The order of progression in any education system is demonstrated by benchmarks that may be familiar to us in the United States as "High School Diploma", "Bachelor's Degree", "Master's Degree" and so forth. Various pathways through the education system can take learners to points where they achieve credentials that allow access to go further in formal education, or to employment. Licenses such as those needed in medical fields, teaching, engineering, or in trades may be earned in both formal and informal education settings.

A common way of thinking about education systems around the world is to categorize the benchmark periods of the system into a "ladders". A simplified way of expressing these ladders is to look at the number of years for each stage of education. In the United States, we can think of our students as going through academic primary, secondary, and first tertiary levels in eight, four, and four years - or 8+4+4. When looking at the various education system ladders, there are several patterns that emerge that illustrate common features of global education systems:

the number of years for learners to engage in elementary, secondary, and tertiary education
progression through degrees and the curriculum structure of higher education institutions
methods of assessment and measurement of progress

These common features help international credential evaluation professionals develop an understanding of the comparability of education systems. Thinking about comparability rather than the differences between education systems can promote access to employment or educational opportunities for globally mobile individuals.

Connect with Credential Evaluation

Do you have a specific question or concern about an international credential? Let's connect! Contact me using the email or scheduling tool below:

Do you have a specific question or concern about an international credential?
Let's connect! Contact me using the email or scheduling tool below: