STEM Education, Courses and Curriculum: Do you pay attention when the word STEM is used and wonder what it means? STEM, or Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, is an acronym. It has been referred to as a meta-discipline that was developed by merging information from other disciplinary fields. It has dismantled the barriers between conventionally separate disciplines and combined them into a paradigm for learning and teaching.
The lines between the subjects have blurred, and each one employs a multidisciplinary method of teaching and education. Governments worldwide have prioritised STEM education, courses, and curriculum in their efforts to create highly trained people. The academic ideas associated with STEM are not confined to the four walls of the classroom but are linked to other educational facilities, the workplace, the community, etc.
The education industry has implemented STEM education, courses, and curriculum in response to the market trends' rapid change and the nature of desirable skills in the workforce.
Additionally, STEM does prepare students to meet the demands of the current business. Let us closely examine STEM education, courses, curriculum, and the best study abroad destinations for STEM education in more detail.
Top STEM Courses to Study Abroad
The public and private sectors turn to the STEM workforce to develop breakthroughs that will fuel society now and in the future as the speed of technology accelerates. In their STEM education, courses, and curriculum, universities and colleges overseas cover a wide range of disciplines, themes, and issues.
The course can be pursued in a variety of academic areas, including mechanical engineering, computer programming, and the biological and physical sciences. These specialities could demand more challenging education than other career pathways. However, earning a degree in a STEM field can prepare students to compete for jobs of the future and teach them key transferable skills like teamwork, creativity, and analytical thinking.
Here is a list of some of the most trending STEM course specializations that aspirants can study abroad:
Top STEM Courses Abroad | |
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Acoustic Engineering | Astronomy |
Animal Science | Architectural Engineering |
Behavioural Sciences | Biochemistry |
Bioinformatics | Chemical engineering |
Civil engineering | Educational Research |
Food Science | Forensic Sciences |
Nutritional Science | Nuclear Physics |
Pharmacology | Psychology |
Statistics | Zoology |
Find Out Which STEM Course is Right for You!
STEM Curriculum Abroad
Science in everyday life is taught by a STEM curriculum. It adopts the technique of blended learning. The curriculum increases a child's focus on broad problem-solving techniques which include abstraction, algorithms, decomposition, and pattern recognition. Find the STEM curriculum adopted by universities abroad in detail below:
Early Years
Here, the students are introduced to STEM courses, fields, and occupations. The stepping stone helps in enhancing the skills of inquiry and learning to solve real-world problems. The independent desire of students to pursue the course is aroused and the awareness of the student towards STEM courses is increased later. Creativity and the spirit of teamwork are inculcated. Students are evaluated on the basis of the dissertation papers and course works while advanced courses are also taught in order to help in the development of STEM skills.
Opportunities to Study Abroad
STEM students are provided with the opportunity to study abroad during summer vacations and gain knowledge in the international environment. They benefit from the global outlook and teaching and their spectrum of scientific vision widens.
Theses
STEM curriculum abroad lets students write theses and publications on reputed platforms. The coursework duration of such STEM courses is four years. While working with experts and scholars in related fields, the students get profitable opportunities in their careers.
Assessment
The students are evaluated on their dissertations as well as written examinations. The formative and summative assessments are designed in a way to enable the students to construct, design, and perform. The examinations are taken in two parts and a subsidiary examination can be arranged by some institutions. STEM courses assessment is usually based on the following:
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Prelims exams
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Final exams
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Collections
Key Skills Acquired with STEM Education
The STEM curriculum is designed to give students proactive exposure to real experiences and experiential familiarity with the particular field of study. STEM education, courses and curriculum contains an amalgamation of course modules, assignments in the laboratory, and group projects. The students gather practical knowledge besides theoretical.
The skill sets on which the STEM courses bank upon and wish to inculcate in their students are :
- Problem-solving Skills- The STEM courses enhance your capacity to solve problems efficiently and effectively and provide relevant solutions. The students should be able to diagnose a problem, gather, collect and organise data and apply their understanding of the same to new situations.
- Creative Skills - The students who study STEM develop the ability to innovatively create solutions to problems. The unsuccessful attempts are considered pillars for successful ones. The students can use the knowledge of one discipline to create something new in other disciplines.
- Inquiry Skills- The inquisitive insight of the students is enhanced in a STEM program abroad. Students are encouraged to ask questions, propose solutions and delve deep into the problems.
- Critical Thinking Skills - The students are trained to guide their thoughts on the correct track, analyse ideas, and integrate them. They develop rational and logical thought processes to implement in innovating something new.
- Collaborative Skills- One can't function alone to combat big challenges. STEM courses aim to develop herd mentality and work together to confront challenges. They become self-reliant and can also function as a team.
Elements of STEM Courses Abroad
While designing a STEM curriculum, certain philosophical and theoretical elements are kept in mind. The elements are:
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Quality-Driven- The standards of the STEM courses aim to break the present fundamentals of education and strive towards excellence of education and research.
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Pedagogy based on Inquiry- STEM education is open and inquiry-based and not restricted to the boundaries of traditional classroom-based teaching and learning. It encourages the students to understand concepts rather than mugging them up.
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Collaborative Learning- Open-ended problems are posed in front of the children and they work in small groups to solve them. The teacher performs the role of promoter and assessor of learning.
