Over 250 international students and scholars representing more than 70 countries call Southeastern their home away from home.
The College of Science and Technology offers nine undergraduate degree programs and two graduate degree programs.
My name is Dr. Mohammad Saadeh I am originally from Jordan, received my Bachelor degree in 2005, and then flew to Malaysia to study for my Master’s degree. I started in the US as an International Student in 2008 and received my Ph.D. in 2012. Since then, I have been empoloyed at Southeastern.
The US Higher Education System welcomes hundreds of thousands of international students each year; you can be one of those. Let us help you get there!
Our department has three distinct programs, and in each one of these programs we have international faculty who started as international students and made their way up to become faculty members. The path to work in the US after graduation is possible, and there are plenty of opportunities and successful examples.
Southeastern (the red drop pin) is strategically situated in the southeast region of the state, along two major Interstate highways: I-12 which turns into I-10, the main east-west highway corridor along the southern United States and southern Gulf Coast states and I-55 (which is a major cross-country, north-south route, connecting the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes).
The campus is almost an hour away by car from New Orleans and about 45 minutes away from Baton Rouge and the Mississippi River. The Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport services direct flights to London, England; Montreal and Toronto, Canada; and Cancun, Mexico; and San Pedro Sula, Honduras.
If you drive on I-10 west for 4.5 hours, you will reach Houston, which is the largest city in the region. Driving to the east for 1.5 hours will get you to the Louisiana-Mississippi border. If you continue driving further east, you will reach Alabama then Florida, which both offer nice beaches and areas to visit.
The weather in the southeast region varies year round. In the summer months (June-August) it is humid and rainy. September through December is the fall season, and it gets warm to chilly but not cold. Late December through January might see a few freezing nights, and February through May is the spring season when the temperature rises again as we near the summertime.
Compared to other schools in the state and outside Louisiana, Southeastern offers one of the most affordable options for undergraduate and graduate degrees.
When considering a school to study, you will need to take into consideration many factors, which include: safety, climate, location, career prospects, cost, job placement after graduation, etc.
Southeastern scores high on all these factors, especially the cost! Not only are the tuition and fees among the lowest, there are also many scholarship opportunities for students that are based on merit.
Although Southeastern is an inexpensive option compared to other schools, you will still be receiving the highest quality undergraduate education that is nationally competitive and accredited by major accrediting agencies (such as ABET and ATMAE).
Yes, you are eligible to work on campus and we can hire you in our department!
As an international student, you can apply for a work permit that allows you to work on campus for 20 hours per week. There are plenty of student worker positions on campus!
First, you will need to find the position and apply to it. This is a simple process and there are few documents that you will need to complete with the help of the Human Resources office on campus. Then you will apply for a Social Security Number (SSN) through the Social Security Administration (SSA) to be eligible to work on campus. This SSN will remain with you; keep the SS card in a secure place!
Only when you receive your SSN you can start working on campus. Please note, the pay rate for these positions is not sufficient alone to support you while in the US. You need to secure other means of financial support for your tuition, housing, meals, transportation, etc.
Our programs also provide you with the opportunity to have paid internship with companies in your area of study to gain field experience. You can also receive credit hours after completing the internship that you can use towards your degree completion.
Yes, you can work. There are few steps that you will need to take to increase your chances.
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) established a program for F-1 students to authorize them to work and gain experience in their fields of study. That program is called Optional Practical Training (OPT). The total duration of the OPT is 12 months.
There is a Pre-completion OPT and Post-completion OPT. You can elect to have a Pre-completion OPT while you are studying for your degree. However this will reduce the duration of Post-completion OPT that is available for you. Most of the time, students prefer to wait until they complete their education and apply for the OPT to be eligible to work for the entire duration.
Not all employers have programs that accept OPT, so you will need to be flexible when you apply for these positions. Also, you will need to send in your applications for these employment opportunities in a timely manner since you only have 90 days to find employment, leave the country, or to change your status (your formal immigration classification in the US).
Many of these employment opportunities provide the OPT candidates (the international student graduates) the option to apply for full-time positions. Also, graduates with STEM degrees who are on OPT can apply for a one time 24-months extension. For more information on this important topic, please refer to Optional Practical Training from the U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services website.
The quality education we provide to our students and the strong industrial connections we established with employers in our region generally make it easy for our graduates to find employment either during their final year or soon after graduation.
Please check the Job Placement record that shows where our graduates have been employed, their job titles, and the average annual salary they made immediately after graduation.
