Online Degree Programs

Colleges without walls are also colleges without national borders. Professors are beamed in through teleconferencing. Students pursuing degrees online and otherwise are able to establish worldwide networks. As rising numbers of international students enroll in colleges and universities throughout the United States and elsewhere, the buzzword in higher education is “global”. Those obtaining a distance learning degree really do come from everywhere.

Colleges and universities throughout the United States in 2008-2009 reported a record high of nearly 672,000 international student enrollments, according to an annual Open Doors survey from the Washington, D.C.-based Institute of International Education. The majority of these students came from India, China and South Korea, and most were studying business and management and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) subjects, the Institute reported. If you need more information about pell grants for college, look on the internet.

Results from a preliminary 2009-2010 international enrollment survey are mixed, the Institute reported. But, as a Chronicle of Higher Education article tells it, some 3 million study abroad students throughout the world in 2009 are expected to grow to 8 million by 2025. Ben Wildavsky penned the book, “The Great Brain Race: How Global Universities are Reshaping the World”. He sees a worldwide higher education market as a “free trade in minds” and “a chance for greater intellectual exchange, collaboration, and innovation,” according to an Inside Higher Education report.

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.

In this high-tech age, students worldwide want responses to inquiries and applications in as little as a day. And Going Global speakers cautioned against viewing international students in this competitive education environment as “cash cows” and, instead, suggested giving them something for their money, according to reports. There is an abundance of information about online graduate school on the web.

Already, American colleges and universities maintain the largest share of top researchers and Nobel winners, Wildavsky told Inside Higher Education. The United States currently also draws a majority of top international students, he reportedly noted. With regard to colleges’ online offerings specifically, America is the worldwide leader in reputation, accessibility and acceptance, according to a University Business report.

In pursuing American college degrees online or simply taking classes through colleges online, international students don’t have to travel far or worry about passports, visas, I-20 forms or I-94 cards. In many instances, online college tuition in America reportedly costs the same for foreign students as it does domestic students. And where traditional American campuses in the past have attributed international enrollment declines to post-9/11 precautions and student concerns about the H1N1 virus, these issues don’t exist for those considering colleges online. International students seeking to enroll in classes offered by American colleges online or to pursue American college degrees online should, however, look for accredited institutions, interactive programs and courses with flexible formats that allow for tending to family and work responsibilities, Hobsons education consultants have advised.

At least one American university as early as 2001 reportedly made it a requirement for undergraduates to take college classes online. The goal, in part is to provide students with global perspectives from worldwide scholars and practitioners with whom the institution partners, the Sloan Consortium reported. As of spring 2004, the school’s Global Virtual Faculty Program involved nearly 50 scholars and practitioners from 23 countries who were working with about 900 students, according to the Consortium.

Those who obtain a college distance learning degree join fellow students from everywhere in the world. No matter where you are or what your schedule is, a college degree online is one sure way to match education and career goals for everyone.