Nigerian HND is Equivalent to First Degree in US

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Farooq A. Kperogi via Google+
8 months ago +10
Ibrahim Waziri: From HND in Nigeria to PhD in America
What you will read
below is the inspirational story of a 29-year-old Nigerian from Bauchi who
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I read his account on your blog. Gives one hope, even if only a fraction of those who try will ever get in.
Muhammad Sani Aliyu 8 months ago
so this show and give people like us more hope about career development 
US IBRAHIM 8 months ago
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Farooq A. Kperogi via Google+
8 months ago +5
My column in today's Daily Trust on Saturday
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Wonderful. we are proud of youth like him. may almighty Allah bless him and bless our daily struggle in order to fashion our future. 
Babangida Muazu 8 months ago
Salam bro,, my name is Bashir monsur from lagos nigeria, I am one of several million yearning to have my masters done abroad with HND in Nigeria but don't
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Monsur Bashir 8 months ago
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MisG Ifezue
8 months ago +3
This is very inspiring, am inspired! Thank you for sharing and God bless you
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Lawan Abdulhamid
1 month ago
Mash Allah
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Umar Aliyu
8 months ago
This is amazing. Our Bsc counterparts in Nigeria see us as sinners or some kind of empty headed persons. This is actually inspiring.
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Monsur Bashir
8 months ago
Salam bro,, my name is Bashir monsur from lagos nigeria, I am one of several million yearning to have my masters done abroad with HND in Nigeria but don't sincerely know how. I have distinction in electrical electronics engineering in 2009 and since
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Adeyemi Laolu
8 months ago
His testimonies are so inspiring. His determination worked for him in a bigger way. What stops Nigeria from emulating this Southern University
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Nafi'u Mohammed
7 months ago
I don't know of a word to express my appreciation to you prof. What you are doing is what defines you as a good hearted and patriotic citizen. May Allah continue to guide your way and reward you in abundance. 
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Gambo Adamu
8 months ago
I am really proud of you aboki Allah yayiwa karatun albarka amen.
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I Badjie
8 months ago
Boiler Up!!!
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sani ashurah
8 months ago
Quite interesting. We wish more success in your endeavour. Congratulations to Ibrahim, his Mentor nd the entire Nigerians.
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OLUWASEUN DAVID
8 months ago
Okay, does that indicates that all US universities accept HND from Nigeria institutions. 
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abdulfatah suleiman
8 months ago
Masha Allah. Inspiring indeed
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Daniel Ugwa
8 months ago
Congratulations. Very proud of you
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Yusuf Alkali
8 months ago +1
Very inspiring story. Unfortuatley Nigerian Universities do not recognise quality. I am sure there a lot of HND graduates who cannot secure admission into Masters prgramme not to talk about PhD in Nigeria. My collegue was able to secure masters admission into a Nigerian university and graduated as the best student. He apply for PhD was rejected because he had HND. The candidate was sound and intelligent but he was denied admission because of the quantity not quality in him.
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RAYYAN BAWA
8 months ago
What an inspiring and great story. My sincere Regards to prof kperoogi.. You are one of my role model prof and I enyoy your weekly column on weekly trust "notes from atlanta". Rayyan Muh'd bawa from Bauchi State 
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Muneer Musdapha
8 months ago
Mr.Kperogi, you did a very good job. May Allah reward you abundantly. 
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Abdulwasiu Ibrahim
8 months ago
May Almighty Allah make it more easier for you and grants long live to enjoy what you suffered for, Amiin
@Farooq A. Kperogi, Jazak Allahu khair. May Almighty Allah stand for you anywhere anyway . Amiin 
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shuarau abdulhakeem
8 months ago
I thank Allah on your behalf.
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Saturday, September 3, 2016
Farooq A. Kperogi at 1:32 AM
Ibrahim Waziri: From HND in Nigeria to PhD in America
By Farooq A. Kperogi, Ph.D.
Twitter: @farooqkperogi
What you will read below is the inspirational story of a 29-year-old Nigerian from Bauchi who graduated with an HND in Electronics Engineering from the Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi, in 2009 and wound up getting a PhD in Information Security from Purdue University last month.
His journey started when he sent me an email in late 2009. He wanted to know if his HND would qualify him to study for a master’s degree in the US. I told him yes, and sent him links to two articles I wrote about studying in the US. I also guided him on how to take the GRE and TOEFL, how to apply to US universities, and how to get funding for his studies.
I didn’t think what I did would amount to anything. I have rendered countless such mentorships to several people. But two years later, I got an email from Ibrahim (now Dr. Waziri) that he was enrolled in a master’s program at a university here in Georgia thanks entirely to my guidance, which I frankly didn’t even remember until I searched my email archive. He even visited me in my home.
