Some two years after Warwick University's unsuccessful attempt at setting up a campus here, another United Kingdom tertiary institution — Queen Margaret University (QMU) — is ready to open its doors in April.
The QMU Asia Campus is a joint venture between the East Asia Institute of Management and QMU, Edinburgh — the product of a seven-year collaboration and the university's first offshore campus. It has a tennis and three basketball courts, a gymnasium, a fully-equipped library, 60 classrooms and state-of-the-art multimedia technology. Leased for a 15-year period, officials said it will cost an estimated $38 million in rent.
About 1,600 students, each paying an average of $10,000 a year in tuition fees, will begin classes in two months' time at the four-storey campus located at Ah Hood Road, off Balestier Road.
The 25 lecturers based at the new campus are tasked with boosting the number of graduates from about 400 to 1,500 in three years.
Although QMU offers several business management degrees in Singapore, hospitality and tourism management remain the most popular among students. With the new campus, the university is looking to introduce courses in banking and finance and heathcare management.
"This joint-venture is a manifestation of our shared vision to take our partnership further," said Professor Anthony P Cohen at the agreement signing yesterday.
He said while QMU collaborates with institutions in India, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Greece and Switzerland, it chose to have its campus in Singapore because of the booming tourism industry, bilingual competency, and strategic location that allows it to reach out to other students in the region, particularly those from China. A bilingual English-Chinese curriculum will be designed for these students, with selected modules taught in Chinese.
Part-time student Darren Tan Wei Beng, 31, is excited about the new campus.
"I will feel like a real student because I can mix with more students on a campus we can call our own, which is three to five times as large as the current one," he said.
Future plans for the new campus include a QMU doctorate programme in Singapore and more student exchanges between the UK and the Republic.
More scholarships will also be offered to attract higher-quality students and a budget of $60 million will be set aside for this. - TODAY/sh
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