If you wish to travel to another country for an academic program that will equip you with relevant skills to be a professional in your field in a short time then you should consider a short term course. This blog post defines a short-term course, and, for the best part, provides a list of the best short courses for international students to help them make decisions.
You don’t need to go back to school to pursue another degree just to learn a new skill or explore a new career path, thanks to short-term courses and diploma programs. As a working professional, it is important that you keep upgrading your skills and knowledge so that you can keep staying relevant in your field. You can do this either by taking online courses or short-term courses related to your field.
If you want to get promoted in your workplace or you want a higher role like an executive manager or HR, you should consider going for a short course that will equip you with leadership and managerial abilities. Short-term courses are also the answer for those who want to explore a new career path or want to completely switch careers.
One of the major essences of the short-term courses is that they equip you with the exact skill you need to succeed in that specific profession in a short time, hence the name. Aside from being faster to complete which saves you quality time, they are much cheaper. So, rather than going back to college to pursue another undergraduate or graduate degree in a field that interests you, simply enroll for the short course of that program, gain the relevant skills, and knowledge, and enter that industry.
While you are doing all of these, you don’t have to quit your current job. If there’s a new way to do a specific thing on something related to your field and you think it will turn your career around or advance your career, you can just take a short course and be done in no time. In some cases, the company or organization where you work could sponsor the cost of the program.
And these short courses are present in every country, institution, and across all fields. What I mean is, there are short courses in the UK, as well as in Singapore and in the US offered by the academic institutions of these countries across various programs, like, there are short courses for pastors. Thus, they are not hard to find.
However, just like academic degrees some short-term courses are more reputable than others based on the institution providing them. That is why this article is named the “best short courses” for international students. The short-term courses curated in this blog post are mainly for international students, that is, you will have to leave your country and travel to the country where the course is offered to study it or you could just take it online if the online option is available.
For the sake of clarity, let’s quickly take a look at the meaning of a short course.
What Is A Short Course?
Just as the name implies, it is a course that you can complete in a short time. Taking short courses is a great way to gain the skills and knowledge you need in no time.
Doesn’t matter whether you already have a degree or not, there are short courses for everyone. In fact, these days, many people just seek short term courses with high salary, enroll in them, and get that job and start earning high income without any degree. If you do not have the patients for a 4-year degree nor the resources to pursue it, there are short courses that lead to good jobs that you can get into and go home with a fat paycheck monthly.
Benefits Of Short Courses
There are so many benefits that come with doing a short course but for the sake of keeping this article as short as possible, I’ll list only the major reasons
- Short-term courses are a great way to fill in the gaps in your professional knowledge without spending so much money and in a much shorter time.
- The schedule for the courses is usually flexible allowing you to study at your own pace, when, where, and how you like to study.
- The certification from a short course will help boost your CV or resume, make you appear more professional, and earn you respect from employers, colleagues, and clients. This can give you a competitive edge when applying for a role.
- Completing a short course shows that you are climbing the academic ladder and gaining new and essential skills.
- Short courses offer a pathway to further study like a master’s or doctorate degree.
Without any further ado, let’s get into the list of the best short courses for international students.
Best Short Courses For International Students
Listed and discussed here are the best short courses for international students offered by prestigious universities from around the world. The courses are usually offered in on-campus, online, or hybrid formats, it is then left to you to go for a study option that fits you best.
Having said that, let’s get into the list already:
- HSR Initial OHS Training Course – Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT)
- European Union Law – King’s College London
- Food Safety – Manukau Institute of Technology
- Clinical Costing Fundamentals and Analyses – The University of Melbourne
- Football Analytics – Birkbeck University
- English and Communication Skills For Healthcare Practitioners – The University of Kent
- Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) 1: Introduction to Networks – RMIT University
- An Introduction to Implementation Science – King’s College London
- Master Class in Prosthodontics – The University of Melbourne
1. HSR Initial OHS Training Course – Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT)
This is just one among the short courses offered by RMIT and it is designed for those who work in health and safety departments including managers, supervisors, and anyone with an interest in health and safety. It is an introductory course thus no prior experience or knowledge is required.
