The advantage of U.S. degrees in China

That a degree from a Chinese university may advantage an applicant in consideration for employment  with Chinese businesses over a U.S. degree may come as a surprise. The two main reasons identified in research as giving an edge to Chinese university degree holders are that 1) U.S. degree holders are perceived to have more options and therefore harder to hire and 2) U.S. institutions' brands are not as recognizable as Chinese universities. The findings of the study indicate that graduates of elite U.S. universities had a slight edge in attracting prospective employer interest.

Mingyu Chen, the researcher cited above and a Ph.D. student at Princeton, suggested two important implications of his findings. First, Chinese students are likely to more critically consider the return on investment of their education in relation to the value of the experience and resulting job prospects. Secondly, "U.S. institutions may want to help students transition from an American education to a Chinese workplace." Help with transition back to China reinforces the importance of career services for Chinese students on U.S. campuses.