Significant changes in the choice of majors of Vietnamese students coming to Canada

Dr. Deborah Saucier - President of Vancouver Island University (Canada) - shared many perspectives on international students at the event - Photo: TRONG NHAN

On October 15, the Southeast Asian Ministers ofEducation Organization Regional Training Center (SEAMEO RETRAC) coordinated with many educational associations in Canada to organize the 2024 annual international conference on leadership and management in higher education.

International students help sustain many university programs in Canada

One of the "hot" issues mentioned is about international students coming to Canada in the context of many "tightened" regulations from this country.

Dr. Deborah Saucier - president of Vancouver Island University (Canada) - said that Canada recorded a contrast when the rate of indigenous students gradually decreased, while the rate of international students gradually increased over time.

Specifically, in the 2010-2011 school year, domestic students accounted for 92.7% of total enrollment in post-secondary programs (such as universities, colleges, and vocational schools) in Canada. By 2019-2020, this ratio had dropped to about 81.7% of total students in Canada.

Many post-secondary educational institutions such as universities and colleges have recorded a significant decline in domestic students.

The downward trend is not only recorded in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) majors but also in BHASE (business, humanities, arts, health , arts, social sciences) majors.

According to Dr. Deborah Saucier, in the period after 2010-2011, many universities and colleges in Canada clearly felt the pressure of "thirst" for domestic enrollment sources, partly because of the slow natural population growth rate.

Many universities in Canada have begun to shift their enrollment to international students. From 2010-2011 to 2019-2020, the number of international students in Canada increased from 142,000 to nearly 389,000, while the proportion of international students in the total student population in Canada increased from 7.2% to 17.8%.

Notably, during this period, the proportion of international students coming to Canada to study STEM increased from 10.9% to 24.7%.

“Many Canadian university programs in STEM fields would not be able to survive without international students from ASEAN and other countries,” said Deborah Saucier.

“This trend is also true for the BHASE group, where the proportion of international students increased from 6.3% to 15.5%,” she added.

Therefore, according to Dr. Deborah Saucier, Canada's new regulations limiting the number of international students are receiving many mixed opinions.

Many universities say cutting international student numbers by more than 20% could seriously impact their ability to attract enough students to operate, as well as reduce revenue.

Changes in choosing a major

Many experts from Southeast Asia shared interesting perspectives on international education and university governance at the conference - Photo: TRONG NHAN

Meanwhile, Dr. Randall Martin - Executive Director, British Columbia International Education Council (Canada) - assessed that there has been a significant change in the choice of majors of Vietnamese students coming to Canada.

Specifically, about 10 years ago, Vietnamese students coming to Canada mainly chose to study business programs, MBAs, etc. Currently, the majority choose computer science and STEM majors.

Part of the reason is the strong development of technology or artificial intelligence. In addition, these majors also have many career opportunities in Canada and developed countries.

"English is still the thing Vietnamese students should focus on practicing the most when they intend to study abroad. Next, students should prepare good study habits, such as knowing how to read books, knowing how to research and look up information on their own...

In addition, non-academic activities such as sports and arts also help students stand out in college," said Mr. Randall Martin.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/chuyen-bien-dang-ke-trong-chon-nganh-hoc-cua-sinh-vien-viet-nam-den-canada-20241015165956865.htm