ACADEMIC STUDY PROGRAMMES INSTRUCTED IN FOREIGN LANGUAGES: IMPLEMENTING INTERNATIONALIZATION STRATEGIES IN MULTICULTURAL ENVIRONMENTS

This paper is focused on the internationalization strategies of higher education institutions as a process of creating and offering to students and academic staff alike a multicultural educational environment. Hence, it is considered that those universities which deliver education to international students with the help of professors with different origins and academic backgrounds will approach a more successful internationalization strategy. In this respect, this paper presents an approach on this topic from two different perspectives: theoretical background and research based study case.

In this view, the theoretical approach shows that internationalization within universities is a future strategic objective that should increase quality within education as well as enhancing career management success of the human resources implied, students and academics as well. The creation of an academic international environment is a process implying not only cooperation among people, but also competitiveness among institutions. In the centre of such environment, study programmes instructed in foreign languages play the most important role. By their curriculum design and with resources used, they attract international students, of which a high number are Erasmus+ beneficiaries, creating thus the first international environment students experience before having a job within a globalized business environment.

Furthermore, the research based case study on this topic consists of a qualitative piece undertaken with a sample of professors who both teach with Bachelor study programmes instructed in foreign languages, but they are also the coordinators of these programmes within a Romanian university. The research was developed according to a semi-directive instrument structured on three main areas of discussion: academic classroom and virtual assets offered by universities, challenges of curriculum design and employability strategies within skill development, professor leadership and business modelling. In this respect, the results generated according to the sample show that internationalization is a challenging strategy that shall determine academic institutions face with the new tendencies on the education market and implement multicultural approaches to education.