Pursuing a Third Master’s Degree or a Doctoral Program? Day 1 CPT after H1B Lottery Challenges

Having completed a second master’s degree without securing an H1B visa, international students might have to plan their next “academic journey”—whether to pursue a third master’s degree in a “Day 1 CPT” school or a doctoral CPT program.

First, we would like to express our opinion — Carnegie International Student Institute, CISI, as the most unbiased and professional non-profit organizations in the industry, believes that as long as the choice of major is appropriate, pursuing a third master’s or a doctoral degree is equally safe for extending legal status and for the successful approval of an H1B visa.

The key principles for selecting a Day 1 CPT program are:

– The program should not be overly similar to your previous academic programs.

– The new field of study must still be highly relevant to the individual’s work.

These principles can guide students in how to choose their CPT program and also make pursuing a second master’s degree make sense.

The same principles also apply to the process of choosing a third master’s or even a fourth master’s degree. Anyone can choose any major they desire. Even if you have multiple degrees, it is still completely justifiable. Once again, the critical principles are:

– The chosen CPT program must not be overly similar to previous academic programs.

– The field of study of the chosen CPT program must remain highly relevant to the individual’s work.

Here are a few somewhat far-fetched analogies:

We could compare master’s programs to romantic relationships and doctoral programs to marriage. Can a person have multiple romantic relationships throughout their life? Are they only allowed to have at most two romantic relationships? Does the next relationship necessarily have to lead to marriage? Are people with more than three relationships labeled as not eligible for a marriage? Can someone be in a relationship again after the end of a marriage?

If that’s the case, why do many CPT consulting organizations and even law firms unscrupulously recommend doctoral-level programs? 

The reason is simple—money! 

The Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) program typically lasts 3-4 years and costs between $52,000 and $65,000 in total, with annual fees ranging from $15,000 to $19,000. This poses a significant financial burden for people staying in the US, but it means higher commissions for these consulting companies and law firms.

Fortunately, if you have an IT background, you might consider another, more affordable Doctoral Level CPT program: Trine University’s DIT (Doctor of Information Technology) program, which costs a total of $46K over five years, averaging $9K per year.

However, CISI still advises that if there is a suitable master’s program available, there is no need to prioritize Doctoral Level programs.

So, how can you ensure that the new major is not overly similar to previous ones?

The answer is: check the new program’s CIP code.

The CIP code will be displayed on the I-20 form and consists of six digits:

– The first two digits represent the primary category of the academic field (such as Engineering, Health Sciences, etc.).

– The middle two digits represent a subcategory within that academic field, providing further refinement of the major category.

– The last two digits specify a particular educational program or course, detailing a specific direction or course setup within the academic field.

For example:

Suppose a six-digit CIP code is 11.0102.

“11”: It represents “Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services,” the major category of the academic field.

“01”: Under this major category, it is further divided into “Computer and Information Sciences, General” the subcategory.

“02”: Specifies the program “Artificial Intelligence”.

Question: If I already have a master’s degree in Artificial Intelligence with a CIP code of 11.0102, can I apply for a master’s in Information Studies with a CIP code of 11.0401?

Answer: Yes, it should be possible. Although they are within the same major category, the subcategory classifications are different, and the fields of study also have certain distinctions. To further confirm whether you can choose this, you would need to compare the specific course setups of your new and previous academic programs.

Comparing Required Courses of New and Previous Programs

Open your past transcripts and the academic catalog of the program you plan to apply for, and compare them. As long as more than 70% of the courses in the new program have not been studied before, it is not considered overly repetitive.

For example, if you went to Northeastern before, and you are looking to apply for Trine University’s master’s program, you can find the course catalogs here:

Northeastern MS in AI course Catalog: https://catalog.northeastern.edu/graduate/computer-information-science/computer-science/artificial-intelligence-ms/?_gl=1*g253g*_gcl_au*NzEyNTEwNjYuMTcyNDA0OTA5Nw..#programrequirementstext

Trine University MSIS course Catalog: https://trine.smartcatalogiq.com/en/current/fall-2023-trine-course-catalog/graduate-programs/master-of-science-in-information-studies-30-hrs/ 

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Facing the challenge of an unsuccessful H1B lottery draw, choosing to continue your education is a wise decision. Whether choosing a third master’s degree or a doctoral CPT program, the key is to ensure that the new field of study is sufficiently different from previous studies and is closely related to your future work. When selecting, you should avoid being misled by profit-driven institutions and choose the academic path that is best suited for you. Overall, the choice of academic program is not only about extending legal status but is also a significant investment in career planning. As long as the choice of major is reasonable and well-planned, the future remains hopeful. Feel free to contact Carnegie International Student Institute for completely free consultation!