Jitendra Tewari, Ph.D., Northeastern State University of Oklahoma

1 Billion People. Higher education is largely in English. 19 languages. English and Hindi are the unifiers. Celebrating Diversity in a Thriving Democracy  80 % Hindu Population  13.5 % Muslim Population  6.5 % Sikhs, Christians, Jains  Prime Minister: Sikh (Male): Language - Punjabi  President: Hindu (Female) – Marathi  Leader of the Ruling Party: (Christian, Italian) Female - Italian  Vice President: Muslim (Male) – language- Urdu

Schools  Government Schools and Government Sponsored Schools – lower fees or free  Private schools (these are referred to as public schools in India, and a number are also run by foreign/Christian missionaries)– higher fees  Students of all schools take ‘common’ board exams – some are National boards, some State level. The system is highly competitive.

 State universities as well as private universities  Generally a large number of colleges are affiliated to the same university  A single university may have a large number of colleges offering the same courses affiliated to it  Students of a university would take common examinations

 There are many independent private and government ‘professional’ institutions or colleges in Engineering and Medicine  Generally a university has one or only a few colleges in: ▪ Medicine ▪ Engineering ▪ Business for graduate studies ▪ Architecture ▪ Nursing

 Many institutions seek and value international affiliations in the areas of engineering and graduate business programs.  In both these areas there are an increasing number of successful private institutions that are also expensive.  The students at these institutions are more likely to study and finance education abroad (subsequently)  Decision making at these institutions is faster than state universities or government institutions  Syllabi changes and graduation requirements are more flexible

 Graduate MBA programs in Business in India generally do not require course prerequisites they pick the best from all disciplines, and have a high percentage of engineering graduates as students  The schools with an international flavor either use:  International visiting faculty  International affiliations and supplementary coursework for a foreign degree

 Students in India seek foreign institutions and degrees for:  Status  Better laboratory and equipment facilities  Newer subject areas – biomedical areas, microbiology

 Ranking  Ivy League  State Schools  Other schools  After the Ivy League schools, all state schools are considered acceptable and cost becomes a major consideration

 Indian companies are well established in computer education in China and the Middle East  Indian Universities are setting up traditional and hybrid/online programs particularly in the Middle East  Indian Universities recognizing the growing education needs are experimenting with online hybrid programs that cover multiple colleges under the same university

 Present at a private education summit: 30 universities from USA and names like: Tufts, Case Western, Florida State, Southern Illinois, Clarkson, Drexel, University of Massachusetts  Interest in programs from the undergraduate to doctoral level  All disciplines

 The Universities of Scotland and the Association of Indian Universities signed an MOU for greater collaboration  Edusat – India’s dedicated education satellite will transmit programs from Harvard, Yale, Cornell, Carnegie Mellon and 15 other major American schools  Program coincided with Microsofts decision to invest $1.7 bill in R&D in India