What is the relative advantage of an Australian tertiary degree to returnee and migrant Korean students, compared to U.S. and Korean tertiary degrees?

摘要

The global increase of students choosing to undertake study outside their home country and culture has brought with it questions as to relative benefits of being an international student. In this research the personal and career outcomes of cohorts of graduates from three, top-tier universities were compared to determine what effect, if any, was seen when a student chose one study destination over another.udududAs a test of wider trends, cohorts of Korean engineering graduates were identified, contacted and surveyed to gain empirical data on a range of graduate outcomes. These cohorts graduated from an undergraduate engineering program at either a Korean, U.S. or Australian university (one in each country), which had been selected to match as closely as possible for a variety of factors including: structure, size and prestige. A ‘mixed methods’ approach was taken to gather information on the graduates in terms of: income, age, gender and employment as well as personal and professional satisfaction. Seven respondents were selectively sampled for follow-up interviews to gain a deeper understanding of the effect of their choice of study destination.udududThe research found little difference in the graduate outcomes of the cohorts who studied in the U.S. and Australia. This is contrasted with the remarkable difference, particularly in the fields of satisfaction, of the cohort that had remained in Korea for their studies. These differences seemed to have only a weak link to income or access to employment, but did seem to have a strong link to perceived social status and often stated regrets at not having taken opportunities to have undertaken at least some studies outside their home country and culture.udududThis study focused on students from one source country, the Republic of Korea, graduating from only one award, undergraduate engineering, from only one university each in Australia, the U.S. and Korea, but it is hoped to be of use in identifying wider trends in graduate outcomes of international students. Not only is it hoped that this study will add to the body of literature in this field, but that it may also be of use to university administrators as well as international students and their families when making the decision as to where they will undertake their studies.