Uclan launches first UK uni in Thailand
The first British university in Thailand – a joint venture between the University of Central Lancaster (Uclan) and Thai Group of Companies – will open shortly, teaching entirely in English on a campus in Samut Sakhon, twenty miles outside Bangkok.
Uclan’s venture builds on Thailand’s policy of establishing itself as a regional hub for education. Uclan president and vice-chancellor Malcolm McVicar told Thai newspaper, The Nation, that the venture has been four years in development, and that Thailand was chosen after Uclan looked at ‘Singapore and Malaysia but found they were too crowded with [education] provision’.
McVicar added, ‘We chose Thailand because the country is a good centre to reach other parts of the region.’ He expects Uclan in Thailand will eventually recruit students from Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Burma.
Uclan back in the UK recruits students from Thailand, particularly to its fashion and design courses, and it has an international reputation for linguistics, especially for its research into the language of business.
The Samut Sakhon campus will in its phase one run courses in English, IT, business management, engineering, fashion and design based on a British curriculum for 5,000 students, of which 20 per cent are expected to come from Europe. There will be research facilities on site and links with local businesses and industries, and a deliberate mix of UK-recruited and local staff.
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