Títulos, Técnicos, and Estudios Totales:Education in Mexico
TAICEP Annual ConferencePhiladelphia, PA
October 1-4, 2018Presenter: Karen Krug
Research & Knowledge Management Evaluator, ECE
Photos © K. Krug. Used by permission
OVERVIEW & TERMINOLOGY
Photo © K. Krug. Used by permission
General Facts about Mexico
Conventional country name long form: United Mexican States (Estados Unidos Mexicanos)
Population: over 123 million (as of 2017)
Languages: Spanish, regional indigenous languages such as Nahuatl, Yaqui, or various Mayan languages
Religion: predominantly Roman Catholic
Administrative Divisions: 31 states (estados, singular - estado) and CDMX
Aguascalientes, Baja California, Baja California Sur, Campeche, Chiapas, Ciudad de México, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Colima, Durango, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, México, Michoacán, Morelos, Nayarit, Nuevo León, Oaxaca, Puebla, Querétaro, Quintana Roo, San Luis Potosí, Sinaloa, Sonora, Tabasco, Tamaulipas, Tlaxcala, Veracruz, Yucatán, Zacatecas
http://travelquaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/political-map-of-mexico.gifhttps://pixabay.com/
Key Spanish Terminology (1)
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Levels of Education TranslationEducación primaria Primary education (grades 1-6)
Educación básica Basic education (grades 1-9)
Educación secundaria Secondary education (grades 7-9)
Educación media superior Upper secondary education (grades 10-12)
Educación superior Higher education
Estudios de pregrado Undergraduate studies
Estudios de posgrado Graduate studies
Key Spanish Terminology (2)
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Credentials
• bachiller bachelor• técnico technician• tecnólogo technologist• licenciado licentiate• ingeniero engineer• diplomado diploma holder• maestro(a)/magíster master• especialista specialist• doctor doctor
Academic Calendar
• año year• semestre semester• cuatrimestre quatrimester• trimestre trimester• mes month• semana week• día day• hora hour• diurno day-time
[study program]• nocturno evening [study
program]• fecha date
Key Spanish Terminology (3)
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Transcript Terminology
Carrera Program of study, curriculum
Plan de estudios Plan of studies
Asignatura Subject, course
Taller Workshop
Trabajo de grado Graduation work
Tesis de grado Degree thesis
Egresado Graduated, a graduate
Calificación/nota Grade, mark
Crédito Credit
Horas semanales Weekly hours
Mínima aprobatoria Minimum passing [grade]
Promedia [grade] average
Promoción Promotion [to the next grade]
Puntaje Grade points
Photo © K. Krug. Used by permission
Chart: http://www.internationalcomparisons.org.uk/html/index.asp
Educational System of Mexico
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Easily-Confused TerminologyTerm Translation In Mexico In other Latin American countries
(examples)Secundaria Secondary Lower secondary education, grades 7-9 Cuba: Similar to Mexico
Peru: Secondary education, grades 7-11
Técnico Technician Upper secondary vocational program, admission based on grade 9, length 2-4 years (exception: Técnico Superior is post-secondary)
Colombia: 2-3 year post-secondary programDominican Republic: 2-3 year post-secondary programEl Salvador: 2-3 year post-secondary programVenezuela: Similar to Mexico
Bachiller, Bachillerato
Bachelor, Baccalaureate
Upper secondary program, admission based on grade 9, length 2-3 years, grants access to post-secondary study
Chile: post-secondary program, often less than 4 yearsCosta Rica: 4-6 year post-secondary programEcuador: Similar to MexicoPeru: May be secondary or post-secondary
Colegio College Almost always secondary school (very few exceptions)
Similar to Mexico - almost always secondary-level unless combined with Universidad,Universitario, Superior, etc.
Profesor Teacher Used for secondary (until the mid-1980s) and post-secondary programs for training teachers for preschool, elementary, or secondary schools
Similar to Mexico – can refer to teachers of preschool, elementary, secondary, vocational, music, etc.
Ingeniero Engineer Most often used for post-secondary programs in engineering-related fields, but can be used for other fields as well (e.g. Agriculture, Music Technology)
May include other fields in addition to engineering, especially business-related: Ingeniero Comercial, Ingeniero Financeiro, Ingeniero en Gestión Turística
SECUNDARIA, BACHILLERATO, & TÉCNICO
Secondary Education
Photo © K. Krug. Used by permission
Lower Secondary Education(Grades 7-9) • leads to Certificado de Secundaria• part of compulsory education since
1993
Upper Secondary Education(Grades 10-12)• also called the preparatory cycle
(preparatoria)• 3-year program, specialization track in
the final year (2-year programs in some areas - should all be upgraded by 2020)
• qualification of • Bachillerato, • Bachillerato Tecnológico, or • Bachillerato Técnico
Secondary Education
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Técnico (technician)
• nivel medio profesional• professional middle level
• nivel medio técnico• technical middle level
• nivel medio terminal• terminal middle level
Examples of qualifications:
• técnico• technician
• técnico profesional• professional technician
• profesional técnico• technical professional
• enfermero• nurse
• partero• midwife
• trabajador social• social worker
• profesor de educación primaria/ preescolar (before 1984)• Primary/preschool education teacher
• other professional qualifications
Vocational Education
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Secundaria
Secundaria (cont.)
