Asian Scientist (Dec. 2, 2014) – Australia’s La Trobe University will partner PSB Academy, one of Singapore’s largest private education providers, to offer three of the university’s most popular science degrees in Singapore. The joint venture was launched at PSB Academy’s Delta Campus in Singapore last month.
La Trobe-PSB Academy will offer Bachelor degrees in biomedical sciences, pharmaceutical sciences, and molecular biology. The courses are expected to start in September 2015 with a first year enrolment of about 150 part-time and full-time students.
“The courses are based on La Trobe University’s research strengths in fields such as microbiology, biochemistry and cell biology,” said Professor Jane Long, La Trobe University’s Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic), who was in Singapore to launch the partnership.
According to Prof. Long, La Trobe’s scientific leadership in these fields is demonstrated in the official Excellence in Research Australia (ERA) rankings. She highlighted the importance of providing opportunities for people, not only for full-time students, but also for those who have already entered the workforce.
“One of the things I particularly like about the La Trobe-PSB partnership is that it will afford opportunities for students to study both part-time and full-time. I think that really is important because people who are already engaged in the workforce, perhaps in related areas, have the opportunity to take a La Trobe degree as a means of up-skilling themselves and meeting the challenges of what is coming down the line,” Prof. Long said.
Professor Graham Schaffer, La Trobe’s Pro Vice-Chancellor for the College of Science, Health and Engineering (SHE), was also at the launch event. He emphasized that the degree programs will have a strong research focus and feature hands-on, technique-intensive learning.
“The biotechnology sector is one that is rapidly growing and there is a demand for skilled personnel,” said Prof. Schaffer.
Mr. Evan Law, CEO of PSB Academy, welcomed the partnership as a boon to its over 11,000 local and international full-time and part-time students. PSB Academy has existing partnerships with two other Australian universities, The University of Newcastle and the University of Wollongong.
“We are pleased to partner with one of Australia’s leaders in scientific research. Through this partnership and with PSB Academy’s fully-equipped laboratory facilities, we look forward to offering students an intensive hands-on learning approach to the curriculum for them to be work-ready in one of Singapore’s fastest growing sectors.”
The Singapore joint venture expands the reach of La Trobe’s Pharmacy degree, which has been taught in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for the past eight years. La Trobe also has a joint nanotechnology program with the National University of Singapore.
Asian Scientist Magazine is a media partner of PSB Academy.
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Copyright: Asian Scientist Magazine. Photos: Tang Yew Chung/Asian Scientist Magazine.
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