Updated on: Tuesday, October 23, 2012
The University of Cincinnati (UC) announced new postgraduate programmes for Indian students interested in pursuing a master's degree in the US. Dr Jonathan Weller, director of international admissions at UC, who was in India recently to make the announcements said: "India has been one of our largest international student populations for the past 15 years, with most Indian students pursuing postgraduate programmes. We remain committed to India and are announcing several new postgraduate programmes in engineering, finance and law for Indian students with substantial scholarships to make their studies at UC as affordable as possible."
Admission to any postgraduate degree at UC is highly competitive and most students qualify for substantial scholarship assistance. For example, most MS engineering students receive an average scholarship of $20,000 per year. The strong focus on academics at UC combined with generous scholarship assistance makes these programs desirable for the graduate degree-seeking Indian student. In 2010 alone, UC awarded over $4 million in postgraduate scholarships to Indian students.
Of India's 104,000 students studying in the US, more than 60% pursue graduate studies at master's or doctoral levels. In 2011, India became the country sending the most graduate students to the US with American graduate schools admitting 8% more Indian students. Also in 2011, there was a drastic increase of 43% in the number of Indian students taking the GRE, a certain indicator of growing interest in American higher education.
UC's post-graduate programs include master's of science (MS) and master's of engineering (MEng) degrees in engineering. The MS engineering programme is a traditional master's degree that involves significant student participation in research and writing a thesis. Given its highly competitive admissions process, students who are offered admission often receive a scholarship of at least 75% assistance but the scholarship can be as much as full tuition and a graduate assistantship (such as teaching or assisting professors with research).
For students who want to earn a master's degree in one year, UC's new master's of engineering (MEng) program is a good option for students or working professionals as they earn a master's degree from a prominent American university in a short amount of time which expedites their return to the economy and limits time away from friends and family in India. The MEng program also requires selective admission and provides roughly 40% scholarship assistance to students upon admission.
For students intending to make it big on the Mumbai or New York stock exchanges, the new nine-month MS Finance program is designed to give students the analytical skills needed for a successful professional career in today's global financial markets. The program features a pioneering curriculum providing students with a strong foundation in all areas of finance, while allowing considerable flexibility for coursework tailored to students' interests and career plans.
Cincinnati's strong business environment - including headquarters of eight Fortune 500 companies - makes it an desirable destination for students who want to harness their business skills and establish a global network. "The professors are very kind and they have helped us with both our courses and getting used to living in America. We have only been here a short time but have met with various companies and attended various social events," says a first-year MS Finance student at UC.
UC's College of Law recently established its first master's of Law program (LLM). Students enrolled in the LLM-US legal system program represent countries across the globe. LLM students use their degrees and UC experience to benefit wide ranging careers from immigration law to international business advising. "Our LLM students are gaining knowledge of US law and building practical legal skills. They choose from a wide selection of courses and learn from our great faculty as well as local attorneys and judges," says Nancy Oliver, associate dean for curriculum and student affairs and professor of practice.