SMART SKILLS
Offbeat courses in foreign universities
Usha Albuquerque

EVERY year the number of students going abroad for study increases. With competition for seats in colleges within the country reaching unrealistic levels, there is a growing interest among students to explore study opportunities outside the country. Many countries are welcoming students from India, and what was once a dream for a select few.

What makes education abroad a fascinating experience is the variety of subjects and courses available. Have a yen for music, what about looking at audio engineering? If you’re computer obsessed, creating video games might be what the doctor orders! This menu of options makes study abroad fun and stimulating. Moreover, the flexibility of the systems allow for mid-course change of subjects, dual degrees or double majors. You can specialise in more than one area of interest, or even take up subjects like fencing along with physics if you should so choose. With such a smorgasbord of options, students can look beyond the familiar ambit of engineering, computer science and business management.

But choosing the right subject, the course and country of study is not that easy. Students looking to do engineering in the US can examine specialisations such as transportation and highway engineering, nuclear engineering, environmental engineering or telecom, all providing huge growth possibilities for the future. Students of information technology and computer science can look at artificial intelligence or robotics, while other interesting options for science students can be nanotechnology, molecular biology, wildlife sciences, ecology, or forestry and natural resources. Art, music and design offer a host of possibilities such as film animation, modern dance, audio engineering or new media design. In the US, the four-year undergraduate liberal arts programme gives students time to take up a variety of different courses for the first two years and only select a major in the third year. So if the heat of maths or physics is getting you down, try modern dance for one semester !

Courses in Canada are similar to those in the US, except that they are for three years duration. An honours course requires an additional year of study. Canada’s impressive strides in cutting-edge technologies, particularly in the area of environment and ecology, provide an ideal location for exciting courses such as environmental health, nutrition management, forestry and forensic sciences. Its vast open spaces provide scope for delightful options like adventure and eco-tourism, local tour guiding, golf club management and recreation facilities management. And after the success of ‘Lord of the Rings" animation and videographics has drawn many students to the institutes where Hobar and the hobbits were created on film. Many institutes also offer students the opportunity to apply skills learned in the classroom in the real world setting.

The Irish education system, too, incorporates work experience with academic learning. As the largest exporter of software in the world and among the top five producers of pharmaceuticals and fine chemicals, Ireland offers a range of exciting courses in IT and business studies. But not so well known are those which combine computing and IT with other options, such as computing with enterprise studies, IT for business, computer linguistics, commercial software development. Also offering growth avenues for the future are courses such as biopharmaceuticals and healthcare, toxiology, optoelectronics, health informatics, human neuroscience and others.

Most Indian students in New Zealand opt for the familiar Business Management, media studies and hospitality programmes, when this cattle and sheep country is also well known for many other stimulating options. Have you thought about equine study, breeding and handling your own horses, or construction management where you could build a complete home and transport it to its destination? No? How about animal sciences, if you love your pets, sports management if you live and breathe cricket (or any sport), or dance studies if you’ve got the rhythm? And if its multi-media and animation studies, what better setting than the land of the Lord of the Rings?

In fact, if a vocational skill is what you are looking to perfect, Australia is probably your best bet. From dog and cat husbandry, audio engineering and sound production to entertainment make-up, film and video production, real estate management, health and fitness studies and floristry there are a wide range of professional courses with state-of-the-art equipment and facilities.

And if you’re looking for some interesting courses in art and design, you couldn’t do better that aim for the UK. Art schools offer a range of programmes in areas such as typography, textile design, animation, jewellery and computer aided design (CAD) You could learn all about art management and auctions at Christie’s, or learn to design, make and restore furniture at the Chippendale School of furniture. Other artistic pursuits to bow for include dance, drama, cinematics and theatre design, or even the finer cuisine arts like Cordon bleu cooking, or cookery and wine appreciation. Music, too, can lead to inspiring options in music studies, sound and image design or performance-based courses that too, in Beatle country ! On the beat or off beat there are a huge number of amazing programmes in a wide range of fields each offering great opportunities for the brave explorer. Just open your mind to the enormous possibilities and be ready to take the plunge.

— The writer is noted career consultant