In the United States, counselors assist their clients with personal, family, educational, mental health, and career decisions and problems through consultation, evaluation, therapeutic techniques, teaching, and research. Counselors work in elementary, secondary, and postsecondary institutions, health care facilities, counseling agencies, and in private practice. 

Formal education is necessary to become a licensed counselor in the United States. Degrees are offered at the master’s and Ph.D. levels through departments of education or psychology. While counselor education programs are not commonly offered at the undergraduate level, interested students may wish to take basic psychology courses and gain practical experience through volunteer or internship positions.

Graduate Education

At the master’s degree level, students specialize in fields of study ranging from elementary or secondary school counseling, college student affairs, education, gerontological counseling, marriage and family counseling, substance abuse counseling, rehabilitation counseling (which involves work with individuals with disabilities), agency or community counseling, clinical mental health counseling, counseling psychology, career counseling, and related fields.

A typical master’s program consists of forty-eight to sixty hours of coursework in eight core areas: human growth and development, social and cultural diversity, relationships, groupwork, career development, assessment, research and program evaluation, and professional identity. Students also complete 600 hours of supervised clinical experience in counseling.

The Education Specialist credential (Ed.S.) provides additional training in individual, group, and family counseling beyond the master’s degree level. These programs are often offered through departments of education.

Psychology is one of the top undergraduate majors in the United States, second only to business.  If you are interested in this field, pursue a well-rounded high school education including courses in English and other languages, math, sciences, and social sciences.  You’ll want to polish your computer skills, and if your school offers courses in statistics or psychology itself, take those for a head start.  Volunteer work in the community can also often be helpful in building the “people skills” you need to succeed in the profession.

At the undergraduate level, psychology is a liberal arts program, involving the opportunity to explore many subjects.  Undergraduate admissions requirements for psychology are the same as for other majors.  Four-year programs may award either the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) or Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree.  Two-year associate degrees in the field are also available.

Undergraduate degrees in psychology provide students with a basic introduction to the principles of psychology and opportunity to take more advanced classes in one or a few subfields, as well as some research experience.  Those who plan to continue their psychology studies at the graduate level will want to get involved in faculty research, an independent study project, and/or a fieldwork course to strengthen their application.

Graduate Study

Only about 25 percent of those completing undergraduate study continue to graduate school.  The undergraduate major provides good background for entering careers in areas such as marketing, human resources, management, advertising and sales, politics, social service, and many others.  However, to actually become a psychologist, graduate study is necessary.

See also our page of Top U.S. Study Web Sites for some more general sites that allow you to search for undergraduate or graduate programs in fields including agricultural, environmental, and biological sciences.

• American Academy of Forensic Sciences.Brochure on forensic careers related to criminalistics, engineering sciences, jurisprudence, odontology, pathology/biology, physical anthropology, psychology/behavioral sciences, questioned documents, toxicology, and wildlife forensics. Listings of educational programs concentrating on forensic sciences.

Environmental fields provide an exciting, dynamic area for international students in the United States to explore. These disciplines have always involved both global and local issues, with a focus on local activism making a difference on a global scale. Environmental concerns and needs vary widely across different areas of the world, and environmental education is a melting pot of global, international, and local issues, enriched by the interaction of different perspectives.

Since environmental concerns began to be an academic focus in their own right more than thirty years ago, environmental education’s reach has grown more and more meaningfully into people’s daily lives everywhere. Today, this means more funds available for research, a broader interest and acceptance by employers, and increasingly varied opportunities for work worldwide. However, the varied options that an environmental education can offer also suggest a need to conscientiously choose the track of your education.

Especially as an international student, you need to prepare yourself as thoroughly as possible for the work you want to do. Taking time to consider your course choices, plan your work experience, and establish professional contacts makes a world of difference both while you’re still in school and after you graduate.

It is completely normal—even expected—to adjust your career plan along the way, but having already formulated one will give you a better sense of direction. Whether you are an undergraduate, earning a graduate degree, or taking part in short-term training, there are steps you can take to make the most out of your experience.

Keep in mind three key realities about the “big picture” of environmental education: first, that it is deeply interdisciplinary; second, that you must supplement your course work with some kind of practical experience; and third, that you should start to set up a professional network while you are still a student.

See also our page of top U.S. study sites for some more general sites that allow you to search for undergraduate and graduate programs in fields including more information on U.S. study in education.
 

