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Peking University and UCL agree joint MBA programme

4 November 2016

Two world-leading universities, Peking University (PKU) and UCL, today reinforced their key strategic partnership, which will see them work even more closely together to address pressing global challenges.

PKU UCL signing

An agreement was signed today between the two institutions to jointly deliver an MBA programme at PKU's campus in Beijing. The Beijing International MBA is a collaboration between PKU's National School of Development (NSD) and the UCL School of Management (SoM). 

The partnership demonstrates how PKU and UCL expertise can combine to create a unique offering. NSD is a leading economics and public policy think tank and SoM is a leading business school focused on technology, innovation, analytics and entrepreneurship. 

It is hoped that the MBA will play a part in educating the next generation of leaders, who will drive China's development and transformation into a knowledge-based economy. 

UCL President & Provost, Professor Michael Arthur and PKU President Lin Jianhua witnessed the signature today. They both agreed that: "We are delighted at how the partnership between Peking University and UCL has developed. Our two great universities are committed to improving access to innovative and excellent research-led education which benefits humanity. Together we can have an even greater impact."

The PKU-UCL partnership is based on strong research and teaching collaborations between academics on both sides, across a wide range of disciplines from medical sciences and city-planning to language education and archaeology.

Signing ceremony

High level delegations have visited both universities, most recently the PKU Chair of Council Professor Zhu Shanlu, accompanying Chinese President Xi Jinping to UCL as part of the State visit to the UK in October 2015, and PKU President Lin Jianhua visiting UCL in April 2016.

The partnership is an example of world-leading universities combining their knowledge and expertise to pioneer news ways of working. This is in keeping with the 'golden era' of China-UK relations and fits well with government initiatives such as the recent UK-China Strategic Framework in Education.

Other examples of bilateral collaborations between PKU and UCL include:

  • The UCL Institute of Education Confucius Institute: focusses on developing Chinese language teaching in UK schools. The Institute recently announced its successful bid for £10 million funding from the UK Department for Education for its Mandarin Excellence Programme.
  • Mega-Urban Development, Smart and Future Cities between the PKU College of Urban and Environmental Sciences and the UCL Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment.
  • Major collaborative research on antimicrobial resistance between UCL Genetics Institute and Peking University People's Hospital, within the framework of the Medical Research Council UK's Newton Fund.
  • The International Centre for Chinese Heritage and Archaeology: a joint centre between PKU's School for Archaeology and Museology and the UCL Institute of Archaeology.
  • UCL China Centre for Health and Humanity and PKU Institute of Medical Humanities will run a Wellcome funded event 'Cross-Cultural Health Humanities in a Digital World', to be held at the UCL Institute of Advanced Studies in November 2016.

Images

  • PKU President Lin Jianhua and UCL President & Provost, Professor Michael Arthur at the signing
  • The signing ceremony - front row, from left: Professor Yang Yao (Dean, National School of Development), Yansong Li (Vice President, Peking University), Dame Nicola Brewer (UCL Vice-Provost, International), Professor Bert De Reyck (Director, UCL School of Management)

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