Environmental Sustainability BSc (Hons) at University of Derby

If the natural world interests you, along with its beauty and how it works perfectly well on its own, how living organisms thrive in harmony, sustain themselves and us, and what relationships we humans have with them, protecting ourselves, protecting millions of species of life and our Planet Earth, then you should consider choosing a course of study and a career in environmental science and sustainability.

One such course is offered by the University of Derby in the UK. Called the Environmental Sustainability BSc (Hons), this is a 3-year full-time undergrad programme and will give you the foundation you need to learn and understand our life on Earth and how you as an individual, or collectively and collaboratively, can help sustain it and nurture it.

In the video, Dr Deb Raha will give you a glimpse of how wide the subject of environmental sustainability is, branching off into many interrelated sciences, and what it means to study Environmental Sustainability BSc (Hons) at University of Derby to explore your world on our planet.

Data Science with Artificial Intelligence MSc degree at University of Exeter

According to International Data Corporation (IDC) – a leading provider of technology intelligence, industry analysis and market data – the demand for full-time employment for people with knowledge and skills in Data Science and Data Management will continue to grow rapidly over the next 10 years… and beyond.

This will create excellent opportunities for students who plan to ride on this trend and build careers with Data Science as their chosen field of study… and add on specialisations such as Artificial Intelligence or Machine Learning. To this end, the postgrad Data Science with Artificial Intelligence MSc degree at University of Exeter is a good choice.

The University of Exeter website says, this course is designed for those interested in learning the theoretical and practical skills within Data Science whilst developing advanced skills in Artificial Intelligence. Students will explore the fundamental mathematical and computational techniques which underpin Data Science applications, building on your existing scientific and/or mathematical knowledge. And, learn about specific applications including network analysis, text analysis and machine vision as well as governance and ethical aspects of data use.

Students are required to have at least a 2:1 degree in a strongly numerate subject (e.g. computer science, mathematics, physics) and must be able to show evidence of good programming ability in a recognised modern computer language. They may be interviewed by video conference to assess their programming ability and suitability for the course.

This video will give you a short introduction to the field of study – and there’s more to read on the University of Exeter website. Of course, you are always welcome to talk to us.

Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence in Aston University

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the talk of the town! Actually, it’s a lot more than that. It’s here and now – and it’s our future. So, as a science student, it makes good sense to consider AI as your subject of study at university and as a career thereafter. This exciting study requires a strong foundation in Computer Science at the undergraduate level. Such as the BSc Computer Science with Business course taught at Aston University.

As Aston University student Minita Unadkat says in the video, “I’m learning everything, not just Computer Science aspects, but a lot of Business aspects, Finance aspects…” A perfect foundation!

Aston University’s website says: The BSc (Hons) Computer Science with Business aims to produce graduate software developers who specialise in managing software development for business. We focus on the design, construction and application of computing systems to meet the requirements of business organisations. This is essential if you wish to pursue an AI course at the master’s level and build a career in AI.

Artificial Intelligence is at the cutting edge of technology and its potential applications are almost limitless. In fact, Aston University’s Artificial Intelligence MSc course will set you in the right direction.

Here’s what you’ll require: We expect applications from graduates of BSc with honours in Computer Science or related disciplines with a qualification equivalent to UK 2:2 or higher. Evidence of knowledge of Mathematics and Programming foundations should also be provided when the degree is not in Computer Science (i.e. transcript of degree programme or work experience). When a transcript is provided, the Mathematics and Programming grades should be equivalent to UK 60% or higher.

If you’re undecided about studying AI at the moment and wish to take up a career placement after graduation, then Minita’s words and experience will help you.

QMUL’s MSc Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (Conversion Programme)

Why QMUL’s MSc Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (Conversion Programme) is important to non-STEM graduates.

Many non-STEM graduates feel the need to change their careers to make themselves more job-ready and present themselves as better candidates to prospective employers.

As computers and technology have become vital components of almost all job and industry functions, it makes sense for graduates to invest in technology-related post-grad qualifications to upgrade their knowledge and skills, increase their opportunities in the job market, and embark on future-ready careers.

