International Developments in Higher Education: New Perspectives on Nonuniversities.

Overview & Synopsis

A nonuniversity is a short-term, short-cycle college or institute that provides vocational and technical training toward diplomas and certificates for compulsory school or high school graduates. Continuing education for adults is also commonplace in established systems, but preuniversities studies are offered almost exclusively in two-year colleges in the United States and Canada. Structurally, the nonuniversity in the U.S., Great Britain, and other nations of the British Commonwealth comprise the third rung of three-tier systems of higher education, with traditional universities and state universities and liberal arts colleges making up the other two tiers. In most countries where nonuniversities are new or are now being planned, two tracks of higher education are favored: degree-granting universities, and colleges and universities specializing in technical and vocational education for postcompulsory graduates. In much of the world, nonuniversities are poorly supported. Private sponsorship is common in Central and South America and Pacific Rim countries, but government sponsorship is growing in Japan and Mexico. Public nonuniversities are developing throughout Europe and in several African nations, notably Kenya. The global nature of the world demands greater attention to international studies in courses required for advanced degrees in education. Double doctorates, single doctoral-level course requirements, and international components in regular courses are possible strategies for incorporating information on international higher education into graduate programs. Information on nonuniversities in Russia, Belaras, Germany, Hungary, Czech and Slovak Federal Republics, Slovenia, Japan, Taiwan, Australia, New Zealand, and Mexico is provided. Contains 19 references. (KP)