The course duration is 40 hours and it is held on campus at City Campus. You only need to bring a laptop or pen paper to take down notes during the class. The cost of this short-term course is $1,080.
2. European Union Law – King’s College London
This short course is designed for practicing lawyers who want to gain new knowledge of EU law and also for those in the legal field that would like to refresh their memory and gain the latest knowledge of European law. The course is hosted by the Center of European Law (CEL) and taught by some of the most prestigious lawyers in Europe. Other guest lawyers from various academic institutions will also be invited to teach students.
This short course offers only on-campus options at Bush House, Strand Campus, King’s College London. The course is taught across 8 days of full-time study and only on weekdays. The cost is between £2,125 – £2,500.
3. Food Safety – Manukau Institute of Technology
International students in the culinary industry looking to gain advanced skills in food safety or students preparing to enter the food industry can consider taking this course. This one-day short course explores topics like temperature control, storage and cleaning requirements, causes of food poisoning, safe food handling, and many more. You will also gain knowledge on each of these topics.
The course is held in person and the only requirement is that students have fluent English speaking and competent English writing skills. The estimated total cost for the course is $160.
4. Clinical Costing Fundamentals and Analyses – The University of Melbourne
If you are in the healthcare field, you should consider enrolling in this course to gain practical skills and knowledge on the basics of clinical costing and how to analyze and deliver cost-effectiveness in clinical practice. Those working in the billing and coding department or finance department of a healthcare facility may consider taking this course to gain advanced knowledge that will make them more efficient at the job.
The course is offered online thus students can study anywhere and at any time. The duration of the course is 10 hours. There are no entry requirements to enroll for the course and the estimated cost is AUD $350.
5. Football Analytics – Birkbeck University
Sports analytics is one of the most in-demand professions and it is kind of new so there aren’t many colleges offering the program. The football analytics short course offered by Birkbeck University offers you the chance to become a sports analytics specialist in no time. It takes about 4 years to obtain a sports analytics degree but with this short course, it takes only a few weeks.
The course is aimed at football managers and coaches or those who want to become one. The course is open to all students including international students and they need to obtain a visitor visa and not a student visa to come to the UK and enroll in the course. The estimated cost of this football analytics course is £1,125.
6. English and Communication Skills For Healthcare Practitioners – The University of Kent
This international short course is designed for medical practitioners, nurses, and social care workers who are migrating to the UK to work in a clinical setting. It equips students with a set of communication skills that will help them adapt to working in the UK. The aim of this short course is to improve cross-cultural understanding, listening, the use of language, communication, and interpersonal skills.
7. Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) 1: Introduction to Networks – RMIT University
There are few Cisco certified specialists and they are in high demand by giant tech companies and businesses. This is your chance to earn a Cisco certification through RMIT University in just a few weeks. The course is held on-campus at the City Campus and costs $1,379.
This CCNA short course explores networking elements, architectures, models, protocols, ethernet fundamentals, and many more that will equip students with skills to develop basic local area networks and a set of other skills that will help them become job ready or advance their careers.
8. An Introduction to Implementation Science – King’s College London
This short course is for those in the fields of psychiatry, psychology, and neuroscience. It is a continuing professional development course so you must already be practicing in one of the professions above to be eligible to take this course. The length of the course is 6 weeks and the estimated fee is £1,800.
9. Master Class in Prosthodontics – The University of Melbourne
This short course is offered by Melbourne University to practicing prosthodontics who want to learn the latest skills and techniques, as well as, gain the latest knowledge in their field. Short courses are all about upskilling yourself and this one right there will help prosthodontics take their careers to the next level when they complete the course.
The course is offered both online and in-person, and the face-to-face class is to equip specialists with hands-on training. You may take only the online component if you prefer. Taking only the online component cost $530 while the full package costs $4,000.
This wraps up the blog post on the best short courses for international students and most of them are offered fact-to-face, therefore, you have to obtain a visitor visa or a student visa to enroll in one of the short courses here.