The Benefits of Getting Your Healthcare Grad Degree in the US

Getting your healthcare graduate degree in the United States is more accessible than you might think, with versatile degree pathways, abundant hands-on experience and a supportive campus environment all helping to kickstart a high-paying career at home or abroad.

Pacific University’s Forest Grove and Hillsboro campuses are inclusive settings where students from around the world can thrive. Learn more about diversity at Pacific and how every voice counts in the campus conversation.

Your passions have the potential to take you anywhere, so there’s no reason to limit where you can get your graduate degree and begin a lifelong career helping others through healthcare.

International students who choose to get their graduate degree in the United States can take advantage of the abundant professional healthcare programs available.

Many healthcare programs — Pacific’s included — accept international students who meet the required prerequisites in programs including pharmacy, psychology, optometry and more. 

International students studying healthcare in the US can choose to continue their practice stateside or return to their home counties, where opportunities for local licensure are available.

There are many benefits of getting a healthcare graduate degree in the USA for international students, so let’s break down why you might choose to study abroad for your master’s or doctorate.

EXPLORE PACIFIC’S ADVANCED HEALTHCARE PROGRAMS

US Healthcare Schools are Less Competitive but Still have the Same High Quality

Many countries outside the US have fewer professional healthcare schools. As a result, securing your place in a worthwhile program can be difficult, with fewer spots available for a large pool of applicants.

For this reason, many international healthcare applicants seek out programs in the United States, where competition is lower due to the abundance of high-quality programs.

As an example, Canada has only seven programs that grant a doctoral degree in pharmacy, making it hard to get accepted into a school even with strong prerequisites. 

Compare this to the Western United states, which is home to 28 unique programs, all of which lead to the same comprehensive Doctorate of Pharmacy degree and licensure status.

The same is true of advanced degrees in physical therapy and optometry, where the greater number of healthcare schools in the United States offers greater selection. Because you have more to choose from, you can find the right program that suits your exact needs.

Pacific University — which offers industry-leading professional programs with plentiful space for new applicants — provides dedicated support for international healthcare students interested in studying in the US.

International Students in the US can Take Advantage of High Healthcare Job Demand

Careers in healthcare are some of the fastest growing in terms of job demand, with experienced and knowledgeable professionals needed across the industry. 

In Oregon especially — where your professional network will grow considerably once you start any of Pacific’s healthcare pathways — experts are in-demand, something international students can use to their full advantage.

Regardless of your country of origin, the program you choose will result in healthcare licensure in the United States, meaning you can work in a field you’re passionate about as long as you are eligible to remain in the country.

*Data from the US Department of Labor

Getting your master’s or doctoral degree in healthcare in the United States can result in plentiful opportunities to put your expertise into practice, and Pacific’s emphasis on professional training helps international students start rewarding healthcare careers. 

Healthcare Practicums Help International Students Start Careers in the United States

A core aspect of all healthcare programs at Pacific is the clinical practicum, where you can gain invaluable hands-on experience alongside working professionals in your discipline.

Even more so for international students, the healthcare practicum helps not only with skill building, but also in connecting you with professionals in your area.

This network is essential for international students interested in healthcare careers in the United States, creating relationships you can use to continue your practice after graduation.

Whether you take your newfound skills back to your home country or stay in Oregon and begin a career, your practicum experience will be instrumental in gaining the necessary training needed to help others.

For some programs at Pacific, the practicum can even be an international experience, sending you abroad once again to gain the skills you need.

Pacific’s Campus Provides All-Around Support for International Students

At both our Forest Grove or Hillsboro locations — and in every one of our healthcare degrees — Pacific prioritizes creating safe, inclusive spaces where students from all backgrounds can thrive.

International students studying healthcare in the United States can find community through campus clubs and organizations designed to help you succeed in what could be an unfamiliar setting.

Beyond these student organizations, the structure of the College of Health Professions — which prizes interdisciplinary study — empowers students to interact and learn from degree pathways outside their own.

This means that international students can become a part of an even wider campus community, which they can keep in touch with no matter where their postgraduate career takes them.

Healthcare programs that accept international students understand that all aspects of their programs — from the admissions forms to the practicum experience — need to be accessible, something Pacific strives to achieve in every aspect.

International Students Can Grow through Exceptional Healthcare Programs

International students studying in the United States can experience the benefits of exceptional healthcare programs without the intense competition they may be used to.

Pacific offers healthcare degrees for domestic and internal students alike that not only teach cutting-edge healthcare science, but act as professional job training.

Some of those programs include, but aren’t limited to:

• Pharmacy. Flexible programs, dual-degree opportunities and a wide range of practicum settings make Pacific’s Doctor of Pharmacy program stand out.

  For international students looking for pharmacy schools in the United States, the program housed in Pacific’s College of Health Professions gives you everything you need to begin a long and high-paying healthcare career.

• Clinical Psychology. The best universities for psychology in the USA include a variety of degree pathways that allow you to refine your interests and discover advanced career paths.

  It is for this reason that Pacific features MA, PhD and PsyD pathways, allowing you to put your passions into practice in a way that helps serve the communities you care about.

• Optometry. International students looking for the best optometry programs in the US should prioritize a robust clinical practice and expert faculty.

  Refined over more than four decades, Pacific’s celebrated School of Optometry combines an emphasis on primary care with community service, training you to help those most in need.

Pacific is the top private research university in the Pacific Northwest, meaning that you can uncover the next big advancement in healthcare with faculty support and abundant resources.

EXPLORE HEALTHCARE SCHOLARSHIPS