The guide contains a range of interesting and informative articles exploring the study of specific subjects overseas, written by experts and professionals from within the six main areas of higher education and industry. The guide also contains select articles from counsellors and students about their own experience and their advice about overseas education.

The guide is divided into sections according to subject, with correspond with our interactive online subject guides, where you can find even more useful articles and information.

We’d like to thank all of our contributors who have shared their knowledge and expertise to make this guide as extensive and informative as possible. We are confident that the articles and information within this guide will help students to embark upon the wonderful experience of international study.

If you would like to request a free copy of The Subject Guide 2012, please click here and provide us with your name, school name and address. You can also preview some of the pages from The Subject Guide 2012 in the gallery below.

Interested in contributing to the next issue of The Subject Guide? We are always looking for new associations, organisations and counsellors to contribute to our guides. Please contact us at editorial@i-studentgroup.com

If you are from an institution and are interested in featuring in any of the i-studentadvisor resources – online or in print – please contact us at editorial@i-studentgroup.com

View a gallery of sample pages from The Subject Guide 2012…

The new website offers all the country-specific information a student will need to start researching their options for studying overseas. On our country pages you can find information about visas, the application process, entry requirements, travel and much more in six of the most popular English-speaking countries – Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK and the USA.

Plus, you can still read all of our extensive interactive subject guides on the Subjects page, which are great for students who know which subject they want to study but are not sure on the country, or for those who want to find out more about a certain subject area. You can also read more subject- and country-specific articles by professional and educational organisations, plus blogs by our i-studentlife bloggers that show what it’s like studying overseas from a student perspective.

For counsellors and advisors, we also have our Counsellor Chronicles page, which contains articles written by education experts and counsellors from around the world about their work. Also, have a look at our News page for all the latest international news stories affecting education around the world.

We will be continuing to update and add content and features to the website in the coming months, as we strive to make the website as useful and enjoyable as possible. If you want to keep updated with all the latest news and articles, you can Subscribe or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

We always love to hear what our readers and visitors think, so if you have any comments or suggestions about the new website – or any of our resources – please get in touch at editorial@i-studentgroup.com

We hope you enjoy our new website!

Best wishes

The i-studentadvisor team

i-studentenquiry.com, the free service matching students with universities, colleges and English language schools around the world, has relaunched and now offers faster, clearer results for both students and institutions.

First launched in 2010, i-studentenquiry allows prospective students to fill out one simple form for either undergraduate, postgraduate or English language study. Students enter their requirements, such as the courses they would like to study and in which countries, along with their qualifications and personal details on a secure form. The form is then processed by the intelligent algorithm powering i-studentenquiry.com to find which universities and colleges around the world could provide the education the student is seeking.

The latest version of i-studentenquiry includes a range of new features to make the system more accessible and easier to use, such as:

• The “My Account” page, allowing students to log in and view their enquiry history and matches
• Easier to fill out forms, allowing students to complete their enquiry quickly and simply
• Improved control for institutions, ensuring faster responses to student enquiries

i-studentgroup would like to thank all of the students, counsellors and university admissions professionals who provided valuable feedback during the development of the new and improved i-studentenquiry service. To fill out your form, visit http://www.i-studentenquiry.com

You can also join the i-studentenquiry Facebook page here – http://www.facebook.com/istudentenquiry

The Russell Group, which represents 20 of the UK’s top universities including Oxford and Cambridge, recently sparked controversy with it’s new guide, Informed Choices, to help students choose A levels in preparation for university. Some, including the British Journal of Photography (BJP), felt that the guide has attacked so-called ‘soft subjects’ and accused the Russell Group of short-sightedness.

The guide warns students considering taking more than one ‘soft’ subject – usually courses that are vocational or practical based such as art, music or business studies- that “some caution may be needed” and encourages students to take two or more A level qualifications in ‘hard’ or ‘facilitating’ subjects such as English, maths and the sciences in order to have “a much wider range of options open to you at university”. They also state that general or critical studies should only be taken as an additional subject and not be one that students rely on for entry requirements.

