ies platform. The institution, which serves 11,000 students, commenced its Joint International Master program for computer sciences in 2003. The school partners with the University of Wisconsin, Platteville and James Cook University in Townsville, Australia. At any given time a dozen or so students from these schools venture abroad to study for half-a-year at the partner school. At Hochschule Darmstadt, master’s level instruction is entirely in English and graduates receive a joint degree.

“The program provides students with a global perspective and helps them become more attractive on the international job market,” says Lucia Koch, director of the International Office for Hochschule Darmstadt. “It also raises the visibility of the school and makes it more attractive and respected.”

Koch believes that students who participate in the program gain knowledge and expertise that isn’t available in a conventional classroom. “They gain a perspective that can help them understand the field and their future profession better.”

Nearly 4,400 miles a way in Platteville, WI, Richard D. Shultz, dean of the College of Engineering, Mathematics and Sciences, is reaping benefits as well. A decade ago the school formed a partnership with Hochschule Darmstadt at the undergraduate level. It allowed students from both schools to participate in a conventional exchange program. The relationship evolved after Hochschule Darmstadt suggested expanding the exchange to include its master’s program. “It made sense to have a degree that helps students become a citizen of the world,” Shultz says. “ Students learn different perspectives and discover how people research and work in different parts of the world.”

Megan Brenn-White, executive director of the Hessen Universities Consortium, which represents Hochschule Darmstadt and 10 other schools in Germany, believes that an increasingly competitive recruiting environment and a shrinking globe will continue to boost international studies. “Schools are looking to become world-class institutions or boost their stature in the research arena. They’re also looking to attract international students for full degree programs because it’s often more profitable.”

Schools are
increasingly developing
joint curriculum and
collaborating on
courses, particularly
in computer science
and engineering.

Setting a course

Not surprisingly, the growth of international studies has opened up an entire world of opportunities. Chinese or Argentine students may travel to Germany to receive advanced instruction in mathematics; American or Russian students may venture to New Zealand to receive an education in volcanology. As increasing numbers of schools introduce joint programs—and many institutions turn to U.S. accreditation organizations to gain international acceptance and stature—the playing field is leveling out.

Schools in English-speaking countries, including England, Scotland, Ireland, and Australia, are increasingly the beneficiaries of the trend toward international education. Many of these schools offer outstanding programs at a lower price than students would pay back home.

For example, at the University of Limerick in Ireland, Liam O’Dochartaigh, director of international education, has witnessed an enormous transformation over the last decade. The University of Limerick now has 1,283 students attending from abroad, including about 400 students from the U.S. It also boasts 259 of its own students attending classrooms abroad. The number of international students has spiked more than 100% from a decade ago, he says, and approximately 10% of the student population (the school has approximately 12,500 students) now comes from outside Ireland.

“Universities realize that international study and accessibility is important for financial reasons as well as for international standing,” O’Dochartaigh

says. He points out that universities are increasingly internationalizing curriculum and schools in different countries even collaborate on course-work and content. The University of Limerick currently has partnerships with 24 schools in Europe and 15 schools in the U.S. and Canada. Tuition derived from international students supplements state funding sources, O’Dochartaigh notes. One foreign student can bring in more than € 12,000 per year.

Government organizations are promoting international education programs as well. In the U.S., the National Science Foundation (NSF) has matched more than 2,000 students with intensive eight-week science study grants under its East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes program since 1990. “There has long been a large interest in students coming to the U.S. to study and do research,” says Jong-on Hahm, program manager for the NSF. “But there’s a lot of very interesting research that goes on in other countries and American students now have access to it.”

The march toward international education will undoubtedly continue. Fueling the trend is the adoption of international standards and the ability to put credits to work at home. In Europe, for example, the Bologna Process—which links ministries, higher-education institutions, students, and staff from 46 countries—guarantees that students receive credits for time spent studying abroad. In addition, schools are increasingly developing joint curriculum and collaborating on courses and studies—particularly in the computer science, engineering, and natural sciences arena.

To be sure, this brave new world of education is creating new vistas. “The educational boundaries between countries are disappearing,” says Whalen of Dickinson College. “ Students and schools are recognizing that there is a world far beyond their local campus. They’re learning that studying aboard presents tremendous opportunities—and advantages.”

 

Samuel Greengard is an author and freelance writer based in West linn, or.

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