Scotland’s First Minister has described the inauguration of the University of Glasgow-Nankai University Joint Graduate School – the first postgraduate higher education programme to be set up on a Chinese university campus in partnership with a UK institution – as a tribute to the international standing of her country’s university sector.

Nicola Sturgeon, as part of her first official visit to China as First Minister, observed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the University of Glasgow: the First Minister’s alma mater; and Nankai University, one of China’s top research universities.

The Joint Graduate School opens its doors next month to its first intake of postgraduates who will study a two-year MSc degree in either Environmental Management, International Relations or Urban and Regional Planning.‌

The programmes will be taught in English, at Nankai, by academics from both the University of Glasgow and Nankai University. The dual Masters qualification will be awarded by each university in what is seen as a groundbreaking initiative which offers students the benefits of internationally-excellent teaching and research.

The agreement signed by the leaders of the two universities will allow them to further collaborate in areas of mutual interest, including the development of additional postgraduate programmes, the establishment of a Joint Research Institute, the setting up of a 1+1 Masters programme in Chinese Studies with the potential for students of each partner to spend up to a year of study at the partner institution’s campus, and further development of the Glasgow-Nankai Joint Lecture Series.

Professor Anton Muscatelli, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Glasgow, said: “My colleagues from Nankai University and I are honoured to have this opportunity to share with Scotland’s First Minister, Ms Nicola Sturgeon, our enthusiasm for academic collaboration. This is one of the first ever joint graduate schools on a Chinese campus in partnership with a foreign university to be approved by the Ministry of Education in China and we will work hard to ensure that it delivers both economic and educational benefits to the postgraduates who attend in this and forthcoming years.”

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “This partnership between the University of Glasgow and Nankai University, the first of its kind in the UK, is fantastic recognition of the international standing of Scotland’s university sector. Giving postgraduate students the opportunity to be taught by some of the leading academics in their field from both countries will provide a gateway to new sources of research and business opportunities. I congratulate both institutions and I wish them the very best for the future.”

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First published: 27 July 2015