Internationalization and interdisciplinarity in higher education: an example from NBU

Abstract

The internationalization of higher education is characterized by the need to develop science and education with innovative methods and content that respond to changes in academic communication influenced by social conditions and technological advances. Cooperation through strategic partnerships between universities has become an important means of institutional development and joint strategic action. These newly created conditions and approaches to educational cooperation, characterized by a number of challenges and opportunities, will play an important role in the future of internationalization in Europe and worldwide. There has been an increase in the number of foreign students worldwide, with their number expected to reach nearly 8 million by 2025. In addition to the usual countries of choice for education, such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia, there has also been an increase in international students in non-English-speaking countries that offer programs in English. Therefore, the development of bachelor’s and master’s programs in English opens up new opportunities for partnerships, exchange programs, and attracting students. Foreign language skills are extremely important for the successful establishment of economic, social, technical, political, and cultural ties and relations between individual countries, organizations, and individuals. In this regard, the training of specialists who are competitive in areas such as teaching, media, advertising, marketing, public relations, publishing, and journalism is a top priority. The new interdisciplinary bachelor’s program „English Language and Professional Communication“ at the Department of Foreign Languages and Cultures at New Bulgarian University, developed in collaboration with the University of York, UK, meets the requirements for the internationalization of higher education and corresponds to the outlined conditions and needs. The program includes modules from various fields such as intercultural communication, sociolinguistics, media studies, marketing, public relations, English language teaching, translation, digital literacy, etc.