The 6 Degrees We DON’T Recommend Studying in the UK 

Let’s start this article by reiterating that most programs in the UK are fully accredited and recognized in the US. However, when dealing with two different countries that have two different systems, not every program is going to transfer so seamlessly.

In this article, we are going to list the programs that won’t transfer or apply easily from the UK to the US. These are the programs we don’t recommend studying in the UK with the intention of bringing your degree back to the US.

Social Work MSc

Not surprisingly, the two different social care systems in each country make it hard to transfer a UK Social Work degree to the US.

One, it’s difficult to get into a social work program in the UK (it’s highly competitive), making it hard to even break into. Two, the US requires social workers to have a degree accredited from the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), which is a US accreditation body. Of course, UK degrees are not accredited by this body. Three, the UK’s social care system is going to be specifically tailored to the NHS, the universal healthcare system in the UK. This is quite different to the US system! If you’re wanting to be a Social Worker in the US, it’s best to stick to a US Social Work degree.

If you really want to study something related to Social Work and still be in the UK, you might consider studying Sociology, Psychology, or Counseling.

Bachelor of Education (BA Education)

While a BA Education will still be recognized as a valid degree in the US, we don’t recommend you take this degree for one main reason: curriculum for the BA Education tends to be very UK focused, making it irrelevant for students wanting to teach in the US. Furthermore, a lot of US Education degrees will have programs that combine a bachelor’s and teaching credential together, which could be a much quicker option. For this reason, staying in the US for your bachelor’s of education is a better bet.

PGCE (Teaching Certification)

To gain teaching certification in the UK, students need to study and gain a PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate in Education) after completing their bachelor’s degree. This allows students to teach in the UK, however, transferring this back to the US can be quite complicated. The inability to use a PGCE in the US has to do with the very picky state-by-state system to become a credentialed teacher in the USA. As US students are fairly aware of, even trying to use your teaching credential from state to state can be a nightmare, let alone trying to use a UK teaching credential in the US.

Instead, we recommend doing your teaching credential in the US, gaining your teaching credential in the states, and a Master of Education in the UK. A Master of Education is becoming mandatory for a lot of teachers to have, and this is a degree that transfers well between the two countries. Note that the MA Education would have an international education focus.  In addition, the MA Education is only 12 months long, which will save you time and money! The UK also offers many other education specializations that could strengthen your resume.

Master of Pharmacy (MPharm)

To become a pharmacist in the US, you’d need to have a Doctor of Pharmacy, and also make sure you complete your Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPEs) in the US. Trying to complete these internship hours in the UK and transfer them for credit in the US would likely not be successful, and would have to be redone upon returning to the States, as well as taking licensure exams in order to practice. Since pharmacy is not a smooth transition from country to country, this is one we don’t recommend undertaking in the UK.

PhD of Clinical Psychology

While a Master of Psychology can be taken in the UK and used in the US, this is not the case for clinical psychology at the doctorate level (in order to become a licensed therapist). Much like pharmacy, above, this has to do with therapy hours that must be completed within the US to become a licensed therapist. If you are wanting to study psychology in the UK, you might consider doing a master’s, and leaving the PsyD for the US.

Master of Physical Therapy (MA Physiotherapy)

Physical Therapy can be a little tricky to bring from one country to the other, as the US has done away with master’s degrees in Physical Therapy, and instead has students go straight into a doctorate program. The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) and your state’s licensing board would need to decide on if your degree is an equivalent to US degrees, which could be a gamble. More info on transferring a foreign degree in Physical Therapy  to the US can be found on the APTA website, here: http://www.apta.org/CareerDevelopment/ForeignEducation/.

Instead of studying Physical Therapy, you may consider Occupational Therapy (although this still has a few hoops to jump through), or Sports and Exercise Science.

Do Your Own Research

With all of these subjects, regulations are always changing, so we recommend consulting any type of accreditation board (whether it’s your state, or an independent accreditation body) in order to see what the correct route is for you. They will be your best source for seeing if a UK degree will transfer over to the US.

If you’re wondering if you have enough classes in the subject to go into Year 2, most universities will be able to provide an assessment for you before applying. You can contact them directly on our university search pages by clicking “Contact University”.