[heleninboodler]

Maybe the word "equivalent" isn't a perfect fit, but I wouldn't go so far as to say it's "not true." There's some overlap in the concept, if not an exact correlation. I attended a university that had a strong focus on practical applications to the point that it was often tongue-in-cheek referred to as a "glorified trade school."

Edit: what koube said. I went to a CSU school.

[dakna]

World Education Services (and others) evaluate foreign degrees and determine the US equivalent, the Central Office for Foreign Education in Germany does the same for US degrees and determines the German equivalent.

The equivalence of credentials matters for example once you get into the realm of government jobs with strict requirements, or getting accepted into Master or PHD programs.

[heleninboodler]

As a US-based software developer, the concept of a credential that anyone cares about being issued by a school is a strange one. :D