But in an article the BJP editors, and the photography lecturers they spoke to, argued that it was absurd to consider some subjects as ‘soft’ and that these subjects could teach students independent thinking and creativity. However, although it may be aggravating to those involved in the ‘soft’ subjects it should be considered that this is not a new categorisation created by the Russell Group; the grouping of subjects as ‘soft’ and ‘hard’, whether correct or not, has been a persistent problem.

The BJP also pointed out the need for encouraging students to take up arts and humanities subjects, especially after government cuts meant a withdrawal of funding for these courses in the university sector. At a time when unemployment is high and university fees are set to increase, there are already fears that students will not take creative/humanities subjects, instead opting for subjects they think can lead to a specific job. There may be a worry that the Russell Group’s guide may discourage students further from taking a broad range of subjects, instead promoting the traditional ‘hard’ ones.

The guide could be of great use to students considering their post-16 study choices, though some of it’s recommendations may not sit comfortably with some. For example, the guide states: “By choosing facilitating subjects at advanced level, you will have a much wider range of options open to you at university. An advanced level qualification in any facilitating subject will keep open to you a number of degree courses” and also states that choosing non-facilitating subjects doesn’t increase your options at university.

Whilst this may be true in some circumstance, evidence shows that a majority of courses do not require specific subjects and will consider most subjects, whether ’soft’ or ‘hard’. Recent research titled ‘A level subjects: What universities want’ by The Guardian showed that many universities do not require or discount specific subjects, with the exception of general studies which some of the universities involved said could not be part of the entry requirements. Most outlined that for some courses specific A levels may be needed but this is not ‘hard’ or ‘soft’ based; i.e. whilst engineering may require a ‘hard’ subject such as maths, other subjects such as art will require a ‘soft’ qualification such as A level art.

For example, in the research Canterbury Christ Church University said: “We do not differentiate between A-level subjects and accept general studies. However, for some programmes a specific A-level or equivalent is required, eg a music A-level for the music degree, art for our fine art degree programme and most of our science programmes require at least one science A-level.”

City University London also said: “General studies is the only A-level generally excluded. Having it would not damage their chances of winning a place, as long as there was sufficient preparation elsewhere on the form.”

In any case, students should make sure they are aware of the requirements for the courses and universities they are interested in. If you are unsure of what you would like to study at university, you should try to keep your options as wide as possible and study subjects that may be required for subjects you think you might want to study.

To see the Russell Group Informed Choices guide, click here. To see the The Guardian’s ‘A levels: What universities want’ click here.

What do you think about the categorising of subjects as ‘soft’ and ‘hard’? Have you taken an A level subject that you don’t enjoy in order to have better qualifications? Let us know your thoughts.

Professor Abdelhafid Debbarh is Morocco’s Secretary General for Higher Education & Scientific Research.

In partnership with his Ministry of Higher Education, UWIC is leading an EU-funded project on Modernisation of Higher Education. Together with 22 institutions from across Europe and the Mediterranean region, the university is developing Management and Leadership capabilities in the Meda countries.

One of the partners is Morocco’s Superior Institute of Science and Technology (SIST), with which UWIC has a Transnational Education arrangement.

The TNE programmes include BA Marketing Management, BA Tourism Management, BA Business Management Studies and an MBA Programme.

Professor Debbarh was welcomed to UWIC by Professor Antony Chapman, Vice-Chancellor, UWIC, and was given a tour of state-of-the-art facilities and new developments in the Llandaff and Cyncoed campuses.

Professor Chapman said: “The visit of Morocco’s Secretary General for Higher Education underlines the strength of our Transnational Education partnerships and is intended to open up new partnership work in quality and standards which will enhance learning experiences of students in both countries.”

Commenting further, Dr Mohamed Loutfi, UWIC’s Director of International Development said: “Our partnerships in Morocco are a direct implementation of UWIC’s internationalisation strategy; we are looking forward to working further with Professor Debbarh and his Ministry towards a successful and lasting partnership.”

