Accreditation of Overseas Degrees

Unless the course is a Professional degree, there is no requirement for formal recognition by any professional body. Each individual employer (in the private or public sector) decides on the criteria for recruitment based on its organisational strategies. This includes the type of qualification acceptable for employment in each organisation.

Professional degrees include Accountancy, Architecture, Building, Dentistry, Engineering, Law, Medicine and Pharmacy. Therefore, in selecting an overseas institution at which to study, it is important to consider two questions relating to recognition:

a. Is the institution which I am considering a genuine educational establishment?

i) United States of America

There are 6 Regional Accreditation Agencies, in charge of the educational institutions within their respective regions in the United States. Accreditation by any of these 6 Regional Agencies is considered as recognition by the United States Government.

Besides these 6 accreditation agencies that oversee universities in their respective regions, the other significant accreditation body in the United States is the DETC, which accredits schools, colleges and universities that deliver their courses primarily through distance education.

ii) United Kingdom

The following web site lists down the degree-awarding educational institutions in UK that are recognized by the UK Government, through the Department for Education and Skills (DFES):

http://www.dfes.gov.uk/recognisedukdegrees/index.cfm?fuseaction=content.view&CategoryID=8

iii) Australia

All universities and other institutions approved to offer degrees and other higher education awards are listed on the registers of the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF). Institutions that are not listed on the AQF are not recognised by Commonwealth, State and mainland Territory Governments.

Australian universities (and a small number of other institutions) are generally established under State or Territory legislation and once established they become self-accrediting and responsible for their own standards. Other institutions may be accredited (usually for a specified period) to offer particular courses leading to higher education awards and are monitored by State or Territory authorities. A list of these authorities is provided on the AQF website.

http://www.aqf.edu.au/register.htm

b If I intend to pursue a qualification in one of the professions, and wish to seek local professional registration, is there a local governing professional body which maintains a register of accredited overseas degrees and qualifications?

Information on the qualifications that are acceptable for registration with the professional bodies in Singapore can be obtained from reference books available at the National Libraries. One of such references is the publication titled "Professional Registration" available at Jurong Regional Library, which contains the gazetted notifications on qualifications acceptable for registration with the following professional bodies in Singapore:

Public Accountants Board
http://www.acra.gov.sg

The Board of Architects
http://www.boa.gov.sg

Singapore Dental Council
http://www.sdc.gov.sg/html/SDC.html

Professional Engineers Board
http://www.peb.gov.sg/peb/html/index.html

The Board of Legal Education
http://www.lawsociety.org.sg/

Singapore Medical Council
http://www.smc.gov.sg/html/SMChome.html

Singapore Pharmacy Board
http://www.spb.gov.sg/

The Land Surveyors Board, Singapore
http://notesapp.internet.gov.sg/__48256E09004083C8.nsf

Singapore Nursing Board
http://www.snb.gov.sg/