Essential Elements for Internationalizing Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Education

Lessons from an American Perspective

A strong Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education infrastructure has been widely recognized as the cornerstone of national competitiveness in the global era, with politicians, public policy advocates and educators all pushing for significant increases in STEM graduates. Although many of the profound changes in technologies, production models, and supply chains that lie at the heart of the globalization phenomenon are directly driven by advances in the STEM disciplines, there has been a puzzling reluctance to address the importance of internationalizing STEM education. This article reviews the context and the imperative for internationalizing STEM education, and then goes on to present six essential elements necessary for internationalizing STEM education on any campus.