Introduction & Background

The Indo-Brit ties date back centuries ago since most of the memories may not be positive since India was under the British rule for over two centuries. However they say that even prolonged enmity with anyone causes a sort of bond, so perhaps that is the reason that despite all the ups and downs, there is a connection and a tie that has not been severed yet.

No doubt the British education system is at par with some of the best in Europe and some of the universities such as Oxford and Cambridge need no introduction. Given the combination of these factors thousands of students goto England each year from India (as well as from other parts of the world).

However there is one question which pertains to the validation of UK Degrees in India and many students and their wards have half baked knowledge about it, so let us find out the truth.

British Education: The Advantages

t’s no surprise that England is home to some of the most highly regarded universities in the world. Universities of Cambridge and Oxford immediately come to mind when you think of masters programs in England, but these are only a glimpse at the top-notch education England has to offer. Imperial College London, University College London, Queen Mary University in London, and King’s College London also offer excellent masters in UK.  

International students can surround themselves with like-minded individuals who value education and take their studies seriously at almost any university in the area, not just the ones with world-renowned names. No matter where you study a masters degree in England, you’ll receive quality education. 

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The standard of British universities is certainly at par with the global standards and except perhaps a limited few, most of the universities have full fledged infrastructure, teaching quality and ambiance which is only matched by top notch institutes in our own country, India. Therefore there is no doubt about the quality of education and the knowledge you could gain by studying there, both theoretical and practical, although it also depends on your own efforts.

Equivalency

One main point which is important for students from overseas is the equivalency of degrees especially those who want to return to their home countries or go anywhere else in the world after getting a UK Degree.

So here is a catch 22 in this scenario.

In India the Masters Degree is of two years duration

However

Many students have this question in their mind that is a master done in USA valid in India. We in this article will try to answer this question. Today we live the life of a global citizen. We are all over the world. Many of the parents encourage the students to go abroad and study. UK has always been a very popular choice among Indians to study. Many students every year fly to UK to study. Masters in US is a very common choice for many. But the concern is that if you want to work in UK then you can take up this course without any doubts. If the plan is to come back to India and pursue a career then it is advisable not to take up a master course in the UK as it does not have any recognition in India. As per AIU (association of Indian universities). The AIU is very clear that they will not recognize any master’s degree that is for less than 2 years duration. The students who are studying in UK will not be able to come back to India expecting that the degree will be recognised.

If you are an Indian graduate and you want to do masters in USA or UK there is few things that you must keep in mind. In USA the masters are always over 3 years. The course fee is very high in the US universities. However, the cost of living in USA is much lesser. The degree that you will get at the end of finishing the master in the USA will be valid not only in USA but also in India. UK on the other hand although the fees of the course is lesser the cost of living is high so at the end of the day you will land up spending the same sum of money in UK as well as USA. Most of the master degree in UK is for a year or a little more than a year. As a result these degrees fail to get recognition in many countries that also include India.

There are many foreign degrees that are recognised in India and there are many that are not recognised either. Any fast track degree of two years done in any university abroad will not be recognised in India. Any master degree form UK that includes MBA is not recognised in India. These students are not allowed to do higher studies in India. It is essential that you do a proper study of the pros and cons of doing courses abroad before moving back to India. When you do a detailed investigation you will notice that the master done in UK fails to find any recognition in India. It is sad because every year a lot of Indian students go to UK to get a master degree. Even now at least 26000 Indian students are in UK doing their masters.

Many students in the past have experienced this. The agencies that are promoting UK degrees will not tell you clearly and up front that these courses hold no good in India. Many students have spent a lot of money on these courses thinking that they will get a good job when they get back to the country. Some students have also left good jobs to do their master in UK only to realise at the end of it that these degrees cannot be of any use in India.

A lot of UK universities and other authorities are working hard to ensure that the master degrees done in UK are recognised in India. The course materials have been compared and they feel there is no need to not recognise these courses in India. Even the quality of the course material and the assessment process are similar. Not recognising these courses actually make no sense.

There are many universities in UK that also provide masters that have two year duration. These courses are recognised in India. The private employers in India accept the courses and offer jobs to those who have done a one year master in the UK. The government and the PSUs do not recognise these degrees and do not want to employ candidates who have done a one year master. All these add on to the confusion. Due to this confusion many students enrol into these courses and later realize that they are not accepted by AIU. Many feel the duration of the course should not be given so much importance. What really matters is what the student has learned from the course. The learning can be of use to the employer or not. The UK master’s degree is rigorous although the duration is less. Many students associate a lot of value to it and do accept that they have learnt a lot from these courses. How the master’s degree can be completed in one year, well the answer is simple the stress in on a selective few topics and specialising in them instead of choosing a lot of subjects as it happens in the masters in India.

A lot of discussion is going on about giving these degrees recognition in India. So far no results have been achieved. However, we can only wish and pray that in the future these courses will be accepted in India. This will increase the number of students taking up these courses. The focus should be on the content of the course and how well it prepares the students for the job. The duration of the course is actually immaterial. The British advisory agency on education and qualification is also trying very hard to convince the education ministry of India and the AIU to give acceptance to these courses. We can only hope that a decision will be taken soon and in favour of the students who are doing these courses. Till a proper and clear decision is taken on this we will recommend that the students take up a two years master’s degree course in UK so that these are recognised in India. There are few universities in UK that offer two year master’s degree.