Success of new joint degree programme between Essex and Northwest University in China

In a first for Essex, academics will be travelling to China to teach on a new joint degree course developed between ourselves and Northwest University.

The prestigious four-year programme, which has been approved by China’s Ministry of Education, will lead to qualifications from both countries with successful students being awarded a BSc in Electronic Systems Engineering from Essex and a BSc in Electronic Information Science and Technology from Northwest. They will be taught in both English and Mandarin.

Students will complete the first three years of the programme in China, with Essex staff travelling to Xi’an to deliver month-long modules, followed by online support from the UK. In the first year, Dr Richard Sutcliffe and Dr Ian Daly, of the School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering, will be going to China in November and March respectively. For the final year of the course, students will be based in Essex.

Dean of Partnerships, Professor Dominic Micklewright, said: “This is a new venture for us – we have developed the course jointly and will be delivering it jointly. Northwest University shares our commitment to excellence in education and excellence in research, so we are looking forward to a very successful partnership and we are delighted it has got off to such a good start, with all 120-places being taken up in the first year.”

Dr Daly, who will deliver a module on the fundamentals of digital systems, said: “I am looking forward to the experience and hope it will be fruitful and mutually beneficial.”

Essex is one of the most international universities in the world, with students and academics from over 140 countries. More than 1,000 Chinese students are already studying here. Vice-Chancellor Anthony Forster will visit Northwest in October, as part of a visit to strengthen links with leading Chinese universities.