DUBAI - The University of Southern Queensland (USQ) announced the opening of their university campus at the Knowledge Village yesterday.
Explaining the development of its centre and the opportunity to offer quality USQ degrees, Dr Brian Cook, Executive Director, USQ International said: "Traditionally, North America, Europe and Australia were places where international students went for higher education. In the very near future, we will see a rise of a number of other regional education hubs which will attract international students. We believe that Dubai with its innovative Knowledge Village will be one of the leaders in this race to attract the international student community. Hence this move."
Offering students the chance to complete their Bachelor's and master's degree through a comprehensive distance learning programme, Dr Cook said that students can expect the best of both worlds from the course.
"All students will enjoy all the resources and faciltites including access to a well resourced electronic library system, state of the art lab as well as a large variety of student clubs and social activities. In addition to this, weekly tutorials will also take place which will allow students to ask their queries regarding their subject matter," he said.
Citing the huge demand as one of the main reasons for USQ's arrival in Dubai, Dr Abdulla Al Karam, CEO of Knowledge Village said: "Australia has seen nearly a 300 per cent increase in its student intake from the UAE alone, showing the popularity for Australian education among the local population here. In view of this, it was logical for USQ to establish its campus at the Knowledge Village. USQ is a leading international university from Australia with global standing and we believe that they will be able to attract a significant number of international students to the Knowledge Village campus."
USQ in Dubai will offer full-time three-year Bachelor degree programmes in Business Administration, Information Technology, Tourism and Mass Communication. The university will also offer a full-time and part-time Master degree programmes in Business Administration, Information Technology, Personal Financial Planning and Postgraduate Diploma in Human Resource Management.
For students who do not yet satisfy the academic pre-requisites for automatic entry, USQ in Dubai will offer University Preparation Programmes. These programmes provide opportunity to student to prepare for successful university study and to obtain a guaranteed place in an undergraduate programme.
Students can register for any Distance Learning programme at USQ Australia on USQ Direct at USQ in Dubai. The external cell of USQ in Dubai will offer registration and study support services to enrolled students.