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Asia and Australasia: Emerging destinations for international graduate students
For the last ten years, international graduate students have been attracted to Australia and New Zealand, benefiting from their high quality universities and colleges and exciting and modern cultures. In more recent years, however, the countries that go to make up the Pacific Rim have also begun to attract students from different regions, drawn by the reputations of their universities, the value for money offered by their graduate programs and the excitement of the local cultures of these new international student destinations.
Students from all over the world now routinely consider graduate school in countries as diverse as Singapore, South Korea, Hong Kong and Malaysia.
Increasingly regarded as important hubs of regional and international knowledge, these countries have world-renowned local universities offering centres of excellence in academic fields seen as amongst the most important in the modern age. The development of superconductor technology, nanotechnology, genome study and a greater understanding of biodiversity are all research strengths of universities located in the region as a whole.
A natural attraction
The nature and character of the region for international graduate students is one of its most attractive qualities.
Long regarded as natural paradises by visitors, Australia and New Zealand continue to attract those students interested in an
outdoor lifestyle featuring a relaxed and informal nature. Culturally, Asia is similarly diverse, offering international students a fascinating and often surprising study and life experience. For those looking for a big city
university experience, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Sydney, Shanghai and Bangkok
all boast well regarded graduate schools in locations often regarded as dynamic hubs of regional tourism.
University life
Asian and Australasian institutions also offer international graduate students a
university experience that is different from other regions in the number of
international providers of education active in the region.
Australia, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore all offer international campuses and international qualifications delivered locally but designed by other international universities and education providers.
Singapore has now been regarded as a centre for this kind of international graduate education for more than ten years, with more than 70,000 non-Singaporean students registered at universities in the country, many of which offer graduate degrees accredited by internationally based institutions.
The region as a whole is considered more seriously than ever before by many of the
best international graduate students because of a unique combination of good quality
academic programs, interesting local cultures and excellent value for money.
Programs taught to international standards in Malaysia, for example, are often a fraction of the price of similar degrees available in Europe and North America.
Coupled with this, the rapid economic growth of the region over the last two decades
or so has created a high demand for skilled migrants to enable many of these countries
to compete on the world’s stage. Favourable conditions exist for international students
graduating from local universities intending to settle and contribute to the local economy.
For many years, Singapore has targeted such graduate students and encouraged them to work after graduation through innovative scholarship and loan schemes for the best candidates.
If you are looking for a less traditional destination for your Masters or research degree, consider one of the universities located in Asia and Australasia. With well-established systems of university education, tightly governed quality control and a wonderfully diverse cultural experience you are sure to find a program and a university that is ideal for your own unique ambitions.
