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a field of study in many other countries in the post-World War II period. In fact,
higher education emerged as a field of study in Europe in the 1980s (Kehm 2015 ).
Even today, one may find a larger number of professors and study programmes
(Master’s level) on higher education in the USA than in Europe. Further, unlike in
the USA, the institutional basis of higher education research is fragmented in
Europe (Kehm and Musselin 2013 ).
In Canada, the origins of higher education as a field of study emerged in the
1960s with the appointment of several professors of higher education at the
University of Toronto (Jones 2012 ). By the early 1970s, the field of higher educa-
tion and research had acquired all the characteristics associated with an academic
discipline with broadly defined territorial boundaries. There were academic appoint-
ments, graduate study programmes, research institutions, associations and academic
journals in the area of higher education. Higher education in the 1970s became
more than an area of research, and it had assumed the attributes of a recognized
interdisciplinary field of scholarship.
Several universities in many countries started offering courses in higher educa-
tion (Altbach 2014 ), and the number has been increasing in the recent decades. A
recent survey shows that as of 2014, there exists around 274 study programmes in
higher education spread over 28 countries (Rumbley et al. 2014 ). The inventory of
higher education (Rumbley et al. 2014 ) identified 217 centres/institutes located in
48 countries focussing on research in higher education. Of this the USA accounts
for 50 institutes, China 45, the UK 18 and Japan 11. In other words, more than half
(52%) of the higher education research institutions and centres are located in the
three countries of the USA, China and the UK. In terms of academic programmes
offered, the USA has a predominant presence. There exist a total of 277 academic
programmes on higher education in 29 countries, and 70% of these academic pro-
grammes are in the USA.
Scott ( 2000 ) notes that the European model of higher education and research has
a strong policy focus and the American model has a much stronger focus on prac-
tice – improving institutions and academic practices – leading to large-scale aca-
demic programmes at the Master’s and postgraduate levels. Research on higher
education in Europe are carried out by different groups of experts with varying
levels of expertise in theory, methodology, field of knowledge and application.
Some groups do not identify themselves as higher education researchers but as
economists, sociologists, political scientists, etc. Their aim is to develop reputation
within their parent discipline and devote limited time to higher education. They are
more concerned with conceptual and theoretical developments and less concerned
about the practical relevance of their work. The second group of people are those
whose exclusive area of research is higher education. However, they need not neces-
sarily be based in higher education departments. The third group are based in higher
education research institutions and departments.
Most of the centres of higher education focus on their research on comparative
or international studies (42.9%), administration and management (41.9%), econom-
ics and financing (33.6%), globalization or internationalization (31.8%) and quality
assurance, accreditation and assessment (25.8) (Rumbley et al. 2014 ). Teaching and
N.V. Varghese