US College Degree vs Canadian (schools, universities, living in)

[LusciousEyes]

So I got both my BA and MA from California (USC) and I plan on moving to Canada with my Canadian fiance. The question is though is it true that American college degrees have no value in Canada? I heard froma few people that American degrees have a bit more value than Canadian college degrees (please don't be bias to all you Canadian lovers, but this is things I've heard from actual Canadians) and then I've heard the vice versa. I know America has a lot of known top colleges world wide that's considered "great value" so what's the deal?

[sunshineleith]

Originally Posted by LusciousEyes

So I got both my BA and MA from California (USC) and I plan on moving to Canada with my Canadian fiance. The question is though is it true that American college degrees have no value in Canada? I heard froma few people that American degrees have a bit more value than Canadian college degrees (please don't be bias to all you Canadian lovers, but this is things I've heard from actual Canadians) and then I've heard the vice versa. I know America has a lot of known top colleges world wide that's considered "great value" so what's the deal?

Canadians and Americans have different terminology that you need to be aware of. A Canadian would typically not call a BA/MA from USC a "college degree". They would call it a "UNIVERSITY degree". Americans seem to use the terms interchangeably, Canadians do not and there is a big difference. To most Canadians, "colleges" in Canada typically offer 2 year programs and a diploma (not a degree) whereas degrees come from universities and a full 4 year programme (a few used to offer a three year Bachelor's but it's nowhere near as common as the 4-year). Some colleges do give degrees, but imho, the perception between colleges and universities is that universities tend to be tougher to get into and the little piece of paper received at the end is more highly regarded. It is important that you use the right term - in Canada, what you have from the University of Southern California should be referred to as a university degree - not a college degree.

[revrandy]

sunshineleith what I have discovered living in the U.S. (I am Canadian) and having degrees from both Canadian and U.S. Universities is that a college degree in the U.S. refers to an undergraduate degree and a university degree is more akin to a graduate degree. that isn't always the case but one thing I have picked up.

[Parker501]

agree with shunshineleith - he is moving TO canada and hearing 'college' in canada makes one think of a diploma. Just say university degree. It sounds so trivial but true.
I think most professionals/employers in canada would know USC is a great school and think your degree would be just as valuable as a canadian degree. Only difference would come down to network/alumni connections.

[LusciousEyes]

Originally Posted by Parker501

agree with shunshineleith - he is moving TO canada and hearing 'college' in canada makes one think of a diploma. Just say university degree. It sounds so trivial but true.
I think most professionals/employers in canada would know USC is a great school and think your degree would be just as valuable as a canadian degree. Only difference would come down to network/alumni connections.

Thanks, as long as they know that I graduated form a top university. That was my biggest concern cause I heard that in Canada, they don't really consider the schools that are big in the US, also big in Canada.