Higher Education

This is the first posting of a mini series in which I will be analyzing higher education and opportunities for foreigners in the Middle East.

Australia/Dubai Competition

There is tremendous competition in the international arena that many might find shocking and intriguing. The competition exists in the form of a fierce battle to attract top scholars in higher education. The education “market” in Eastern Australia has historically drawn many individuals from every reach of the world seeking valuable graduate programs. This market has never truly experienced significant competition from other international markets. The United States always features thousands of graduate programs each year, but for some reason, never highly promotes internationally. This may be because of the large graduate consumer base from domestic graduates.

Nevertheless, Australia has engaged in intense recruiting measures to increase and maintain high levels of foreign graduates for their prestigious graduate school programs. The University of Melbourne, The University of Western Australia in Perth as well as Australia's first university, The University of Sydney all offer incentives to foreign undergrads seeking a first-class graduate degree. The University of Melbourne Business School offers Australia's most reputable MBA program as well as a Centre of International Business. Melbourne has certainly jumped on board with the globalization trend and are certainly looking very attractive to potential graduate candidates.

The U.A.E. and Qatar have different plans, however. Dubai and Doha are featuring "Education Cities" built into their rapidly expanding infrastructure. Some of America's most prestigious universities are frantically taking advantage of the low-tax incentives, educational stipends for international organizations and the opportunity to become a part of the most prestigious collection of private schools in the world.