China and the US: How to Make the Most Of Student Life in Both Countries

You might not have thought too much about your future career path just yet, but there are considerable advantages to studying somewhere with strong industry connections. As two of the world’s biggest markets and financial centers, you’d struggle to find a business that won’t see your experience of both China and the US as an advantage.

This is particularly true for Duke Kunshan’s electrical and computer engineering students as many of the world’s largest technology firms, from Alphabet Inc. (Google’s parent company) to Apple have dedicated significant resources to ‘cracking’ the Chinese market. Even if you’re not interested in being based in China after you graduate, the knowledge you’ll gain from living and studying there will be enough to give you the edge in the graduate job market.

Also, students on the Master of Electrical and Computer Engineering program are expected to spend the summer between their first and second year as an intern working in industry, enhancing the knowledge they’ve developed on the program and putting it into practical use.

As much as the career benefits and cultural highlights mentioned above are important factors when choosing a postgraduate degree, they obviously can’t take as much precedence as the quality of the institution itself. Fortunately, studying at Duke Kunshan University means getting to experience not one but two world-class academic campuses, with your time split between Duke University in the US and Duke Kunshan University in China. At the end, you’ll graduate with a degree from Duke University.

According to data collected by Duke University, 85 percent of master’s graduates from December 2016 and May 2017 who actively pursued employment were hired within six months of graduation, with an average salary of $109,100. Key employers include Airbnb, Amazon, Apple, Cisco, Facebook, Google, IBM, Intel, Microsoft and NVIDIA.

Of course, there’s more to the experience of studying in China and the US than how it will impact your career. Living in both of these countries also means getting to sample the best of Eastern and Western culture, from traditional Chinese customs to American fraternities and sororities.

Duke Kunshan understand that moving to a new country can be daunting and in China in particular there are a range of social events organized throughout the year you’ll be studying there. There’s also the opportunity to take language courses and further develop your understanding of the Chinese language and culture.

If the idea of studying in both China and the US sounds appealing to you, or you’d like to learn more about the Master of Electrical and Computer Engineering program at Duke Kunshan University, click here to find out more.