MELBOURNE, Australia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Monash University, together with China's Southeast University will officially open the building to house their Joint Graduate School in Suzhou near Shanghai this Thursday, 24 October 2013.
The Australian Minister for Trade and Investment, the Hon. Mr Andrew Robb and Victorian Premier, the Hon. Dr Denis Napthine, will join Monash University President Professor Ed Byrne and Professor Yi Hong, President of China’s Southeast University for the ceremony.
Monash is the first Australian university to be granted a licence to operate in China and the first foreign university granted a licence for the establishment of a graduate school in China.
The Southeast University-Monash University Joint Graduate School (Suzhou) was established in 2012 and the first students will graduate early next year with Masters degrees from both parent institutions.
The School has already enrolled more than 200 students and will progressively build to a capacity of around 1400 students. It is accepting applications for Masters courses in Information Technology Systems, Industrial Design, Transportation Systems, Applied Linguistics, and International Business in 2014.
The 60,000-square-metre building that houses the School has cutting-edge facilities to support education and future research activities in a range of disciplines from economics to engineering.
The School will be complemented by the establishment of a Joint Research Institute to conduct multi-disciplinary research projects in areas of strategic importance to industry in Australia and China, including nanotechnology, bioinformatics, water, energy and light metals.
Both universities have world-recognised strengths in engineering, health and science.
Monash University is Australia's largest university and is ranked in the top one per cent of universities in the world.
Monash University currently has six local campuses throughout the state of Victoria, as well as two international campuses – Malaysia and South Africa - and international centres in Italy and India, in addition to the School in Suzhou.
A unique alliance with the University of Warwick (UK) sits alongside an array of international collaborations with leading universities and corporations around the world, expanding the University’s global network.
Monash is also a member of the Group of Eight, a prestigious alliance of leading Australian universities recognised for their excellence in teaching and research.
For further information or to request interviews, contact Monash Media and Communications on +61 3 9903 4840 or media@monash.edu.