Bachillerato General
Bachilleratofrom University
BachilleratoTecnológico
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Título de Técnico
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Nursing Program – What level?
Nursing Program Cédula Information
(More information on cédulas in Verification section)
Grading Scales – Secondary & Post-Secondary
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Spanish English Numeric Percentage
Excelente (E) Excellent 10 100
Muy Bien (MB) Very Good 9 90-99
Bien (B) Good 8 80-89
Regular (R) Average 7 70-79
Suficiente (S) Sufficient 6 60-69
No Suficiente (N) Insufficient 5 50-59
Muy Bien (MB) Very Good 9-10 90-100
Bien (B) Good 8 80-89
Suficiente (S) Sufficient 7 70-79
No Suficiente (N) Insufficient 6 60-69
with minimum passing grade of 6 orminimum passing grade of 7
Terms Abbr. Meaning
No Acreditada NA Not Passed
Acreditada AC Passed
Equivalencia EQ Equivalence, Exemption
No Derecho ND No Right (unable to sit for final exams due to low attendance or low grades)
No Presentada NP Not Presented (did not sit for final exam)
Revalidada REV Revalidated (transfer credit)
Examen Ordinario OR Ordinary Examination Session
ExamenExtraordinario
EX, EE Extraordinary Examination Session (first make-up exam session)
More Grading Terminology
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How to find credits for secondary programs
Search for:• name of institution or issuing
body +• bachillerato (or other
credential name) +• plan de estudios or mapa
curricular
Example:• SEP bachillerato mapa
curricular
Result:• http://www.dgb.sep.gob.mx/
informacion-academica/mapas_curriculares.php
Check the website of the institution or issuing body, or:
http://www.dgb.sep.gob.mx/informacion-academica/mapas_curriculares.php
RECOGNITION – INSTITUTIONS & PROGRAMS
Post-Secondary Education
Photo © K. Krug. Used by permission
Reconocimiento de Validez Oficial de Estudios(RVOE) - Recognition of Official Validity
of StudiesPrograms are granted official validity when curriculum meets official government standards
Program recognition can be granted by federal or state government body or by public autonomous institution
Public institutions are automatically recognized; all degree programs automatically have official validity
Private institution programs must go through validation process for official validity
Note: Accreditation is not the same thing as official validity
RVOE Clues from Documents
Institution name includes Autónoma• Public institution
Título and transcript are issued by government bodies• e.g. Gobierno del Estado de Baja California or Sistema Educativo
Nacional
Student has professional cédula number• Only issued for recognized programs
Documents include RVOE number• Trust but verify!
http://www.anuies.mx/anuies/instituciones-de-educacion-superior/
ANUIES Higher Education Institution Search
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ANUIES Higher Education Institution Search(cont.)
Results for “Londres”
ANUIES Institution Search Results
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Checking RVOE
ALL CAPS!
https://www.sirvoes.sep.gob.mx/sirvoes/mvc/consultas
Checking RVOE (cont.)
Using RVOE to identify program
DOCUMENTATION
Post-Secondary Education
Photo © K. Krug. Used by permission
Técnico Superior Universitario• 2-year post-secondary course
offered by an Universidad Técnologico
Sálidas Laterales (lateral exits)• Shorter intermediate degree
programs• Usually of 1-2 years duration • Called carreras cortas (short
programs) or salidas laterales(lateral exits)
Licenciado or TítuloProfesional• First academic degree of at least 4
years • Some are 5-6 years, depending on
the area of study
Courses of Especialización• Post-graduate program
concentrating on a more practical or applied branch of a discipline
• Limited or no research required• Often seen in health sciences
Maestría• Research-based post-graduate
program• Thesis required
Doctorado• Research-based• Two or three years after Maestría• Minimum of 150 credits (some can
be transferred from the Maestríalevel)
Cursos de actualización(continuing education
courses)
University Qualifications
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Possible Documentation
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Título (Title) or Grado(Degree)
Certificado de Estudios(Certificate of Studies)
KardexCompleto/Incompleto(Complete/Incomplete
Grade Report)
Carta de Pasante (Letter of Passing)
Completion of Servicio Social (Public Service)
Acta de ExamenProfesional/Examen de
Grado (Act of Professional
Exam/Degree Exam)
En trámite (in process) letter
Cédula (Identification card)
Plan de Estudios (Plan of Studies) or Mapa
Curricular (Curricular Map)
What do you need to see to consider the degree completed?
Obviously incomplete
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Obviously complete
Not so obvious: Certificado de
Terminación de Estudios
Not so obvious:Carta de Pasante
Degree Requirements Beyond Plan of Studies
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Additional degree requirements
include some or all of the following:
• Thesis (Tesis)• Professional examination (Examen Profesional)• Public service (Servicio Social)
Possible exceptions to these
requirements include:
• High enough grade average can exempt student from thesis
• Completion of graduate level courses can exempt student from undergraduate professional exam
• Completion of final project can exempt student from social service
Because of these requirements:
• Many students complete academic portion of degree program, but never earn título or grado
• Only way to know if student has completed ALL degree requirements at post-secondary level is with título, grado, cédula, or statement from institution that título/grado is en trámite (in process)
• Degrees may be issued years after the period of study indicated on the grade report
Servicio Social and Acta de Examen Profesional
Pay attention to what has been completed – does it say “título”??
