October 10, 2014

Global Double-Degree Masters program prospects boosted with MoU

UOW is one step closer to being able to offer a Global Double-Degree Masters program having signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with one of Germany’s leading higher education and research institutions, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU).

Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Wellings met with the President of FAU, Professor Dr Karl-Dieter Grüske, on Tuesday 7 October to sign the agreement, which will boost UOW’s capabilities as an international education provider with strong links to international high-ranking institutions.

“Students enrolled in the International Master of Science degree will have the opportunity to obtain two degrees from two highly ranked international universities situated on two different continents,” Associate Dean (International) of the Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, Associate Professor Marc in het Panhuis, said.

Over the past two years, UOW and FAU have jointly initiated the process for the establishment of a Double-Degree Program. This year, Associate Professor in het Panhuis and his team applied to offer the International Master of Science program with FAU as a partner institution for the specialisation of Medicinal Chemistry/Chemistry from 2015.

“FAU was a natural choice as the first partner for a double-degree program as we have strong and longstanding links from both the educational side and the research side,” Associate Professor in het Panhuis said.

The School of Chemistry has had an affiliation with the German institution for more than a decade, with academics from the school regularly visiting FAU and vice versa.

Professor Dirk Guldi of FAU is actively involved in the ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science (ACES) and has links with a number of UOW academics, including Associate Professor in het Panhuis, Professors Gordon Wallace and David Officer of IPRI.