US Academic Program Research — Complete Workflow

Purpose

Run structured research on US academic programs with credential analysis, parallel discovery, adaptive scorecards, and generation of an actionable application plan in a deliverable format.

When to Use

Use this skill when the task requires:

Selecting and ranking programs (PhD, Master's, or Bachelor's) in the US
Detailed comparison of curriculum, costs, and admission requirements
Application strategy based on profile, budget, and timeline
A final consolidated document for decision-making and execution

Progress Tracking

Display progress before each research phase:

[███░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░] 15% — Phase 0: Program Type Detection & Input Collection
[██████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░] 30% — Phase 1: Profile & Credential Analysis
[█████████░░░░░░░░░░░] 45% — Phase 2: Parallel Discovery (4 subagents)
[████████████░░░░░░░░] 60% — Phase 3: Parallel Deep Research (4 subagents)
[███████████████░░░░░] 75% — Phase 4: Adaptive Scorecards & Ranking
[█████████████████░░░] 85% — Phase 5: Document Generation
[████████████████████] 100% — Phase 6: Inline Report & Recommendations

Workflow

Follow the phases defined below in sequence, maintaining source traceability and separating facts from inferences.

Personalized research on US academic programs (PhD, Master's MS/MBA/MPS, or Bachelor's). Analyzes the candidate's profile, runs parallel searches via subagents, identifies hidden gems, applies an adaptive scorecard, and generates a complete ACTION_PLAN.md with rankings, curricula, costs, and a step-by-step checklist.

Output language: Portuguese (matches user research context). Queries/subagents: English (required for search quality).

Execution Instructions

PHASE 0 — detect program type (FIRST QUESTION)
PHASE 0B — collect all inputs before researching
PHASE 2 — launch 4 subagents in ONE message (true parallelism)
PHASE 3 — launch 4 deep-research subagents in ONE message
PHASE 4 — apply adaptive scorecard after all research is complete
PHASE 5 — generate full document and save
PHASE 6 — present inline report to user

CRITICAL: All search queries and subagent prompts MUST be in English.

PHASE 0 — Program Type Detection

Use AskUserQuestion with: "What type of US academic program are you looking for?"

Options:

PhD / Doctorate — 4–7 years of research. Usually fully-funded (stipend + tuition).
Master's — MS, MBA, MPS, MEng (1.5–3 years). Executive, technical, online or in-person.
Bachelor's / Undergraduate — First or second degree (BS, BA). 2–4 years.

The entire workflow adapts to this answer.

PHASE 0B — Input Collection (2 rounds of AskUserQuestion)

Round A — Personal profile (all types, max 4 questions):

Full name + email
Country of origin + language(s) of diplomas
Highest current degree: institution, diploma type, GPA/grade (e.g., "8.1/10")
Desired field of study (e.g., Computer Science, Business Analytics, AI, Finance...)

Round B — Logistics and preferences (max 4 questions):

Target city/state in the US (or "open to any location")
Preferred format: in-person / 100% online / hybrid / no preference
Total budget: under $20k / $20–50k / $50–80k / over $80k / seeking funding
Desired start date: 2026 / 2027 / 2028 / flexible

Additional type-specific question:

PhD: Specific research area? Known advisors? Funded programs only?
Master's: Current role/level (Junior/Manager/Director/VP/C-Level)? Will you work during the program?
Bachelor's: First or second degree? Transferable credits? Large/small campus preference?

Optional inputs (offer, do not require): CV, academic transcripts, prior executive courses, US immigration status (Green Card / F1-OPT / H1-B / other).

PHASE 1 — Profile & Credential Analysis

Determine foreign degree equivalency and evaluation strategy BEFORE scoring any program.

Action: Consult references/credential-analysis.md for:

Degree equivalency table by country (includes risk for Brazilian Tecnólogo degree)
WES vs ECE comparison by program type
WES ICAP step-by-step logistics (8 steps + 2 scenarios: favorable vs unfavorable result)
Anti-downgrading analysis for VP/C-Level candidates (Master's only)
Advisor fit analysis for PhD + contact email template
In-state tuition logic (Green Card + 12-month domicile = eligible)

Brazilian Tecnólogo = HIGH RISK. WES may evaluate as Associate's instead of Bachelor's. Recommend institutional letter + ECE as second opinion if WES result is unfavorable.

PHASE 2 — Parallel Discovery (4 Subagents)

CRITICAL: Launch all 4 subagents in ONE SINGLE message (Task tool × 4 simultaneous).

Divide research among 4 subagents with subagent_type="general-purpose":

Subagent	Focus	Minimum Programs
A	Regional / Local In-Person	4
B	National Online / Brand Equity	5
C	Hidden Gems (low cost)	3
D	Reference Rankings	Top 20 context

Action: Consult references/subagent-prompts.md for the full prompts (in English) for each subagent, including all fields to collect and search queries.

After all 4 subagents complete:

Deduplicate programs (same school may appear in multiple subagents)
Verify accreditation: AACSB (business), ABET (engineering) — absence penalizes Brand Equity
For PhD: verify if fully-funded vs self-funded
Classify into groups: 1 (primary in-person), 1.5 (online brand equity), 2 (technical/deprioritized)
Target: 12–20 unique programs for Phase 3

PHASE 3 — Parallel Deep Research (4 Subagents)

CRITICAL: Split the 12–20 programs into 4 groups (3–5 each) and launch in ONE single message.