Below are some questions that international applicants will want to explore during the process of comparing U.S. teacher education programs and choosing the right program for them.

See also our page of Top U.S. Study Web Sites for some more general sites that allow you to search for undergraduate or graduate programs in fields including engineering and engineering technology.

• Accrediting Board for Engineering and Technology. Links to accredited first professional degree programs in engineering, engineering technology, and computer science, searchable by discipline or institution.

• American Institute for Chemical Engineers.

• American Society for Engineering Education. Offers career planning information as well as colleges of engineering and engineering technology profiles, including an index of institutions offering degrees in various engineering areas.

• American Society of Safety Engineers.

• Audio Engineering. Information on careers, and directory of programs at all levels, nondegree certificate to doctoral levels.

• Audio Engineering Society. Information on careers and listings of programs.

• Career Resource Center, Materials Science and Engineering.

To obtain in-depth training in an engineering specialty, many engineers pursue graduate study. Admissions requirements for either master’s or doctoral programs typically include good undergraduate grades, English proficiency demonstrated by taking the TOEFL, and sometimes scores on the GRE general and/or subject tests, along with letters of recommendation and a statement of purpose.

In the United States, it’s possible to enter the field of engineering at the master’s degree level with an undergraduate major in another area. To do this, one must choose one of the limited number of graduate programs that focus on professional-entry education. Solid preparation in mathematics and the sciences will be expected. Such programs may longer than the standard two years to complete depending on the particular program’s curriculum and how much related study particular students have previously completed.

In most graduate programs, students choose an area of concentration, often a subfield of one of the five major engineering specializations (chemical, civil, electrical, industrial, and mechanical engineering). For example, a student with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering might pursue a master’s degree in environmental engineering or structural engineering. Students pursuing master’s degrees in engineering conduct research and participate in creative design projects.

Doctoral degree programs in engineering generally require two to four years of study beyond the master’s level and are intended for those engineers seeking positions in research, product development, or university teaching.

Today’s engineers are highly educated and qualified professionals who play an important role in shaping our society. Engineers design roads and bridges, create systems that ensure safe drinking water, design medical instruments that can save lives, build systems to contain hazardous wastes, and conceive and design technologies to revolutionize our communications and information systems. In many cases, engineers plan, design, and supervise such projects from conception to completion.

Engineering study is one of the most challenging academic programs offered by U.S. colleges and universities. It is also one of the most popular majors among international students in the United States—about 15 percent of these students choose engineering and engineering technology majors each year. And why not? Engineering careers offer challenging and rewarding work, ample opportunities for advancement, good pay and benefits, and status within society. And while some engineering specialties, such as environmental engineering, are growing faster than others, those individuals who successfully complete an engineering degree program in the United States will find themselves well-qualified for many positions in industry, research, management, and academia.

Students interested in pursuing postsecondary engineering education should begin preparing for the rigors of university study as early as possible—some university engineering faculty recommend that students begin preparing for an engineering career as early as their first year of high school.

While in high school, students should take courses in algebra (two years), physics (one year), geometry (one year), chemistry (one year), trigonometry (one semester), and English (four years). Other recommended courses include history, foreign languages, humanities, biology, calculus, and computer programming. Honors courses, especially in mathematics and science, are also highly recommended.

Over 250 engineering specializations are offered by U.S. universities. Some of these specializations apply engineering principles to a particular environment. Others focus on particular types of problems that may be encountered in many environments. Some engineers organize broad processes involving many different elements. Others study the microscopic structures and properties of particular types of matter.

Even more confusing than the differences between engineering specializations are the similarities. Different terms may be used interchangeably for the same area of study. Two programs may use the same name but include quite different focuses of study. Particular engineering specializations are often defined as a subfield of a number of different engineering fields.

Below are defined some of the many engineering specializations, beginning with the basic ones from which all others have developed.

The Five Basic Fields

Chemical engineering. Chemical engineers apply changes in the composition or properties of matter (chemistry) for use in industry. Chemists often perform the basic research, and then chemical engineers modify the processes discovered to make them suitable for efficient, full-scale production. A few specializations include polymer engineering, food engineering, and energy production.

Civil engineering. This field, the oldest branch of engineering, focuses on designing and building structures for society’s use, including everything from skyscrapers to pipelines. A few of the many civil engineering specializations include aerospace engineering, environmental and sanitation engineering, geotechnical engineering, and hydrologic or water resource engineering.