree. </p>

<p>I know that there are universities that accept three year degrees but I specifically want to get into a top school, especially a top school for CS. So far the websites of these schools just vaguely specify "an equivalent degree from overseas" for foreign students.</p>

<p>If I can't get in then I'm thinking of getting a transfer after my first year here in Murdoch to a U.S university. Is that possible? And what about U.K? Will the top schools in U.K accept a 3 year Australian degree? It would be a great help if someone with a 3 year Australian degree can help me out here.</p>

<p>I know most of you will say I'm foolish to worry about masters right now when I haven't even started my undergrad yet; but I just don't want to have regrets later on in life that I couldn't get into a good school simply because I have a 3 year degree. And I know that there are other factors (such as work experience, performance after undergrad, job position, etc...) but this degree requirement dilemma has me worried.</p>

2

<p>A bachelor’s degree is a bachelor’s degree- it makes no difference if its three years. its three years in the UK and people do undergrad in the UK, masters in the US all the time. My uncle got his BA at Melbourne University and Masters at Harvard</p>

3

<p>I agree with SummerAus.</p>

<p>I kind of wonder how you can blithely say, “I plan to do my masters in the U.S and I plan to get into the top tier schools for computer science. Stanford, UC Berkeley, UT Austin, etc.” Top-tier academic programs are difficult to get into whether your B.A. takes three years or four.</p>

<p>Still, I agree with SummerAus: the duration of your undergraduate education won’t be what gets you into or keeps you out of Stanford, Berkeley or Texas.</p>

4

<p>I said “plan” to apply. Not that I’m definitely going there. My point is that there’s no point in going for masters if its not a top university. These aren’t the only ones. There are many more top schools. What I mean to say is that I want a good masters education. And once again its just a plan.</p>

<p>I know its difficult to get in but I don’t want any hesitation from an admission officer when they see that I’ve only got 3 years of undergrad study. Thanks for both your replies though. I did notice most degrees in U.K are 3 years so I can have the option of U.K then.</p>