Manchester Metropolitan launches Joint Education Institute with Hubei University
The Manchester Metropolitan Joint Institute, Hubei University has today (October 18) been officially launched to provide new education programmes in Wuhan, China.
Students at the joint institute (JI) will be able to study on three initial science and engineering undergraduate programmes, with further postgraduate programmes to follow next year. Students also have the opportunity to spend part of their degree course studying at Manchester Met in the UK.
The JI is the next step in Manchester Metropolitan’s plans to build ties with China, increasing the University’s activity in the country and promoting study opportunities in Manchester.
The JI - hosted at Hubei University’s campus - will help to build cultural understanding and collaboration between the two cities, with Manchester Met staff visiting and working at Hubei University alongside JI students. Hubei University is based in Wuhan, was founded in 1931 and currently has 20,000 students.
It builds on the growing partnership between Manchester Met and the city of Wuhan, which is also a twin city of Manchester.
Manchester Metropolitan’s new office premises in Wuhan was officially opened by the British Ambassador to China, Dame Caroline Wilson, in December 2020. The city has been the University’s regional headquarters since June 2019.
Manchester Metropolitan Vice-Chancellor Professor Malcolm Press said: “The official launch of the Joint Institute is the result of a long-standing partnership between Hubei and Manchester Met, allowing us to combine our knowledge, expertise and skills to educate and inspire future generations of students.
“The partnership gives students the opportunity to study in both Wuhan and Manchester, helping to build cultural understanding and significantly enhancing their abilities to thrive in diverse, multicultural environments both in the UK and China.
“The launch marks another key milestone for the University’s partnerships in China and Wuhan after the opening of our office in the city last year. We now look forward to further strengthening our academic relationships in the country.”
The JI was officially launched at a special ceremony on Monday, October 18, jointly held at Manchester Metropolitan and Hubei University.
The UK and China are leading partners in the field of transnational education with 235 degree-level joint initiatives as of May 2020. According to data from HESA, more than 41,900 students were studying for UK higher education qualifications in mainland China as of 2018 to 2019.
The UK-China Joint Institute Alliance, a consortium of more than 20 UK-China Joint Institutes is supported by the British Council and China Education Association for International Exchange. The alliance provides quality assurance, and ensures that teaching, student experience and faculty collaboration is of the highest quality.
