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As our world becomes ever more globalized, many universities are realizing the importance of internationalized education, global perspective and connectivity. A significant number of universities are currently putting a great amount of emphasis on improving and expanding their internationalized education opportunities for students. This includes opening branch campuses in different countries, increasing the number of study abroad programs, collaborating with other universities and including more globalized perspectives into their course curricula.  So what does this mean for students? These universities give students the opportunity to gain a more global perspective as well as real life international experience and exposure.

Here is a sneak peak into some great universities for international experience.

Carnegie Mellon University

Carnegie Mellon University is ranked within the top 20 universities almost every year. Not only is Carnegie Mellon a well known and highly acclaimed US University, but it has also been avid in expanding its campus base. Furthermore, a global research university, it is constantly pushing for innovative global research solutions boosting their global connectivity. They now have campuses in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania; Silicon Valley, California; and Doha, Qatar in the Arabian Gulf.  Most significantly, Carnegie Mellon was awarded the 2010 the Simon Award for Internationalized Education and Campus Internationalization. This award is given to institutes with overall excellence in internationalization with regard to their policies, practices, philosophies and teachings.

Arcadia University

Arcadia University prides itself on providing students with an extensive global perspective. Arcadia’s College of Global Studies, formerly known as The Center for Education Abroad, stands as one of the largest and most respected campus abroad study programs in the States. Furthermore, Arcadia was the winner of the ‘Simon Award in 2006. In terms of curriculum, Arcadia integrates developing global perspectives in all of their majors in an attempt to engage students with the world they live in. The Arcadia promise “affirms that students will have a distinctively global, integrative and personal learning experience that prepares them to contribute to and prosper in a diverse and dynamic world.”

Goucher College

Goucher College in Baltimore, Maryland firmly believes in the importance of the global community of the 21st century and the need for students to develop global perspectives and cultural understanding. Goucher College made a landmark contribution to internationalized education by becoming the first college in the US to require all undergraduates to study abroad at least once before graduation. With their emphasis on global perspective, the college has a strong commitment to developing diversity within the college community to increase multiculturalism.  Goucher College wants students to graduate with a strong sense of direction and self-confidence, readiness to fully engage and interact with the world, and identities as true global citizens.

Boston University

In 2009, Boston University was recognized for its contribution to internationalized education with the ‘Simon Award’. It has a very diverse student population with students from every state in the USA as well as over 100 countries. That’s not all! Boston University has extensive opportunities for students to study aboard. In fact, one of Boston University’s greatest selling points is that students can choose from 70 semester-long programs in six different continents - which adds up to programs in more than 22 countries.

Northeastern University

Northeastern University is a top rated private research university in Boston that boasts a Center for Global Engagement that involves students with global communities and global issues. In 2010 and 2011 Northeastern University was ranked 2nd by the US News and World Report for the best opportunities in student research, service learning and finally, global experience. Recently, the university has been pushing to make itself more international-experience driven through programs such as social entrepreneurship in the Dominican Republic, South Africa and Belize.  Furthermore, they have expanded their study abroad programs to include placements all over the world: in Japan, Greece, Chile, Scotland, South Africa and even Antarctica. One aspect of Northeastern that sets it apart from other universities is its Dialogues of Civilizations program. These are mini study abroad programs that last only one month, in which students are lead by a professor to an international location to study a specific subject. They differ from more traditional programs as they focus on building an intercultural communication experience, or an exchange of ideas and cultures.

Evaluating this select group of highly internationalized universities in the US can tell us that internationalization is the way forward for higher education. More significantly, students are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of global perspective and international experience to set them up for the working world ahead and looking for programs to match those needs!