Customer Service Responses

“Thank you for your message to FCSA regarding the evaluation of your studies in Spain.   In that you expressed concern that the outcome was not a US Bachelor’s degree in nursing, pointing out the European Qualifications Framework and the Spanish MECES (Marco Espanol de Cualificaciones para la Educacion Superior) place your diploma at ‘bachelor’s level’ and that the total credit hours in the report 98 and 32 would bring your total to 130 hours, more than the usual amount for a US bachelor’s degree.   I shall address each in turn.  First, while the EQF and MECES certainly can be helpful to the US international credential evaluator, in the end the comparison determination is based on a US viewpoint using general standards of best practice.   FCSA follows those standards found in the AACRAO (American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers) database known as EDGE (Electronic Database for Global Education).   This tool is also used by the US Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) of the Department of Homeland Security in adjudicating petitions for H-1B Work Visas and other visas requiring post-secondary degrees.   Indeed Dr. Paver of FCSA is the founder of EDGE.  The first cycle diplomas of three years’ duration are not considered full comparable to the US four-year bachelor’s degree.  Spain did not pass a higher education law re-structuring its degrees to conform to the Bologna model (Spain was an original signatory to the European Higher Education Area) until 2005 and those went into effect in 2006 which was also when MECES was created.   The Diplomado credentials (in various fields but most often in Education and Nursing) went away to be replaced by a three cycle structure of Graduado (4 years, 240 ECTS), Master Universitario (1 or 2 years, 60 or 120 ECTS), and the Doctorado (usually three years but varies).  Prior to the introduction of this new structure Spain had the 3 year Diplomado, 4-6 year Licenciado (depending on the Discipline) and the Doctorado.   While Spain decided (through MECES) decided to make the old diplomado equal to the new Graduado legally, it is clear that nothing had changed in terms of content, it was basically a political and legal decision to make the two comparable.   For the outside evaluator however, they are not the same.

The credit hours in the FCSA report total 98 US semester hours of which a sub-set of 32 represent advanced undergraduate courses (compared to the courses taken in the earlier years).   This sub-set has value to US college and university readers of the report who are looking for that sort of sub-delineation in their admission practices.   So that 32 figure is not added to the 98, it is part of the 98.

Finally, as to your point regarding CGFNS, I am well aware of their evaluation practices having served on their Board of Directors for 9 years and also as Chair of the Nursing Evaluation Appeals Committee.   We agreed to disagree on what constitutes the overseas equivalent of a BSN.   I also note that their language was always ‘first level general nurse’ which takes in the four year first nursing degree in a country as well as a lower-level three year diploma in nursing.   They were not explicitly stating it as a BSN equivalent but essentially treated it like one.

FCSA believes the US equivalent to a BSN in Spain was the Licenciado en Enfermeria pre-Bologna and the Graduado en Enfermeria post-Bologna.

Thank you again for your message to FCSA and the opportunity to explain the FCSA findings.”

“Thank you for your message regarding the report of your studies in China completed over a year ago.  In that message you expressed concern regarding the reduction of credits from those awarded by the school and those assigned by FCSA.   FCSA adheres to the first and most important principle of US International Credential evaluation which states that a year of full time study overseas should equal a year of full time study in the USA, regardless of credit/unit system used, hours undertaken or credits assigned.   Thus an academic year in China (two semesters) should yield the same or similar amount of US Carnegie semester hours in a US college year (two semesters).   As we examine the transcript of your study we find some most alarming high numbers:  respectively from first semester 2004-05 through eighth semester 2007-08 we find these total semester credit totals:  22.5, 25, 32.5, 21.5, 35, 38, 20 and 33 for a grand total of 231 credits in a four year eight semester degree.   We compare that to the standard model at any US four year eight semester degree of 120 and the obvious conclusion is that we must either reduce credits or conceded that your four year bachelors is worth almost exactly TWICE as much as a standard US bachelor’s degree.   FCSA refuses to concede that fact as no degree is worth more than any other.   Therefore we reduce the credits to reflect a more accurate picture of equality and the final credit amount in the report was 140, still a bit high but acceptable for a four year degree.

FCSA will never produce a report that says a Degree from Country X is worth twice as many credits as a degree from the USA.   Therefore a reduction in credits was inevitable and quite appropriate.   The report stands as completed over a year ago.

Thank you again for your message to FCSA.”

“Thank you for your message regarding the report of your studies in China completed over a year ago.  In that message you expressed concern regarding the reduction of credits from those awarded by the school and those assigned by FCSA.   FCSA adheres to the first and most important principle of US International Credential evaluation which states that a year of full time study overseas should equal a year of full time study in the USA, regardless of credit/unit system used, hours undertaken or credits assigned.   Thus an academic year in China (two semesters) should yield the same or similar amount of US Carnegie semester hours in a US college year (two semesters).   As we examine the transcript of your study we find some most alarming high numbers:  respectively from first semester 2004-05 through eighth semester 2007-08 we find these total semester credit totals:  22.5, 25, 32.5, 21.5, 35, 38, 20 and 33 for a grand total of 231 credits in a four year eight semester degree.   We compare that to the standard model at any US four year eight semester degree of 120 and the obvious conclusion is that we must either reduce credits or conceded that your four year bachelors is worth almost exactly TWICE as much as a standard US bachelor’s degree.   FCSA refuses to concede that fact as no degree is worth more than any other.   Therefore we reduce the credits to reflect a more accurate picture of equality and the final credit amount in the report was 140, still a bit high but acceptable for a four year degree.

FCSA will never produce a report that says a Degree from Country X is worth twice as many credits as a degree from the USA.   Therefore a reduction in credits was inevitable and quite appropriate.   The report stands as completed over a year ago.

Thank you again for your message to FCSA.”