| Within many types of
businesses, on school campuses and in
government offices throughout the world,
the demand for cultural skilled
individuals is strong and growing. Many
potential employers of university and
college graduates, in addition to job
specific skills, are now looking for
degree holders who are prepared to deal
with the challenges of an increasing
multicultural workplaces. For companies
that are involved in international trade,
hiring employees who can represent the
company well regardless of the cultural
environment is a necessity for ensuring
continued goodwill between themselves and
their business partners. It is not uncommon for many
US and Canadian university and college
students to spend time abroad while
completing their education, whether for
pleasure or as a part of a study abroad
experience. In fact, in the year 2007,
over 224 thousand students from North
America studied abroad.¹ However, these
travels are often within the context of a
semester exchange or summer internship
program and only amount to a small
portion of the time a post-secondary
student spends completing their degree.
The Road
Less Travelled Top
With the high cost
of university and college study only
growing and as issues surrounding
globablization continue to come to the
forefront, a small minority of US and
Canada based students taking on the
challenge of high education are opting
for an alternative to the more common
practice of completing a degree within
North America. Many of these students
have enrolled in universities in the UK,
Australia and New Zealand --countries
where the quality of education is
desireable and the language of
instruction is English.
Other students, in
an effort to recieve a respected degree
for a lower sticker price, have taken
advantage of a host of
"American" style universities
throughout the world, which offer the
benefits of a US based educational
program with a more budget pleasing cost
ratio. Popular examples of these schools
include the American University in Dubai, the Central European University and the American College of
Thessaloniki,
all of which offer English taught
classes, a high proportion of faculty
from the United States and an overtly
international environment.
Some well
established overseas universities which
have not traditional offered English
languages courses are beginning to
establish special departments designed at
attracting international students and
allow students to complete a complete
degree without establishing competency in
a second language. This strategy has been
particularly successful in countries like
Germany and Thailand, where the programs
attract both local students interested in
improving the comfortability with the
English language and foreign students who
desire the experience that comes with
study in a more international
environment.
The Asia
Strategy Top
Over the last
decade and a half, both China and India
as well have made particular progress
economically and China in particular has
assumed increased political and social
presence globally, with the successful
launch of a space program and their
successful bid to host the 2008 summer
Olympics in Beijing.
In today's world,
people involved with and working within
the majority of business, political and
educational pursuits can expect to
benefit from a knowledge of Asian
culture, tradition and history. As
Eastern nations continue to experience
population rise and a growing global
influence, we in the Western must realize
that we are increasingly becoming the
minority on the face of the earth and be
prepared to cater to the needs of
emerging developing world, a large
portion of which exists on the Asian
continent.
The purpose behind
StudyASIA.org is provide students who are
interested in preparing themselves for
the challenges and opportunities that
come with the increasing emergence of
Asian nations. Our website outlines
strategies and tips for completing an
entire degree in Asia within an
environment that allows for significant
personal growth and the development of
strong intercultural skills.
How This
Website Can Help
All of the programs
listed in our directory are open to English
speaking foreign nationals who do not
have fluency in the language in the
target country. Some of these programs
offer all classes in English, while
others all students to gradually learn
the local language while taking English
classes and eventually (usually by their
third of forth year) enter courses taught
in the second language that they have
acquired during the first few years of
their studies.
As well, this site
offers an advice and help section with information
and tips to make entering an institution
in a foreign country a more plausible
option. For site users interested in
acquiring language study resources with
which to prepare in advance for overseas
travel or learn more about international
education with the help of books and
other materials, the StudyASIA.org Store
offers a variety of products that may be
of interest to those considering
completing a degree abroad.
¹ http://opendoors.iienetwork.org/?p=113249
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