The Foreign Service Journal, December 2010

the only African entry. And the Middle East has just one entry in the top 100: the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, ranked at number 72 by ARWU. Canada, Australia, Germany, France and the smaller Western European countries make some respectable showings in the top 50, but Russia’s only school in the top 100 is Moscow State University (74 in ARWU and 93 in the QS rankings). The gaps between the developed and developing world are evidently still quite large. China has only one school that usually ranks in the top 50 (Peking University), and Asia’s other giant — India — does not even crack ARWU’s top 300 list. Online Education Online education has taken off as more schools create programs to attract students who cannot attend tra- ditional courses. For example, Boston University has a full online program that awards bachelors and masters degrees. Still, such an extensive online offering by a traditional school is rela- tively uncommon, since most online education is provided by newer for- profit universities. In “Online Universities: Five Tips Before You Pursue a Degree,” pub- lished in the October 2010 U.S. News &World Report , Brian Burnsed offers the following advice for students con- sidering online education. The first step is to check that an online univer- sity is accredited by searching the Department of Education’s database of accredited schools. This is impor- tant not only to ensure that the school is reputable, but also to make sure that credits earned there can be trans- ferred to another institution. The second step is to talk with stu- dents and alumni of online universities through social networks like Face- book, since they can offer a first-hand account of the online program’s quali- ty. Burnsed says that prospective stu- dents should also talk to employers in their field of interest to see if they are receptive to applicants with online degrees. The next step is to examine a school’s loan default and payment rates, because according to Burnsed, “A high default rate or low repayment rate should generally raise red flags.” Finally, Burnsed recommends looking at student services provided outside the classroom, like academic and financial aid, advising and career counseling. ■ Mohammad Alhinnawi is the Journal ’s editorial intern. A recent UCLA grad- uate, he plans to pursue a career in foreign affairs. 104 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 0 S CHOOLS S UPPLEMENT Handy Rankings Links U.S. News & World Report www.usnews.com/rankings Newsweek www.education.newsweek.com/ choosing-a-school.html Princeton Review www.princetonreview.com/college- rankings.aspx College Prowler www.collegeprowler.com Forbes www.forbes.com/lists/2010/94/best- colleges-10_Americas-Best- Colleges_Rank.html Washington Monthly www.washingtonmonthly.com/college_ guide/toc_2010.php Academic Ranking of World Universities www.arwu.org/ARWU2010.jsp Times Higher Education Supplement www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/ world-university-rankings/2010- 2011/top-200.html QS www.topuniversities.com/university- rankings/world-university-rankings/ 2010/results