To find out more about the Superior Institute of Science and Technology, please visit http://www.sunderland.ac.ma/

The Australian Government has contributed more than $7.7 million for the foundation building at the campus through the Capital Development Pool (CDP) program.

The Gold Coast Airport Campus will support students studying courses in business, tourism, law, health and allied health. By 2012, the campus will be home to about 2000 students and more than 130 staff.

Southern Cross University is now better placed to meet educational needs in a region experiencing significant growth.

The CDP provides funding to encourage development on new campuses or the building or major refurbishment of capital infrastructure for student amenities. It also focuses on the rebuilding or restoration of campus facilities and priorities for individual institutions.

21 Australian universities will share $71.5 million Capital Development Pool funding in 2010-11 to improve teaching and research facilities for students.

The CDP is in addition to the Government’s record $5.7 billion investment in higher education over four years as part of its post Bradley Review reforms.

This funding will help achieve the Government’s aim of increasing by 40 per cent the number of 25 to 34-year-olds to hold a Bachelor-level qualification or above by 2025.

To find out more about studying in Australia, read the latest i-studentadvisor Australia guide.

This Friday i-studentadvisor will be launching the first ever issue of i-HT, the online magazine to promote courses within the field of hospitality and tourism internationally.

This new magazine is launching after a fantastic response to the hospitality and tourism section within the i-studentadvisor Subject Guide which was published earlier this year earlier this year.

“I am really excited about this new issue” said Content Editor, Felicity Pont “as someone who travels a lot both for work and for leisure, I have really grown to appreciate the fantastic job that individuals within the hospitality and tourism industry do. It is a very skilled sector and there are fantastic courses all over the world to train young people to help this industry flourish. I have really enjoyed working with all our contributors in this issue, especially those academics who are no longer actively working in the industry but who are dedicated to training the hotel managers, events organisers and sports managers of the future.”

Over the past few years, as the hospitality and tourism industries have grown, more study opportunities have emerged for students and more career opportunities have emerged for graduates. We have packed this issue of i-studentadvisor with an array of institution profiles and a diverse range of articles from leading hospitality associations and industry experts to help students navigate the often-complicated maze of choosing the right course and school.

From studying hotel management in the USA, to snowsport instruction in New Zealand and catering in Canada, we have tried to include as much useful information as possible to help students considering studying hospitality and tourism overseas.

Check i-studentadvisor.com this Friday to read the first issue of i-HT or subscribe free to get all the latest i-studentadvisor publications direct to your inbox.

The Hotel School at Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT) in Ireland is offering a new three-year degree in Hotel and Catering Management aimed at people in the hospitality and tourism industry who wish to upskill and earn a management degree while working.

Referred to as the ‘block degree’, the Bachelor of Business in Hotel and Catering Management has been re-structured to run over three years as opposed to four. It will be delivered over four blocks of study with two seven-month work placement experiences.

The programme commences in September 2009 with students spending one semester (four months) in college. In January, they commence the first seven-month work placement in an Irish hotel. They return to college in September and study for a second semester followed by a second seven-month work placement in Europe or the US. In the final year, students return to college in September and study for one full academic year (two semesters) and complete the programme the following May. Students sit exams after each semester in college and are also assessed while on work placement.

The programme is open to anyone who has worked in the hospitality and tourism industry for at least one year. If applicants are currently working in the hotel industry they may use their current employer for their first work placement experience.

Cáit Noone, Head of the Hotel School in GMIT says this newly structured programme will appeal to many people. “Colleagues in the hospitality industry praise the excellent skills sets of these students as they are learning and developing new skills and extending their knowledge at the same time. Many leading industry figures in the hospitality and tourism industry in Ireland today are graduates of this programme”.

If you are interested in studying hospitality or tourism, click here to read the i-HT chapter of the i-studentadvisor Subject Guide.