Social Science Research Council

Higher education is undergoing a sea change. The external forces of globalization, massification, and commercialization are leading to the creation of new international markets for higher education goods and services, greater segregation between public, private and for-profit institutions. At the same time, changing internal dynamics are giving rise to new forms of teaching and training, non-traditional career opportunities and trajectories and changing notions of ‘academic’ research. Many international organizations are focused on easing the transition to a global knowledge-based economy by advocating for higher education equality while also arguing for higher education quality. The Higher Education Program is aimed at informing these twin but often rival goals by advancing the theoretical, methodological, and empirical understanding of the shifts in the institutional culture and structure of higher education worldwide.