A few years later, he was accepted to the prestigious Purdue University to study for a Ph.D. He graduated a month ago with high honors and has accepted a well-paying job in Washington DC. To say I am delighted and proud of this energetic, passionate young man’s success is to understate the incredibly overwhelming joy I feel.
I requested Dr. Waziri to write a short piece detailing his journey to serve as an inspiration to many young people with HNDs who think their educational journeys have ended. Enjoy it:
Getting a Ph.D. from an American university has always been dream. But like many HND graduates, I always wondered if I would be able to continue with my studies in the US with a Nigerian HND. Would the HND be recognized as the equivalent of a bachelor’s degree? I had no clue until I came across Prof. Farooq Kperogi’s Weekly Trust column and blog.
In November 2009, I read Prof. Kperogi’s article titled “Studying in America: What you need to know.” After reading the article, and understanding how the process of getting accepted into an American University was, I emailed him to inquire whether my HND was equivalent to an American bachelor’s degree. He answered my questions, provided in-depth guidance, and later published another article titled “HND and American Universities, ” which provided a step-by-step guide on how an HND graduate can continue studying in the US.
Following guidance from Prof. Kperogi’s article, I submitted my OND and HND transcripts to the Word Education Services (WES) for evaluation. (WES is the largest international credential evaluation service in America and Canada). The evaluation results said my HND was equivalent to an American bachelor’s degree.
At the time my transcripts were under evaluation, I prepared for and took my Graduate Records Exams (GRE) and benefitted from the resources Prof. Kperogi generously shared with me. I got impressive scores. I applied for the master’s program at Georgia Tech, Southern Poly State University, and Georgia Southern University. I got accepted into Georgia Southern.
In August 2012, I started my Masters of Science degree in Applied Engineering (with a focus in Information Technology) at Georgia Southern University. It is at Georgia Southern that I met my mentor and amazing professor by the name of Prof. Jordan Shropshire, who is now a Professor of Computer Science at the University of South Alabama. I worked in Prof. Shropshire’s lab as a Research and Teaching assistant were I learned how to conduct research and mentor students. For my work, I got a tuition waiver and a monthly stipend.
I worked on different projects relating to Network Security and Cloud Computing, which resulted in my first academic publication. My performance during my master’s program was really impressive to the point that I got inducted into the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, the oldest and most selective honor society in the US. This is what my mentor, Prof. Shropshire, said about me:
“Ibrahim was my best graduate assistant at Georgia Southern University. He is intelligent, professional, and responsive. He completes complicated projects on time and under budget. A patient man, he excels at explaining complex subjects to non-technical persons. Even under the most stressful conditions I don't think I've ever seen him lose his cool. For these reasons (and many others) I wouldn't hesitate to hire him again. ”
– Source: Ibrahim Waziri’s LinkedIn profile.
In May 2014, I graduated with my master’s degree. Immediately after, in August 2014, I started my Ph.D. in Information Security at Purdue University, one of the best universities in the world. I worked extremely hard, taking more classes than required per semester. Because of the rigor of the research training I got from my master’s degree program, I was able to work on my dissertation while doing my course work. This enabled me to complete my 90 hours coursework and dissertation in 2 years. This is unusual. Ph.D. education in US universities typically lasts a minimum of 4 years.
I graduated with my Ph.D. in August 2016. My research areas are Network Security, Cloud Computing, and Virtualization Security. I have published and presented papers relating to Firewalls, Phishing Attacks, Cyber Forensics, etc.
While at Purdue University, I worked as a Cyber Anti-Fraud Analyst for RSA, the Security Division of EMC. And I also interned as a Cyber Security Analyst for the US Federal Government, working with USITC in Washington DC. This is what Prof. Sam Liles, one of my professors during my Ph.D. program, said about me:
“Ibrahim showed exceptional understanding of how to analyze malware and problem solve in a class he took with me. His work with volatile malware samples and structured laboratory problems shows a lot of promise. If you are looking for a savvy thinker and capable individual, he is the right person. I enjoyed watching his thinking processes and following along as he solved several complex problems. Almost always forgotten when recommending somebody, but very important is that Ibrahim is simply a nice guy and easy to get along with. ”
– Source: Ibrahim’s LinkedIn profile.
I currently work as a Security Research Engineer in Washington, DC. I still consider myself a student and want to gain more in-depth hands-on experience in the ever-changing Cyber Security field. But, ultimately, I want to come back home (Nigeria) to help tackle the Cyber Security issues Nigeria faces. You can look me up on LinkedIn or on my personal page at