The TopUniversities.com guide to the latest higher education news from around the world, on 4 February 2013.
Engineers enjoy highest starting salaries in US
A study by the National Association of Colleges and Employers has found that engineers enjoy the highest starting salaries in the US, enjoying an increase of 3.9% between 2011 and 2012. Other graduates of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects also fare well. With demand for STEM graduates predicted to increase by 60% in coming years, it is thought that graduates of these subjects will continue to enjoy earnings premiums for the foreseeable future. Statistics for the research came from Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Census Bureau and Job Search Intelligence, reports The Huffington Post.
Students forced to work long hours, says law school dean
The dean of the University of Sydney’s law school has warned that high tuition fees are forcing students to take on more part-time work than they can handle. Lawyers Weekly reports that students face fees of nearly A$30,000 (around US$31,275 at today’s exchange rates), with international students facing an even steeper A$115,000 (US$120,000), forcing them to work longer than the recommend maximum of 20 hours. Professor Joellen Riley warns that this will not allow students the time or energy to focus on the degrees which they are paying so much to study in the first place.
British Columbia will soon face graduate shortage, warn universities
Universities in the Canadian province of British Columbia have released a report showing that the province will soon face a shortfall of graduates needed to fill job vacancies, reports The Vancouver Sun. This could be potentially damaging to the province’s economy, they have argued, as the greatest demand for workers will be in industries which require university degrees. Up to 18,800 positions may go unfilled according to the research. The universities are calling for increased funding in a bid to tackle this shortfall.
Malaysian government imposes two year ban on new private universities
The Malaysian government has placed a ban on the establishment of any new private colleges in the country for the next two years, saying that the present figure of 414 is already too high and may prove unsustainable. In addition to 414 private colleges, there are 37 private universities, 20 university colleges, 7 foreign branch campuses in the country at present. The ban will not apply to foreign branch campuses, reports The Star.
Bike-sharing program planned for University of Michigan
A multi-million dollar bike-sharing program, similar to those run in London or Paris, has been planned for the town of Ann Arbor, Michigan, in which the University of Michigan is based. Like the schemes in the aforementioned cities, users will be able to borrow a bike from one of several docking stations spread across the city, and return it at any other. Many of the docking stations will be based on the university’s campus, and linking the campus with the city center is one of the main goals of the scheme, reports AnnArbor.com.