UQ to gain employment and study benefits from international venture

The University of Queensland has signed a memorandum of understanding as the first step towards establishing an international university in Phuket, Thailand.

The agreement comes after discussions between the University and Rangsit University, a private University with about 15,000 students, established in 1985 and located near the international airport in Bangkok.

University Secretary and Registrar Douglas Porter said a joint working party had been set up to advise on planning and implementing of the Rangsit International University project.

UQ Ipswich, due to accept its first student intake in 1999, would be a likely participant, he said.

The University of Queensland will provide the curriculum and teaching materials for academic programs including bachelors of electronic commerce, business (hospitality management), business (leisure management), business (travel management), business (tourism management), business (communication) and information sciences.

Consideration will also be given to developing the international business program at the postgraduate level and economics at the undergraduate level.

Both universities will work together to develop and implement, in a later phase, the curriculum for programs including industrial engineering, manufacturing, computer science and electrical engineering, civil and environmental engineering and design (interior/graphic art/CAD).

Mr Porter said the collaborative project also offered opportunities for overseas study for students from both institutions.

Rangsit International students would be offered intensive English language courses, with study opportunities of up to one semester for undergraduates and 12 months for other students.

Mr Porter said the agreement gave the University of Queensland a unique opportunity for international expansion.

'Employment opportunities will be a bonus, with tourism, hospitality and property management students able to gain invaluable first-hand experience in a country so attuned to its own tourism industry,' he said.

'Rangsit University already has academic co-operation with universities around the work including Harvard University, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and the Illinios Institute of Technology in Architecture.

'We believe the University of Queensland will not only add to, but also benefit from, those international links.'

Rangsit University has 14 established schools in four academic divisions including health sciences, engineering and technology, applied arts, social sciences, business and humanities plus an international program and graduate school.

For information contact University of Queensland Registrar and Secretary Douglas Porter (telephone (07) 3365 1310