Earlier this was not easy to accomplish. But today, UK universities are offering post-grad conversion courses to non-STEM graduates in order to build them for the future and improve their immediate chances for employment in technology-related fields. The QMUL MSc Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (Conversion Programme) is one such course to set you on the right technology path. Check it out on the link provided here.

UN’s 6th International Day of Women and Girls in Science

Today, 11 February is UN’s 6th International Day of Women and Girls in Science. The 2021 Theme is ‘Women Scientists at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19’. Over the past 15 years, the global community has made a lot of effort in inspiring and engaging women and girls in science. Yet women and girls continue to be excluded from participating fully in science.

However, there is a positive turn of events in higher education globally as universities are welcoming more and more female students – many of them in STEM courses, building them for careers in science, engineering, technology, mathematics, medicine, research, etc.

The industry is also working to change perspectives. For instance, job advertisements are being redesigned to mitigate gender bias in order to welcome women into STEM job roles.

EngineeringUK chief executive Dr Hilary Leevers writes in The Engineer blog that “Despite four in five (80%) women admitting they wouldn’t consider working in engineering, more than half (56%) were interested in the engineering job role once it had been reimagined.”

Australia’s international student dilemma

Things are looking good for Australia’s higher education export sector. In the past two years, every year, close to 300,000 international students have enrolled into Australian universities and vocational education and training programmes. This puts Australia as one of the top four countries in international higher education – behind USA and the UK, but ahead of Canada.

The reason that attracts international students to these countries is primarily the superior quality of education offered by their universities. But, apart from the fact that these are all English-speaking countries (a factor that cannot be overlooked), another major reason is the attraction of being able to stay back in the destination country after graduation to find employment, permanent residence and citizenship.

This second reason of employment, permanent residence and citizenship may offer fantastic opportunities to international students – most of whom come from higher-middle-income Asian and African families – but this regular influx of large numbers of international students can cause a dilemma for the governments of these destination countries. Australia, which receives hundreds of thousands of international students year after year, has been expressing aspects of this dilemma in the media recently.

Image courtesy http://www.studybrisbane.com.au

In a post earlier this month, we had talked about one such concern over housing and quoted from an article in The Age by Michael Pascoe. In that article, Mr Pascoe writes in separate instances,

“The reworked visa system is supposed to be tighter but still attractive to foreign students in what is a highly competitive international market for their custom.”

“The private education sector as well as public universities are actively hunting the fees.”

“Such strong growth also means further urgent need for investment in student housing. The RBA [Reserve Bank of Australia] submission observes that, as well as overall population growth, its composition influences housing demand.”

“So a rise in foreign student numbers should mean a rise in demand for rental accommodation in what already are housing hotspots.”

In another more recent online article, titled Is Australia hooked on international students? in Macrobusiness.com.au, Dr Jenny Stewart, Honorary Professor of Public Policy in the University of New South Wales at the Australian Defence Force Academy, provides a detailed analysis of what this continuing growth in international students to Australia may mean to her country.

Here are selected excerpts from her article:

“The numbers are substantial. In 2013-2014, of just over 290,000 student visas that were granted, 153,000 were for study in higher education institutions. (Most of the rest were for vocational courses, which in turn offer a pathway towards onshore application for a higher education visa).”

“What do these undergraduate students do once they have completed their qualification? Many, understandably, wish to remain in Australia. Every year since 2006-2007 (the earliest year for which data at the relevant level of detail is readily available), the numbers of long-term arrivals in the higher education visa category have exceeded the numbers leaving by roughly 80,000 people per year.”

“Over the years, international students have brought a good deal of money to Australia and, each year, they continue to do so. Indeed the universities have become dependent upon them financially. The student-migrants are hard-working, and most get jobs.”

“But there are negative implications, too. Firstly, the need to attract, year in and year out, students in these kinds of numbers, has an impact on the prestige-value of Australian qualifications in the international market-place. This is because prestige is affected by the standards (including the English-language standards) that students must meet in order to graduate.”

“From a university perspective, it is enrolments that matter, so there is continuous pressure not to be too demanding when it comes to language skills, and if at all possible, to pass students as they undertake their degree-courses. (Similar factors operate in relation to domestic students).”

