Aberystwyth University Mauritius: courses targeting the business community starting in September

The university is the fourth UK-based tertiary education institution to branch out into Mauritius. The courses on offer aim to meet the requirements of the business community and are scheduled to start in September.

An emblem of Welsh education, Aberystwyth University has made its first big move outside of Wales this year by opening a residential branch Campus in Quartier Militaire with courses scheduled to start in September 2015.

The courses offered will be branched out under three different departments, namely Law and Criminology, Business Management and Computer science. This branching out into Mauritius of a fourth UK-based university has been made possible following the government and Board of Investment’s initiative over there.

David Poyton, dean of Aberystwyth University Mauritius, states that the government’s drive to turn the island into an education hub was flagged up on their radar. The university now wants to establish itself in the local market as a different and unique option while attracting regional students as well.

“We are introducing a Masters in International Business, which will attract professionals as well as students who want to continue their postgraduate studies. We are largely targeting the business community and want to see what we can bring to them and will be carrying out a range of continued professional developments by liaising with accountants or actuaries to see what is need in the market,” says David Poyton.

He was present alongside colleagues of the university at the Mauritius International University and Career Expo (13 - 15 February), to promote Aberystwyth University Mauritius Branch Campus to potential students.

Promoting student mobility

As the plans unfurl, the university is looking to introduce new developments from September 2016 in other fields such as media, film and television, which is already a strong department within the UK campus. The Research segment will also be on the cards from September next year.

David Poyton says the Mauritian campus has already generated interest among students from the home campuses, who have been asking when they can shift here to continue their stu-dies. The university is thus looking into the options of staff mobility and student mobility for a full semester or year, depending on the students and the schemes.

“Student mobility is a very important aspect of developing transnational education. We hope that in addition to students from Mauritius we will attract students from Africa, India and East Asia. The long term objective is to develop a diverse, multicultural campus. Aberystwyth University has always prided itself on being an educational melting pot. We are working very closely with the Tertiary Education Commission to obtain our accreditation right now,” he shares.

Emphasis will also be laid on extracurricular activities such as engagement with professionals to boost education exchanges, working on presentation skills, organisation of debates or learning about how to write a CV.

For David Poyton, the very fact of having a campus that will develop into a full residential experience will symbolise a unique university experience. The main building comprising the university premises will be ready in June this year while phase two of the building comprising the residential campus and the sports facilities will be delivered in around two to five years’ time.

“Aberystwyth University has got history, a strong philosophy and an excellent network of supportive alumni. We will be looking to expand capacity as we see the need growing,” adds David Poyton.