For each program, collect: full curriculum, verified cost on official website, student reviews (Niche/Reddit/GMAT Club/GradCafe), admission requirements (GMAT/TOEFL/letters/deadline), alumni network.

Action: Consult references/subagent-prompts.md for the full deep research template (section "Deep Research Template") with all queries in English.

PHASE 4 — Adaptive Scorecards

Action: Consult references/scorecards.md for the complete scorecards.

Scorecard Selection by Program Type:

Type	Scorecard	Key Criteria
Master's	Scorecard A	Brand + Exec Readiness + Flexibility + Network + ROI + Satisfaction
PhD	Scorecard B	Research Reputation + Advisor Fit + Funding + Placement + Satisfaction
Bachelor's	Scorecard C	Brand + Career Launch + ROI + Campus Life + Satisfaction

Master's — Adaptive Weights by Candidate Level:

Criterion	EXECUTIVE	SENIOR	STANDARD	CAREER_LAUNCH	OPT_CRITICAL
Brand Equity	25	23	23	23	22
Executive Readiness*	25	22	18	10	20
Flexibility	16	16	14	12	16
Network Quality	15	15	15	15	12
ROI / Cost-Benefit	12	14	16	20	14
Student Satisfaction	10	10	10	10	10
STEM Designation	0	0	0	0	6

*For VP/C-Level = "Executive Readiness". For non-executives = "Career Launch Potential".

Tier Classification:

Tier	Score	Label	Action
Top 5	≥ 80	Highest Priority	MUST APPLY
Tier 2	70–79	If Budget Allows	IF BUDGET ALLOWS
Tier 3	55–69	Backup	BACKUP ONLY
Tier 4	< 55	Avoid	AVOID

💎 Hidden Gem = Score ≥ 70 AND Cost ≤ 50% of budget AND Satisfaction ≥ 8.0/10

PHASE 5 — Document Generation

Save as: {CANDIDATE_NAME}_US_PROGRAM_ACTION_PLAN.md (in current directory).

Action: Consult references/action-plan-template.md for the full document template in Portuguese, including all sections, ~30 aligned tables, and the Table Formatting Policy.

Required sections in the generated document: General Status → Priority Next Actions → Phase 1 (WES/ECE) → Phase 2 (Tests) → Phase 3 (Contact) → Phase 4 (Submission) → Evaluators → Selected Programs by Tier → Adaptive Scorecard + Full Ranking → Curriculum Comparison → Detailed Curricula → Cost Comparison → Admission Comparison → Why Each Program → Document Inventory → Notes.

PHASE 6 — Inline Report

Present to the user in chat (in Portuguese) after saving the file:

Block 1 — Candidate Profile (max 5 lines): type, field, role/education, estimated GPA, immigration status.

Block 3 — 💎 Hidden Gems (if identified): score ≥ 70 + low cost + satisfaction ≥ 8.0.

Block 4 — ⚠️ Alerts: programs without reviews (red flag), daytime-only for executives, advisors without recent publications (PhD), borderline degree → WES urgent.

Block 5 — URGENT Next Action: "What to do TODAY" — usually: start WES/ECE or contact advisor.

Block 6 — Generated File: ✅ Document saved: {NAME}_US_PROGRAM_ACTION_PLAN.md ({N} lines, {N} tables)

Additional Resources

Reference Files

Consult as needed during execution:

references/credential-analysis.md — Degree equivalencies, full WES/ECE logistics, anti-downgrading, advisor fit (PhD), in-state tuition logic
references/scorecards.md — Complete Scorecards A/B/C with detailed rubrics, ROI formula with numeric example, tier thresholds, and hidden gem definition
references/subagent-prompts.md — Complete prompts (in English) for the 8 subagents: 4 discovery (Phases 2A/B/C/D) and deep research template (Phase 3)
references/action-plan-template.md — Complete ACTION_PLAN.md template in Portuguese with all sections and aligned tables
references/research-sources.md — Mandatory research sources and universal red flags by program type

Critical Rules

All research queries and subagent prompts must be in English.
Do not skip credential analysis before scoring/ranking.
Do not present a final recommendation without citing sources and criteria.
Clearly differentiate confirmed data, assumptions, and recommendations.

Error Handling

Error	Likely Cause	Action
Program URL unavailable (404)	University program page moved or removed	Note inaccessibility; use cached data or alternative sources for that program
No funding data found	Program doesn't publish funding info publicly	Mark as "funding data unavailable"; recommend user contact program directly
Insufficient programs match criteria	Filters too restrictive (budget, location, ranking)	Relax constraints and explain tradeoffs to user
Budget eliminates all options	Target budget below typical program tuition	Inform user of realistic cost ranges; suggest funded programs or assistantships
Credential gap detected	User credentials unlikely to meet minimum requirements	Flag disqualifiers; recommend strengthening credentials before applying
WebFetch blocked by university site	Bot-blocking or requires login	Use alternate sources (US News, Grad Cafe, QS rankings) for that program's data

Example Usage

"Rank MS in Data Science programs in the US with a budget of USD 50k."
"Compare funded PhD options in Computer Science focused on distributed systems."
"Build an application plan for an MBA starting in 2027."

us-program-research