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International Membership

Connect to the world of higher education

With AACRAO membership you'll be connected to more than 11,000 members from institutions around the world. Facilitate your professional development by attending discounted meetings, gaining complimentary subscriptions to our College & University journal and more.

Why should you join? From professional development opportunities to forging connections that will help you in setting down career stones, there's more than one reason. 

Apply for International Membership

Is your institution already a member? Apply to join the roster.
Want to join independently? Apply without an institution.

 

Annual Membership Price: Starting at $302

Requirements: YOU MUST BE AT A POSTSECONDARY DEGREE-GRANTING INSTITUTION OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES RECOGNIZED BY THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION OR APPROPRIATE MINISTRY IN YOUR COUNTRY AND AUTHORIZED TO GRANT DEGREES.

Develop Professionally

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AACRAO Edge

When education standards change, new credentials are awarded, or foreign education systems are reorganized, AACRAO EDGE utilizes the expertise of the International Education Standards Council (IESC) to review and update our database.

Professional Competencies

Work on your skills like diversity and inclusion, interpretation and application of institutional and external data, and leadership. We have the tools for you.

Online Learning

From free webinars to self-paced on-demand learning, AACRAO's online learning covers a variety of subjects—technology, strategic enrollment management, admissions, FERPA, transfer, credential evaluation, and international education—and allow you to engage with the presenters and instructors.

Take the next step in your career

AACRAO's Career Navigator is a wealth of job postings and resources for training. 

Gain Recognition

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Get Published

AACRAO's professional journals College & University and SEM Quarterly are always accepting articles and have a wide circulation base.

Research Opportunities

Leverage the expertise of our over 11,000 members and contribute to one of the premier sources of practice related research within the global higher education community. 

Join a committee

Do work you're passionate about, with support and mentoring from fellow members. From Caucuses to specialized topics, it's all one community, no matter where in the world your institution is located. 


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AACRAO's bi-weekly professional development e-newsletter

Detangling International Professional Degrees

May 31, 2022, 09:05 AM
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Summary : Learn about the upcoming AACRAO-AICE International Institute & Symposium happening in July.
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What is a Professional Degree?

A “professional” degree is a credential that meets the academic requirement on a pathway to licensure or certification in a regulated field of employment in a specific legal jurisdiction.

The components of a professional degree are different from those of a general degree at the bachelor’s level— a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science, for example— which typically has a general education component, major requirements, possibly a minor, and upper and lower-division requirements. Instead, professional degree programs focus on academic and applied preparation for the practice of a specific occupation regulated by a body external to the academic institution for the protection and benefit of the public. The level and scope of professional degree programs vary around the world.

Often, it is challenging for a foreign professional degree holder to qualify to practice the profession in the United States, or in other countries, for that matter. Such qualifications are not easily transferable because of the differences in qualifying requirements from one jurisdiction to another. That is true even within the United States, where licensing or certification requirements can differ from state to state.

Join the Discussion

The upcoming  AACRAO-AICE Institute and Symposium on Professional Programs and Degrees represents a unique, three-day joint event that combines two days of intensive training on the evaluation of international professional programs and degrees in the fields of law and medicine with a one-day larger conversation among industry experts focused on the differences of professional programs and degree types with the goal of establishing consistent evaluation methodologies and update AICE Standards.

The two-day AACRAO Institute, Wednesday, July 20 - Thursday, July 21, provides in-depth training on evaluating international professional programs such as Law and Medicine and other health professions, including dentistry, pharmacy, and veterinary medicine, and how they differ from academic degrees. This training utilizes primary research, authentic international credentials, and best industry practices in evaluating these programs for recognition, undergraduate, transfer, and graduate admissions. 

Following the Institute, the AICE Symposium on Friday, July 22, “Setting the Standard: Evaluating Professional Qualifications in Law and Medicine from Around the World,” brings together colleagues from various higher education institutions and organizations with experts in the areas of professional education, professional regulation, higher education admissions, and international credential evaluation, for a discussion of the US models for legal and medical education, and how professional degrees in law and medical fields from outside of the US can be evaluated and applied to further studies in US higher education. The program focuses on questions posed by international evaluation professionals about how foreign professional degrees should be viewed in US higher education. The mode is interactive, the atmosphere collegial, and the goal is reaching a consensus and setting standards for evaluating professional program credentials.

Interested in taking part? Register to attend the AACRAO-AICE Institute & Symposium on July 20 - 22 in Kansas City, MO.

Categories :
  • Graduate and Professional Schools
  • International
  • Professional Development and Contributions to the Field
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Daytime aerial view of Kansas City, Mo skyline.
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Our meetings, workshops, and international institutes are designed instruct, educate and foster collaboration between professionals and institutions. Find one that works for you.

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AACRAO's weekly e-newsletter delivering policy and industry news

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Questions? Contact us at membership@aacrao.org or (202) 355-1040