News
New Pathway to Postgraduate Studies in Wales.
A unique Master’s Entry Diploma was launched at a ceremony at Sun Yat Sen University in Guangdong Province in China in September attended by Guangdong Ministry of Education officials, university officials and potential students
This programme, validated by the University of Wales, is the result of collaboration between Wales International Consortium, academic staff from North East Wales Institution (NEWI), academic staff from the four universities; Sun Yat Sen University, Guangdong University of Business, Guangdong University of Finance and Tianjing Polytechnic University; and the administrative staff of Huamei Education all assisted by the cooperation of the Guangdong Provincial Government.
The programme combines advanced English language, academic and research skills, alongside a study of appropriate academic modules to ready students for postgraduate programmes throughout Wales. The four universities in Guangdong and Tianjin were specifically selected to offer the programme. The Wales International Consortium and Huamei Education investment Group plan to launch the programme, the first of its kind to be approved in China, to more campuses throughout China.
Speaking at the launch, Mr Chang Chengguang, Deputy Dean of the School of Foreign Language’s at Sun Yat-Sen University, spoke of the importance of international education collaboration to the Chinese economy. “We welcome and support the varied collaborations between overseas universities and Chinese Education departments as they are needed to meet the demands of further development of the country.”
The four institutions offering the new Diploma are testimony to the remarkable developments in the education system within China. Sun Yat Sen University has 23 schools and colleges and 4 campuses covering 6.17 square kilometers, Guangdong University of Business Studies has 12 schools and departments and more than 13,000 full-time students, Guangdong University of Finance has 10 departments and 7,700 students and Tianjing Polytechnic University has 14 departments with 1,200 teachers for 7000 students.
With a fast developing internal market for Education indications last year were that a radical decline in the Chinese study abroad market was imminent. However, although UK-wide figures have decreased Wales continued to hold its share of the Chinese market. It is believed that academic and provincial government links with institutions in Wales, developed over a long period of time, are now coming to fruition and presenting opportunities for new programmes such as the University of Wales Master’s Entry Diploma.
Welcoming the collaboration between University of Wales and the four Chinese universities, Academic Secretary of Swansea Institute of Higher Education and a member of the Executive Committee of the University of Wales Validation Board, Dr David Ashelby said, “I am proud that the programme we are launching at this event should enable today’s young people to broaden their experience and develop ideas through spending time in a different country and different culture, which they can then bring back to enrich their own lives and those of others.”
This sentiment was echoed in the speech by a student about to begin to study for the diploma, Xin Zhou, who said, “everyone knows that not all of us have the opportunities to study abroad. Since we have the chance, what we should do is study hard in this one year. Only by doing so, can we grasp the knowledge which benefits us throughout our lives and enables us to find better jobs when we complete our study and return to China”.