There has been a great deal of talk about the United States falling behind other countries in higher education, especially when it comes to the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. While it is true that the U.S. needs to step it up in these areas, a new report by the American Council on Education (ACE) suggests that the situation may not be so bad.

ACE released a booklet entitled “Apples and Oranges in the Flat World,” which warns that when comparing international higher education systems, certain things must be taken into consideration. The first consideration to make is the fact that educational terms can mean different things in different countries. Another element to keep in mind is how new the higher education systems of some countries are–some countries may appear to have made great advances in higher ed because of the low level at which they began.

In addition, Duke University has done research that resulted in questions about he quality of Chinese engineering programs. While there may be many new Chinese engineering programs available, they are not of the quality of American engineering programs.

The bottom line is that while the U.S. may not be so very far behind other countries in higher education and the STEM fields, that does not mean that U.S. higher education should not be enhanced.

- Sara Elizabeth Savage