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Modern technology-driven education- Traditional teaching is shunned by the STEM curriculum. They always focus on digital learning and education is easy to access with the rapid development of the internet systems. STEM is taught using digital boards, digital cameras, LCD projectors, and digital microscopes.
The elements are highly modern and up-to-date to match the requirements of modern times.
Top Countries to Study a STEM Degree
The STEM courses are gaining momentum in various countries and the top countries to study STEM are given below:
The USA
The students benefit enormously from studying STEM in the USA because the USA is the technological hub. Silicon Valley in California is one of the centres of technological innovations which gives exposure to students. The popular STEM courses in the USA are Biochemistry, Civil Engineering, Computer Science, Zoology, and Physics.
Eligibility to Study STEM in the USA
To study bachelor's in STEM courses, a student must have completed higher secondary education, must have qualified in SAT or ACT and have met the minimum cut-offs set by the colleges, and finally, he/she should have qualified language proficiency test (for non-native students).
A student aiming to study a master's degree in STEM courses must have a bachelor's degree in the relevant field, must have a minimum Undergraduate GPA on a scale of 4, and must have a GRE or GMAT score and an English proficiency test score.
Scholarships to Study STEM Courses in the USA
Now that we know the eligibility criteria to pursue STEM education, courses and curriculum in USA, here are some of the best scholarships for international or Indian students to study STEM courses in the USA:
Scholarships for Bachelor's Degree |
Scholarships for Master's Degree |
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ASDSO Scholarship |
AFB Paul and Ellen Ruckes Scholarship |
Microsoft Scholarship Program |
American Nuclear Society Scholarship Program |
Peggy Dixon Scholarship |
DOE Computational Science Graduate Fellowship |
Steinman Scholarship |
Masergy STEM Scholarship Program |
Canada
Canada is on the mind of students who wish to STEM courses. The Canadian institutions provide an encouraging environment for the study of STEM courses. The STEM skill sets open up vast possibilities for job opportunities in spite global slowdown. You can even settle down there and work after you complete your studies. The sought-after subjects under STEM education in Canada are Chemistry, Environmental Science, Cyber Security, Power Engineering, Food Technology, and Processing.
Eligibility to Study STEM in Canada
The students willing to pursue bachelor's degrees must have passed the entrance examinations like SAT/ACT and those aspiring for masters must have cleared GMAT/GRE. The minimum marks criteria in high school and bachelor's degree courses are 75%.
Scholarships to Study STEM in Canada
There are several scholarships to fund and finance your STEM education, courses and curriculum in Canada. Some of them are
- SME Education Foundation Scholarships
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Charles Labtiuk Scholarship
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Brower Youth Awards
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Society Of Women Engineers Scholarship
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Generation Google Scholarship
The UK
The UK is known for its heritage universities delivering modern education. The best advantage that you can reap out of studying STEM in the UK is shorter than in other courses. This reduces the cost of education. The broad array of courses helps you to choose your desired subject. The top choices of courses of STEM in the UK among students include Agricultural Engineering, Astronomy, Geographic Information Science and Cartography
Eligibility to Study STEM in the UK
The undergraduate students must have studied biology, physics, and chemistry in class 12 or the specific disciplines if they want to do post-graduation. Apart from this, GRE/GMAT and TOEFL/IELTS/PTE/Duolingo scores are required. The students must carry an SOP showing their passion to study maths and science
Scholarships to Study STEM in the UK
There are few scholarships to support STEM education in the UK for international students from across the globe. Some of the few prominent STEM scholarships for to pursue STEM education, courses and curriculum in UK are mentioned below:
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British Council Scholarship for Women in STEM
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Chevening Scholarships
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Marshall Scholarships
STEM courses are very beneficial to study and increase your knowledge and expertise.
Career Prospects After Studying STEM Abroad
It is known to all that STEM graduates are one of the main drivers of technological advancement and the economy. The jobs available to STEM graduates will always be in the market as the world is going through technological and scientific advancements every single minute. They enjoy prospects of getting employed in top companies or becoming an innovator and entrepreneur way more than those with a usual degree.
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Internships: While still in college or university, the students get the opportunity to intern with leading companies and businesses. They can engage in an innovative and research-based work culture and increase their employability later.
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Employment opportunities Overseas: STEM graduates with foreign degrees are welcomed by employers in their own countries as well as in other nations. They can use their critical thinking and experience to combat the challenges that the world is facing. Some of the STEM jobs include the roles of a statistician, chemist, electrical engineer, mechanical engineer, web developer, astronomer, physicist and etc.
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Entrepreneurship: The STEM study cultivates self-reliance and invention. STEM graduates can start to work independently to create new businesses.
With the knowledge you've gained from this comprehensive article regarding STEM education courses, curriculum, and potential careers, you can make wiser career decisions for yourself and your loved ones. One thing you should keep in mind is that in this day and age, improving your talents will help you stand out from the competition. Therefore, if you choose to develop your STEM skills, you can rest assured that the market will present a wide range of chances that will pay handsome salaries, foster wonderful workplace cultures, and offer exceptional development rates.
If you want to take up a STEM course abroad, you can contact our study abroad experts at abroad@collegedekho.com and they will guide you through the entire process.
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