Internationalising the University

Since its foundation in 1920, Swansea University has embraced opportunities
to think globally whilst remaining true to its regional roots. The University is
internationally active attracting students and staff from over one hundred
countries with approximately 30% of all new staff recruited over the last five
years from outside the UK. Our Academic Schools enjoy strong and productive
links with partner institutions around the world, and much of the University’s
teaching and research has global relevance.

Many of the University’s degree programmes offer options to spend time
overseas. For example, the School of Business and Economics enjoys superb
international links and offers numerous opportunities for tomorrow’s managers
to study abroad and, in the School of Arts, students on undergraduate
programmes in Modern Languages can spend up to a year abroad improving
their language skills. Similar schemes exist across the University’s range of
academic subject areas and provide an enormously valuable experience
for our students.

The University has led Bologna Process developments in the UK and is fully
engaged with the Erasmus Mundus Programme, in running innovative joint
courses with partner institutions in Europe such as the Erasmus Mundus Master’s
degrees in Journalism and Computational Mechanics, which provide students
with the possibility of study in at least three countries greatly enhancing their
international employability and prospects. Swansea is also in the process of
developing a joint PhD in Engineering with the University of Avignon. Courses
such as these bring together European universities from a number of countries
combining the best academic research and teaching from each of the distinct
national educational cultures.

The University has seen a growth in its student recruitment from overseas and an
increase in its market share within the sector. Swansea is cautiously confident
about projected future growth in overseas numbers due in large part to an
innovative partnership that the University has entered into with Navitas, an
Australian organisation highly experienced in developing university preparation
courses for international students. Navitas, through the International College
Wales Swansea (ICWS) offers new pathways to a Swansea University degree
for overseas students via a range of foundation programmes. The very
successful inaugural student intake lays a strong foundation for future growth
and expansion. ICWS has made an immediate impact on the diversity of the
Swansea University student body, enrolling students from less traditional areas
of recruitment such as Mongolia, Kazakhstan and Turkey. The portfolio of the
College will be further enhanced by the addition of a Pre-Masters Programme
in 2009/10.

The University’s English Language Training Services offers English Language
learning and training experience to students and is seen as mission critical to
the implementation of the University’s internationalisation strategy. Other sources
of support for international students on campus include the International Student
Advisory Service which offers impartial support to all non-UK students and
provides information and advice on non-academic matters, including
immigration and services. The Students’ Union also provides active support
through its International Officer to help integrate students within Swansea’s
international community.

For the Internationalisation Strategy Newsletter, please click here.