“If potential residency is part of the package, prestige may not matter so much to many students. But over time, we would expect it would become harder and harder to attract the best students from specific countries, as their own educational institutions mature, and ambitious families have more options to pursue.”

Dr Stewart gives us several critical pointers to how the higher education export sector may shape up for Australia in the years to come. We agree that the Australian government needs to address these concerns soon and adopt a long-term strategy towards Australia’s higher education exports, visa and immigration policies, housing, and the labour market.

You can read Dr Jenny Stewart’s entire article here.

[Citation: Foreign students set to power housing, Michael Pascoe, The Age, 4 August 2015; Is Australia hooked on international students?, Dr Jenny Stewart, Macrobusiness.com.au, 19 August 2015.]

The integration challenge

This blog is about international higher education, with a skew towards Indian students seeking a foreign education. Recently, we’ve been blogging about the internationalisation of higher education, giving perspectives of students, the universities they attend and the countries they study in. As more and more universities in the developed nations welcome international students, the need to address the internationalisation of students becomes critical in the overall student experience and the reputation of the universities they study in.

It goes without saying that international students studying in countries such as USA, the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and European countries face difficulties not only academically, but also in socially adjusting to their new environment. When they go to study overseas, international students find greater difficulty in fitting into the social circles and the local communities than in managing their academic curricula. The internationalisation of higher education covers this entire universe of student experience.

With costs of higher education going up in USA and the UK – which are favourite study destinations for international students from Asia, Africa and Latin America – along with strict enforcement of student visas and immigration policies, many students now prefer to choose Australia, Canada and New Zealand as their study destinations. Although this is excellent news for these countries in terms of income from higher education exports and the building up of a skilled workforce, the challenge for international students and the challenge for universities in these countries with a growing international student population still remain.

This internationalisation of students problem is broadly termed as ‘the integration challenge’. The Canadian Bureau of International Education (CBIE), for instance, released a paper recently on this very topic of the internationalisation of higher education. The paper, titled The Integration Challenge: Connecting International Students with their Canadian peers, by Janine Knight-Grofe and Lisa Deacon attempts to document the challenges of and solutions to the internationalisation of higher education in Canada and globally. The following are excerpts from this paper selected by us for your quick reading:

Image courtesy http://www.cbie-bcei.ca/

“The number of foreign students in Canada continues to grow rapidly. In 2013, there were 293,500 international students in Canada, up 50% in the last five years.”

“Yet emerging research indicates that one of the strategic advantages of an internationalized campus — the formation of social bonds between international students and their Canadian counterparts — has been unsuccessful. In CBIE’s 2014 survey of more than 3,000 post-secondary international students at 25 universities and colleges across Canada, 56% of respondents reported having no Canadian students as friends. Even those international students who plan to stay on in Canada after studying are no more likely to have Canadian friends — only 46% of them do. In addition, 36.6% indicated that it is difficult to get to know Canadian students.”

“A recent US study (Gareis, 2012) found that almost 40% of international students in the US indicate that they have no close American friends and would like to have more meaningful interaction with Americans. Students highlighted internal as well as external factors for their lack of social bonds. Internal factors included “shyness” and lack of strong language proficiency. External factors included what is seen as a lack of interest in other cultures on the part of US students.”

“In Australia, the issue of international student integration has been studied for many years. In a 1973 study on loneliness, two-thirds of international students reported feeling loneliness and/or isolation during their studies (from Weiss, R., 1973, in Nuffic, 2007). In a 2011 study, many students indicated that they have only superficial interactions with Australian students (Gresham and Clayton, 2011). Australia Education International’s (AEI) 2006 International Student Survey found that 87% of international students at the school level, 80% of international students at the post-secondary level and 91% of international students studying preparatory English language courses would like to have more Australian friends (AEI, 2012). AEI attributes this to Australian students having an existing circle of friends and not seeing a particular benefit to social bonds with international students.”

“In the UK, a 2004 survey jointly conducted by the British Council, Universities UK, UKCOSA and the Council for International Education found that two-thirds of international students have few or no British friends. The survey results show that most international students befriend students from their home country or other international students. In fact, nearly 60% of international students said that their friends were other international students only, including students from their home country; 32% said they have a mix of UK and international friends; and only 7% of international students said that the majority of their friends were British.”

