24 May 2017
The University of South Australia is the first university in Australia to establish a new joint College offering both Bachelor and Master degrees in engineering and IT with a Chinese university partner.
Announced this month by the Chinese Ministry of Education, the partnership will allow UniSA to offer six programs (four at Bachelor and two at Master level) in conjunction with Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology (XAUAT), one of China’s highest ranked universities for civil engineering.
The new programs will be offered through the new XAUAT UniSA An De1 College, located in Xi’an China, and supported by UniSA’s Division of Information Technology, Engineering and the Environment.
The agreement follows a visit to UniSA in May from a senior delegation from XAUAT, led by their Vice Chancellor Prof Xiaojun Liu, herself a civil engineer.
Both UniSA and XAUAT have embraced the notion of opening up and encouraging broad access to engineering and IT studies and providing more opportunities for diversity in engineering.
UniSA Vice Chancellor Professor David Lloyd says the new joint College is underpinned by a 10-year agreement to work together to provide excellence in engineering education on an international scale.
“Chinese students at both undergraduate and postgraduate level will have an opportunity to study part of their program here in South Australia, enriching their understanding of engineering as a global career,” Prof Lloyd says.
“AnDe College also affords invaluable opportunities to develop research relationships and staff exchanges that again support UniSA’s global engagement.
“I am delighted with the success of this collaboration and pleased that it has been so strongly endorsed by the Chinese Ministry of Education.”
Pro Vice Chancellor for UniSA’s Division of IT, Engineering and the Environment, Professor Simon Beecham says the new College will enrich UniSA’s engineering programs.
“Working together, UniSA and XAUAT can explore the synergies and differences in Chinese and Australian engineering practices and that gives students broader perspectives that are highly relevant in our region,” Prof Beecham says.
“For Chinese students choosing to take part of their degree in Australia, there is a real benefit in having the experience of studying abroad, sharpening English language skills, accessing new styles of learning and work experience opportunities.
“For outgoing Australian students, we are confident that the agreement will open up international placement opportunities, which are invaluable for engineering careers.”
Director International at UniSA, Gabrielle Rolan and a key driver of the relationship, says support from the Australia Education Management Group (AEMG) has been vital for the relationship.
“AEMG is highly experienced in establishing joint programs in China and UniSA is grateful for the role the Group has played in getting this agreement up and running,” Rolan says.
“We are also delighted to see the strong investment being made in this relationship, with XAUAT University building new, purpose-designed facilities to house the College on its wonderful historical campus.
“We look forward to the success of XAUAT UniSA An De College, to welcoming students from China to South Australia, and to opening opportunities for our academics to teach in China.”
Joint programs to be offered through XAUAT UniSA An De College, include:
- Bachelor of Construction Management & Economics
- Bachelor of Engineering Honours (Civil)
- Bachelor of Engineering Honours (Electrical & Electronic)
- Bachelor of Software Engineering Honours
- Master of Engineering (Civil and Infrastructure)
- Master of Engineering (Water Resources Management)
Students from China successfully completing two years of their Bachelor degree or one year of their Masters degree in Adelaide will be awarded dual degree certification from both UniSA and XAUAT.
1An De has been chosen as the name for the College based on the names of the two cities in the agreement. An (安) comes from the name of the city Xi’an, which means security or peace. De (德) was chosen from the city of Adelaide - in Mandarin Chinese, Adelaide (阿德莱德) is written as a four-word script with “De” having the best meaning. De (德) means either good morals or good character.
Media contact: Michèle Nardelli mobile 0418 823 673 email michele.nardelli@unisa.edu.au
