Beginning 2018, Filipinos will have the opportunity to access UK degrees in the country and gain global qualifications through postgraduate programmes offered by Philippine institutions in partnership with UK universities.
Linkages', a collaboration between the British Council and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), aims to upgrade the quality of Philippine higher education by introducing transnational education (TNE) programmes—defined as educational courses provided by institutions in one country to students in another—on subject areas considered national priorities but remain unavailable locally such as food security and disaster risk reduction management.
The local institutions that will offer the programmes include Ateneo de Manila University, Bicol University, Central Luzon State University, De La Salle University, Miriam College, Saint Louis University, Silliman University, University of San Carlos, University of Santo Tomas, and the University of the Philippines. Unlike studying abroad, taking TNE programmes offers a cost-effective way for Filipino students to access high-quality international programmes in the Philippines.
Once students finish the course, they will receive a diploma bearing names of both Philippine and UK universities—an international qualification that is recognised and respected by academics and employers worldwide.
Both learners and institutions will benefit from the UK's expertise in several fields of education such as art and design, business and management, science, engineering, law and finance.
Some courses may even require a few months of study in the partner university in the UK, giving students the experience of living in a foreign country without all the costs involved in a full-time programme overseas.
In addition to taking programmes co-developed by world-renowned universities in the UK, students may also have the chance to be mentored by foreign professors who are leaders in their fields. The learners' exposure to innovative teaching methods and environments will help them develop the skills they need for better career progression.
Once students finish the course, they will receive a diploma bearing names of both Philippine and UK universities—an international qualification that is recognised and respected by academics and employers worldwide.
As part of the project roadmap, executives from the ten Philippines institutions went to the UK last 22-26 May to take part in the Going Global 2017, a conference for education leaders, to raise the profile of Philippine colleges and universities to an international audience. Speaking in one of the panel sessions, CHED Commissioner Minella Alarcon used the Philippines' experience as an example and underscored the importance of government support in the internationalisation of private and public education institutions.
‘Going Global has given us more inspiration to cultivate and sustain an institutional culture on internationalisation, innovation and integration,' said Dr Edizon Fermin, Director for Innovation of Miriam College. 'Moreover it provided Philippine higher education institutions an effective incubation platform to realise their transnational education goals.' he adds.
The 18 programmes being developed are the following:
- MSc on Big Data and MSc Digital Gaming, between the Ateneo de Manila University and the Queen Mary University of London
- MSc in Sustainable Food Systems between the Bicol University and University of Liverpool
- MSc Food Security between Central Luzon State University and Swansea University
- PhD in Sustainable Food Systems between Central Luzon State University and University of Liverpool
- MSc Computer Science, MSc Data Engineering/Science, MSc Robotics Engineering, MSc Sport and Exercise Nutrition between De La Salle University and Liverpool Hope University
- PGCert and MA Designing Education between Miriam College and Goldsmiths College, University of London
- MSc in Disaster Risk Reduction Management (Climate Change) between Saint Louis University and Coventry University
- Joint Research and PhD in Tropical Biological Oceanography between Silliman University and Newcastle University
- PhD in Engineering between the University of San Carlos and Coventry University
- Master of Arts and Design - Fashion Design between the University of San Carlos and Cardiff Metropolitan University
- PhD by Research in Agriculture/Food Security between the University of the Philippines Los Baños and University of Reading
- PhD on Meteorology between the University of the Philippines Diliman and University of Reading
- PhD on Architecture between the University of Santo Tomas and University of Reading
- MSc Public Health International between the University of Santo Tomas and University of Leeds