International Students

GCU continues to work in partnership in Oman with the Caledonian College of Engineering, which was established 15 years ago. The partnership with the institution, which was recently awarded the Asia Award for the Best Educational Institution in Engineering by the World Education Congress, makes possible staff and student exchanges.

The University forged a partnership with the University of Jinan in 2008 to allow students in Jinan to enrol on jointly designed programmes in engineering and finance to prepare them to complete their third and fourth year of studies in Glasgow. GCU students have travelled to Jinan as ambassadors for the University three times and GCU has welcomed students on three cultural exchange visits from Jinan.

A Co-operation and Exchange Agreement between East China University of Science and Technology (ECUST) in Shanghai allows students from the third year of ECUST degrees in engineering and computing programmes to complete the final year of their studies at GCU. Students will graduate with an award from each university, ensuring that they receive recognition for their work at home in China and globally. ECUST Honours graduates can also articulate into GCU Masters programmes in subjects such as Instrumentation and Control, Maintenance Management, Wireless Communication Technologies, Advanced Computing and 3D Design of Virtual Environments.

Students of Glasgow Caledonian University can access research and study opportunities all over the world, thanks to GCU’s membership of the prestigious Santander Universities network of more than 700 universities in Spain, Portugal, Latin-America, China, Morocco, Russia, the US and the UK.

The University has signed Memorandums of Understanding with India’s Chitkara University Punjab and Chitkara University Himachal Pradesh. A key feature of the partnerships sees students graduate with an award from both Glasgow Caledonian University and their “home” university, ensuring that they receive recognition for their work in India and globally. As well as the academic partnerships, the developing relationships between the universities has already seen Glasgow Caledonian University students visit Chitkara University Punjab, the first time students have visited India as university ambassadors.

Grameen Caledonian College of Nursing was established as part of the partnership between the University and The Grameen Health Care Trust to help address the health needs of some of Bangladesh’s most disadvantaged communities. The college is developing nursing and midwifery standards to an international level through the provision of the highest quality education and research. Led by Professor Barbara Parfitt, the college welcomed HRH Princess Anne in 2010 to “cap” the college’s first graduates.

GCU’s partnership with the world-class University of Massachusetts Boston (UMB) and its partner college Bunker Hill Community College, focuses on science and technology. UMB shares GCU’s commitment to attracting and nurturing students from a wide range of backgrounds as well as delivering talented global graduates, and the partnership has already attracted a prestigious Prime Minister’s Initiative British Council award to support a staff and student exchange programme.

The University has entered a partnership with Deccan Education Society’s Institute of Advanced Studies, a flagship of higher education in India for 125 years, to contribute to the delivery of innovative PgCert Clinical Microbiology and Food Bioscience programmes in Pune. Students who successfully complete the programme can transfer to the equivalent MSc programmes at GCU. The agreement will lead to a range of joint postgraduate courses in biological and biomedical sciences as well as exchanges, research collaborations and other partnerships in life sciences.

GCU’s Memorandum of Understanding with the US’s Stony Brook University allows it to establish scientific, academic and student exchanges. Stony Brook, in New York’s Long Island, is an internationally recognised research institution with more than 21,000 students, and is rated in the top one per cent of all universities in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings and also in the top 100 USA public national universities. Like GCU, Stony Brook’s academic prowess and practical application of technology is coupled with a widening participation focus.

The University has signed a Letter of Intent to work with Brazil’s Federal University of Rio De Janeiro (UFRJ). As well as creating a collaborative education relationship, the memorandum will allow the universities to establish research links and staff and student exchanges. The relationship will focus on the University’s School of Engineering and Built Environment and UFRJ’s Cento de Technologia (COPPE). The first stage of the collaboration will see the establishment of exchange programmes for doctoral students and visiting professorships.

The University signed a Co-operation and Exchange Agreement with Zhejiang University of Media and Communications in Hangzhou, China, in 2012. The agreement, with the University’s Glasgow School for Business and Society, will allow students who have successfully completed three years of undergraduate programmes in advertising, public relations and creative media to apply for direct entry into Level 4 of an appropriate full-time Bachelor (Honours) degree programme at GCU, for example BA (Hons) Media and Communication. Zhejiang University of Media and Communications was established in 1984.

GCU is working with the Guanghua Nurse Fund (GNF), under the China Guanghua Science and Technology Foundation, to enhance the education and training of the country’s nurses and health-care related staff. To enhance international education collaboration, GNF has established the Guanghua International Education Association, which works closely with departments in the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education. GCU works with the organisation on a range of activities, for example the School of Health and Life Sciences is hosting Chinese nurses for top-up Bachelor’s degrees, and hosted the GNF annual conference 2012 in London and 2013 in Lisbon. The collaboration aims to include postgraduate level study, professional training, and research.