“While this disquieting global trend of lack of international student integration is increasingly recognized across Canada’s campuses, the barriers to the formation of social bonds between international students and their Canadian counterparts, as well as best practices to address such challenges, remain only partly identified. Though Canadian institutions invest significant resources in orientation and integration programs, and many use researched best practice models, there remain both internal (student) and external (institutional, structural) factors which influence the formation of friendships between international and Canadian students.”

You can read the entire paper The Integration Challenge: Connecting International Students with their Canadian peers by Janine Knight-Grofe and Lisa Deacon here.

[Citation: The Integration Challenge: Connecting International Students with their Canadian peers, Janine Knight-Grofe and Lisa Deacon, Canadian Bureau of International Education (CBIE), 2015.]

International higher education is driving Australia’s growth

Globally, the higher education industry is in a flux. More so in developed nations like USA and the UK where rising costs of higher education is attracting fewer and fewer students to universities within their own borders.

Hence, these US and UK universities have had no choice but to woo more and more international students, typically, from Asian countries like China and India. Even then, they face strong competition from other English-speaking countries like Australia, Canada and New Zealand which see tremendous opportunities in building their own higher education sectors.

Australia, for instance, has been a higher education destination for Asian students for many years. It witnessed a drastic fall in international student enrollments after 2009 when immigration laws and student visa policies were tightened; but has put new strategies in place recently to ease and expedite student visa applications and offer limited work permits to international students after graduation.

Image courtesy http://www.australia.edu

The Australian government sees higher education as a promising and profitable export service, and is encouraging individual as well as state-wise universities to formulate their own higher education strategies. The international student community – particularly from Asian countries – is responding well to Australia’s invitation, and enrollments to Australian universities have shown an increase in the past two years.

These Australian universities, which had earlier relied entirely on local (i.e. Asian) foreign education agents with university representatives visiting Asian countries now and then as a support service, are now investing in student recruitment and marketing offices and officers of their own, locally, in countries like China and India. This had been a practice for a few Australian universities for the past six years or so, but many more Australian universities are making this investment now.

In an online article, titled Foreign students set to power housing, in The Age dated 4 August 2015, Michael Pascoe writes, “…foreign student numbers are rising sharply and predicted to regain and surpass the record 2009 level of some 120,000 in two years and then keep going.” He continues with “The foreign-students boom is a fine thing for the Australian education industry and the overall economy. It should drive substantial investment in education – some of the urgently required and missing-in-action non-mining investment.”

In fact, Mr Pascoe sums up this happy boom in Australian higher education sentiment very aptly in his article’s first paragraph: “Education is one of the stars of Australia’s rising export services sector and one that has an often overlooked multiplier on the tourism side.” Mr Pascoe feels this boom may also affect the housing sector in Australia. He writes, “It also looks like being the source of the next wave of housing price pressure, especially in Sydney and Melbourne hotspots.”

Mr Pascoe sums up this sentiment as well with “Such strong growth also means further urgent need for investment in student housing.”

[Citation: Foreign students set to power housing, Michael Pascoe, The Age, 4 August 2015.]

International student recruitment depends on student visas

No matter how strong the student’s academic grades are, or how easily he or she has qualified in the admissions procedure to a university or college overseas, it is impossible to study in a foreign university without a student visa. It’s true that it can be heartbreaking for a student to be refused a student visa to study overseas at a university of his or her choice; but it is equally important for universities to ensure that their country’s visa procedures for international students do not restrict the best students from being refused entry into the country and the university.

Moreover, as international students are keen to find employment in the country of study after obtaining their degrees, as well as find part-time jobs during their study to reduce the burden of their tuition fees and living expenses, student visas are closely linked to in-country employment opportunities available to them. Universities, therefore, lobby with their governments to ease both student visa as well as employment visa procedures for international students. This is a complex decision for governments and not all countries are open to offering employment to international students.

