A new report from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Education at a Glance (downloadable free), offers almost 500 pages of data comparing its 34 country members on almost every imaginable education-related statistic, from teacher pay (page 415) to student reading ability as correlated to their immigrant status (page 97).

Some of the results could be anticipated (for instance, that the previously soaring rates of study abroad slowed with the world's economic downturn, declining from an 8% increase to a 3.3% increase between 2007-8 and 2008-9). Others are more surprising. One that initially startled me and caught my attention was that field of study differs depending on where international students choose to go abroad.

Specifically, if the country that students are going to is English-speaking then they are substantially more likely to be pursuing business, social sciences, or law (also the most popular areas of study across countries for both international and domestic students) than if they are going to a non-English-speaking country. Agriculture, science, and engineering are also more popular among international students in English-speaking countries.

International students going to non-English-speaking countries are more likely to be pursuing studies in education, humanities, or the arts. (More than one in five students in Austria, Germany, Japan, Norway, and Switzerland are enrolled in humanities or art programs.)

When you think about it, there are some good reasons for many of these differences. English is the international language of business and has now reached similar levels of use in science-related fields as well. Humanities and arts fields may involve a focus specific to other countries and these areas require less international collaboration.

Differences in international student proportions in law and education are a bit more mystifying to me. My guess would be that many lawyers doing study abroad may be interested in such areas as international trade or politics, for which they also need English. On the other hand, programs in education, at least in the United States, often include a major focus on the teacher requirements of specific jurisdictions as well as on U.S.-specific content for such fields as history or literature.

However, I predict we will see a larger proportion of international students seeking to pursue education-related fields in English-speaking countries. More and more countries are requiring English language instruction beginning at earlier and earlier levels. And those planning to teach at the university level may find they need to know English in order to teach at one of the rapidly expanding number of universities in non-English-speaking countries that offer all their instruction in English.

English is becoming a needed language across disciplines. Be sure your students are ready not only for study but also for professional practice by providing them with the chance to take TOEIC tests. (Okay, that's my plug for the day.)

The OECD statistics on study abroad fields are on page 78 of "Education at a Glance." Other data on student exchange and mobility can be found beginning on page 318.

For those not fond of scholarly numerical breakdowns, another good summary of OECD results on international student fields of study across countries, more detailed than mine, can be found in this World University News article. An analysis of international student mobility and education differences of the U.S. as compared with other countries can be found in the Chronicle of Higher Education.

—Lia Nigro, TOEIC USA Team