Many students dream about going overseas to study. There is little doubt that the world is interconnected and having an international perspective (and perhaps grasp of another language) will make you more competitive in the job market. The number of international students has been on a steady increase year after year. According to the Open Doors Report, popular majors for international students have been the following:
- 21.1% Business/Management
- 18.4% Engineering
- 8.9% Physical/Life Sciences
- 8.8% Math and Computer Science
- 8.7% Social Sciences
As you can see, the majority of international students – 1 in 5 to be exact – study business and management. The popular majors for international students within this field include finance, accounting, marketing, economics, human resources, and management. Following business, the second most commonly studied field is engineering. Many international students recognize that studying in the United States can be expensive, so studying a field where the benefit will outweigh the cost upon graduation is a huge consideration for incoming students.
According to these statistics, the popular majors for international students are greatly influenced by the largest sending countries: India and China. Many of these students who return home after studying such technical skills find that they have a competitive edge. Students are able to find and secure meaningful jobs after having exposure to some of the most novel and up-to-date information, technology and training.
While a US degree can be invaluable to students, language fluency is automatically acquired through studies in the United States. In many cases, English fluency – in both engineering and business – is an important requirement to advance to higher positions within these fields. Scientific journals as well as international business is primarily done in English. Having not only a US degree combined with English fluency creates a recipe for long-term career success.
