Although the fields of business and engineering dominate the subject areas graduate students are currently pursuing, an increasing number are looking to more specialized fields for their advanced degrees.
Masters degrees and PhD programs in the Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities all offer interesting study opportunities for prospective international students and the study of education and its related subjects is one such specialism.
Commonly perceived as the rather practically orientated study of teacher training, the area of graduate education is far more complex than just said discipline. With increasing pressures on all educational institutions to manage resources, reform and implement new teaching methods and support all learners, graduate academic programs seek to develop expertise across the entire range of contemporary education issues. Fields such as counselling, educational psychology, early childhood education, knowledge management, language education, school leadership and science education are all areas of specialization available to the graduate student.
Don Martin, Associate Dean for Enrolment & Student Services at Teachers College, Columbia University, one of the US’s most famous names in the field of education sees the interest in studying education, particularly from overseas students, steadily rising. “We are certainly seeing the results from our performance in international rankings, a stronger marketing campaign and the use of a video for prospective international students. Our applications are up.” With UNESCO reporting 11% of all students in the US and Australia graduating in education, the size of the market is certainly expanding.
The UK also offers many international students the opportunity to develop their professional and academic careers through graduate programs. The Institute of Education has been at the forefront of research and teaching in the field of education for over one-hundred years. As the largest graduate school in all of the UK dedicated to education studies and located in the heart of London, the Institute, as it is known, is well regarded for the graduate programs it offers teachers, administrators and policy makers alike, as well as the research it contributes to the field.
Like other programs in the UK, the Institute’s student population is approximately 60% existing teachers and education professionals, with a further 20% being education administrators, such as government education officers and managers. In the UK, the numbers of students choosing to study for the postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE), the qualification many with bachelors degrees in a subject-specific field take to enable them to enter the teaching profession, are steadily rising. Between 2002 and 2005 interest rose from 24,240 to 26,525, with a similar increase in the number of students qualifying as teachers.
The field of education is so popular for institutions such as the University of Melbourne that they have adapted their programs so that a number of their subject areas can be delivered offshore in Singapore, Hong Kong and Thailand. Members of staff from Melbourne’s Faculty of Education teach selected graduate programs aimed at existing practitioners, by travelling to their partner college at fixed times every year. Three graduate programs are taught in Singapore - early childhood education and training and development in partnership with the Singapore Institute of Management, and a Masters degree in educational mangement, taught in close collaboration with the Academy of Principals and the National Institute of Education. All three programs offer flexible learning opportunities for professionals already in the field, seeking to develop their expertise but having to balance the conflicting pressures of work and family life with part-time study.
The field of education provides many existing practitioners and students new to the profession with the chance to expand and improve their professional knowledge in either a specific or more general area. The experience of institutions such as Teachers College and the Institute of Education provides potential students with a wealth of opportunities and the skills to develop truly fulfilling careers. If you are a student looking for a more specialized graduate program, take a closer look at the field of education.