Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti and Beibu Gulf University in China have finalized an agreement to establish the Eastern Michigan University Joint College of Engineering, Beibu Gulf University.
The agreement calls for a 15-year cooperative partnership that will begin with up to 300 students being enrolled in the new program annually for the first four years, starting in the upcoming fall semester. Overall enrollment on the joint campus eventually will reach up to 1,200 students.
Upon successful completion of studies, students will receive degrees from both Beibu Gulf University and EMU.
The Beibu Gulf campus is in the city of Qinzhou, which is located in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of China. The EMU-Beibu Gulf partnership is the only international joint college in the region, which has a population of more than 50 million people.
Majors that will be offered at Beibu Gulf by the Eastern Michigan University GameAbove College of Engineering and Technology include:
- Mechanical Engineering Technology
- Computer Engineering Technology
- Product Design Engineering Technology
- Construction Management.
Students at Beibu Gulf pursuing these majors at EMU will be simultaneously pursuing majors at BGU in:
- Mechanical Engineering
- Vehicle Engineering
- Mechanical Design and Manufacturing and Automation
- Construction Project Costs
- Internet of Things Engineering
“This is great news to all of us at EMU,” says Mohamad Qatu, dean of the GameAbove College of Engineering and Technology. “It is a result of the hard work and dedication of several faculty members and administrators at both institutions that began in 2018, and was then cemented by an initial agreement in 2019. The partnership will enhance our financial resources and advance the global presence, influence, and reputation of the GameAbove College of Engineering and Technology.”
EMU professors will have the opportunity to teach classes on a limited basis at the
institution in each of a student’s four years of study but will primarily concentrate their teaching in a student’s fourth year as students at the cooperative institution become more advanced. Chinese students in the program also can pursue their fourth year of studies at the Eastern Michigan University campus in Ypsilanti.
“Agreements such as this broaden the university’s international footprint as well as establish mutual international understanding and cooperation with a key overseas partner,” says James Smith, president of EMU. “The plans developed by the two universities offer excellent career preparation for students, and create a new stream of students for EMU and the GameAbove College of Engineering and Technology that further enhances Eastern’s global presence and the rich diversity of our campus.”
The EMU Board of Regents authorized Smith to negotiate and execute final documents for the establishment of the Joint College of Engineering in October 2019.