“En Trámite”
Licenciado by Exam - CENEVAL
Transcript Issues: Is It Official?
Transcript Issues: Program Length
Program Length
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Different institutions can have different lengths for the same degree programs.
Institutions can be running part-time night version of a normal program with the same curricula but different durations.
Institutions can change the duration of a program from one year to the next.
Credit systems and enrollment dates do not always help.
Plan de Estudios or Mapa Curricular
http://fintecate.uabc.edu.mx/web/fin/mapa-curricular-industrial
Transcript Issues: No Credits Listed
Plan de Estudios or Mapa Curricular
If program is older, and you can’t find it on the current website, try the WaybackMachine: https://archive.org/
Diploma de Especialidad
Grado de Maestría
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Grado de Doctor en Ciencias
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AUTHENTICITY ISSUES & VERIFICATION
Photo © K. Krug. Used by permission
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Comparison with Other Samples
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Logo from previous document Logo from other UNAM documents from same
time period
Photo © K. Krug. Used by permission
Secondary Comparison
Secretaría de Educación Pública (SEP), Dirección General de Profesiones (DGP)https://www.cedulaprofesional.sep.gob.mx/cedula/indexAvanzada.action
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Can be used to verify títulos(degrees) of:
• University-level programs• Some secondary-vocational (técnico) programs
Search by:• Cédula number or• Given name and family name(s)
Notes:
• Student must have earned título in order to get cédula(not available for incomplete programs, even with carta de pasante)
• Can verify título even without seeing the actual document
• Not all título-holders register for cédula, so absence of cédula does not necessarily indicate fraudulent título
• Date of cédula can be a year or more after date of título• Only confirms título, not transcript
Degree Verification: Registro Nacional de Profesionistas
Where to Find Cédula Number
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Back of Título Cédula card
Recent
Previous
Recent
Previous
Registro Nacional Search Interface
Hint: Cédula numbers should have 7 digits. If yours only has 6 digits, try adding a zero in front.
http://www.cedulaprofesional.sep.gob.mx/cedula/indexAvanzada.action
Fraud detection using Cédula
Other Online Verification Resources
Examples of bodies offering
online transcript verification
• State of Guanajuato: http://sistemas.sabes.edu.mx/celectronico/
• State of Sinaloa: QR code on documents or http://www.sepyc.gob.mx/certificado/validacion/
• Universidad Autónoma de Baja California: QR code on documents
• Universidad Autónoma de Coahuila: QR code on documents
Note: Use of students’ personal log-in information to access/verify educational documents is not recommended due to privacy concerns.• e.g. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Universidad de Guadalajara
RESOURCES
Photo © K. Krug. Used by permission
Educational System Overviews
ECE e-Learning: The Educational System of Mexico
•https://theconnection.ece.org/resources/viewresourcebyid?resourceId=497 (for Connection Advantage subscribers)
Nuffic – Education and diplomas Mexico
•https://www.nuffic.nl/en/subjects/education-and-diplomas-mexico/
IQAS – International Education Guide: Mexico
•https://www.alberta.ca/iqas-education-guide-mexico.aspx
WES: Education in Mexico
•http://wenr.wes.org/2016/08/education-in-mexico/, World Education News & Reviews. August 2016. Magaziner, Jessica and Carlos Monroy.
UNESCO – International Bureau of Education – World Data on Education (Mexico)
•http://www.ibe.unesco.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Publications/WDE/2010/pdf-versions/Mexico.pdf
Organización de Estados Iberoamericanos (OEI) - Mexico section
•http://www.oei.es/quipu/mexico/ (in Spanish only)
Mexico: A Study of the Educational System of Mexico and a Guide to the Academic Placement of Students in Educational Institutions of the United States
•World Education Series. AACRAO. 1982. Villa, Kitty Maker
Recognition, Verification, & Other Resources
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Secretaría de Educación Pública (SEP)• http://www.sep.gob.mx/
Reconocimiento de Validez Oficial de Estudios (RVOE)• http://www.sirvoes.sep.gob.mx/sirvoes/mvc/consultas
Registro Nacional de Profesionistas• https://www.cedulaprofesional.sep.gob.mx/cedula/presidencia/indexAvanzada.action
Asociación Nacional de Universidades e Institutos Superiores (ANUIES)• http://www.anuies.mx/ (degree programs of all members have RVOE)
Federación de Instituciones Mexicanas Particulares de Educación Superior (FIMPES)• http://www.fimpes.org.mx/ (degree programs of all members have RVOE)
Sistema Nacional de Información de Escuelas (SNIE)• http://www.snie.sep.gob.mx/SNIESC/ (database containing all schools, at all levels, in the country)
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¡Gracias!
Photos © K. Krug. Used by permission
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