Image credit ung.edu

Still, higher education is an export services industry for countries like USA, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, among others, where international students flock to study. They earn substantial amounts from international student fees, and add much more to their GDP through tourism when the families of these students visit them. However, a growing number of international students also means the responsibility of providing employment for most (if not all) of them, both during study and after, which could put pressure on the local job and labour markets and influence the country’s immigration policies.

USA, the country that attracts the largest number of international students, is still conservative in issuing work permits during study and employment visas to international students. It has managed to keep its lead in the global international higher education market simply due to its reputation of offering quality education. The UK, which is also revered for quality education among international students, has taken a very tough stance against offering employment opportunities to international students (particularly from non-European Union countries) after a recent crackdown on fraudulent practices in student enrolments and visa applications.

Australia has benefited most from restrictions on international students in USA and the UK. It has begun actively marketing itself as a study destination for international students and has simplified the entire student visa application process. It has also become more empathetic towards international students in offering employment opportunities. Apparently, the higher education export services sector is one of the most-promising industries in the Australian economy and the Australian government plans to invest further in it to bring the industry back on its heydays of 2009.

Canada, too, has benefited substantially by welcoming many international students who are turning away from USA and the UK. A recent change in its immigration and employment policies allow international students to work 20 hours a week without a work permit while studying. Like Australia, Canada has also simplified its student visa system and relaxed its policies to welcome many more international students into the workforce after graduation. And like Australia, Canada has stepped up its higher education marketing to attract international students. Both countries have aggressive international student recruitment strategies.

The market for international higher education is substantial

According to an OECD report from last year (but containing data upto 2012), “Asia is the source for more than half of today’s internationally mobile students (53%), with China, India, and South Korea the main source countries.” Even though the source countries for international higher education student mobilisation may remain the same in 2015, the distribution of higher education students to destination countries in numbers and percentages based on university and college admissions have changed.

In other words, student demand for international higher education is changing. Recent reports from the US and the UK suggest a serious decline in university admissions from international students – a trend visible from 2013. Australia, which had suffered a similar decline a couple of years ago, seems to have recovered by making conscious changes to their university admissions, visa and employment policies. The Australian government seems to have given its full support.

Image courtesy http://monitor.icef.com/

Although the US still remains the biggest attraction for students from China, India and other developing economies, followed by the UK (still an Indian favourite), countries such as Australia, Canada and New Zealand are showing increased eagerness to win over international students for their universities and colleges. Somewhat behind are countries like France, Germany, Sweden, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Singapore, Japan, and a few others. The federal governments of these countries are taking an active interest. Higher education is becoming an export sector for them. Hence, all these countries are stepping up their student recruitment efforts and channels.

They are building stronger relationships with developing economies and formulating their own national higher education strategies for international students. They are encouraging their universities and colleges to (a) develop courses and programmes which are more globally relevant, (b) set up student support services to ease student-university interactions, (c) reach out and market themselves to international students in their own countries and institutions, (d) recruit students through education and counselling agencies, (e) offer attractive scholarships, and (f) create multicultural student and social communities to welcome and engage international students.

And why not? The market for international higher education is quite substantial. In an article in Forbes magazine last month, titled How The U.S. Can Capture The $170B Opportunity In International Higher Education, Allison Williams (an Analyst at University Ventures), quoting Ryan Craig, author of College Disrupted: The Great Unbundling of Higher Education, writes:

Consider the following: Education is Australia’s largest services “export” sector, contributing $13.5 billion to the Australian economy, or roughly 1 percent of GDP… If the United States was able to generate 1 percent of GDP from the export of online programs, that’s $170 billion or about 7 times the current U.S. higher education “export market” (i.e., international students studying stateside). It would represent a 30 percent increase in the overall higher education market.

In theory, in a purely online world, the potential could be much larger than Australia’s 1 percent. American universities could compete with every Asian university for every Asian student—not simply for those willing to travel abroad. In practice, as average tuition per online student would be much lower than what Chinese students are paying today in Australia, 1 percent is a reasonable target and would make higher education America’s largest export, ahead of agriculture and entertainment.

[Citation: OECD releases detailed study of global education trends for 2014, OECD, 17 September 2014; How The U.S. Can Capture The $170B Opportunity In International Higher Education, Allison Williams, Forbes Magazine, July 21, 2015.]