Global Graduates Achieve Distance Learning College With Their Computers!
Higher education is becoming global, as the number of international students reportedly grows by degrees, online and otherwise. “Global” is the buzzword in education as students explore colleges that offer distance learning degrees, throwing open doors and crossing borders in the pursuit of education.
For the 2008-2009 academic year, colleges and universities throughout the United States reported a record near 672,000 international student enrollments, according to an annual Open Doors report. Most came from India, China and South Korea and were studying business and management and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) subjects, the report published by the Washington, D.C.-based Institute of International Education noted.
A preliminary “snapshot” Institute survey for 2009-2010 has so far produced mixed reports on international enrollment, according to Open Doors surveyors. But the Chronicle of Higher Education has nevertheless contended that about 3 million study abroad students throughout the world in 2009 is anticipated to rise to 8 million by 2025. Ben Wildavsky, author of “The Great Brain Race: How Global Universities are Reshaping the World”, reportedly told Inside Higher Education that he views the competitive higher education marketplace as a “free trade in minds” and “a chance for greater intellectual exchange, collaboration, and innovation”.
Global education can also be big business. International students and their families contribute more than $13 billion a year to the American economy, much of it in the form of tuition, the Institute for International Education noted. Students tend to begin their searches for schools based on guidance from family and friends, according to a Chronicle of Higher Education report on a spring Going Global conference held in London. Latin American students also look toward publications for assistance, undergraduates in Africa and the Middle East rely on the advice of their professors and graduate students look for quality, reputable programs that best meet their career goals, the Chronicle report noted.
Many reportedly share common desires for fast responses to their inquiries and applications. Going Global speakers citing a wide array of higher education choices reportedly cautioned against treating international students as “cash cows” and recommended instead that colleges and universities focus on giving them something for their money.
American colleges and universities currently hold the greatest share of top researchers and Nobel winners, according to Wildavsky’s Inside Higher Education interview. United States institutions also draw the most top international students, Widalvsky reported said. With regard to colleges’ online offerings specifically, America leads the world in reputation, accessibility and acceptance, a University Business article noted.
International students pursuing American college degrees online or simply taking classes through colleges online have it easy in that they don’t have to travel miles from home. Nor do they have to concern themselves with passports, visas, I-20 forms or I-94 cards. Tuition for colleges online in America in many instances costs the same for domestic and international students. And enrolling in online college offerings and pursuing degrees online means not having to worry about issues such as post-9/11 precautions or the H1N1 virus. A consulting firm known as Hobsons does recommend that international students enrolling in classes offered by American universities and colleges online seek out accredited institutions, interactive programs and flexible course formats that allow time for other responsibilities.
At least one American university since 2001 has actually required that undergraduates take college classes online, in part, so that students can obtain global perspectives from worldwide scholar and practitioner partners, according to the Sloan Consortium. The school’s Global Virtual Faculty Program as of spring 2004 included 46 scholars and practitioners from 23 countries who worked with some 900 students, the Sloan Consortium reported.
Those who obtain their online degrees join fellow students from everywhere in the world, learning global communication in a climate that encourages exploration. No matter where you are or what your schedule is, your distance learning PhD is one sure way to match education and career goals for everyone. If this method of education is of interest to you and more information about your distance learning masters, check on the internet.