Curtin Singapore gives students an edge

Curtin Singapore has its roots thousands of kilometers away. Founded in Australia, Curtin University of Technology has been offering courses in Singapore since 1986 through various educational partners.

Enrollment grew consistently over the years and in December 2008, Curtin Singapore opened its own state-of-the-art campus. Its student population has now surpassed 1,000.

Managed by Navitas, a publicly listed global education service provider, Curtin Singapore gives students the opportunity to secure an internationally recognized university degree in the secure setting of Singapore.

Curtin Singapore offers business degrees ranging from accounting and finance to marketing, public relations and human resource management. Last March it began offering programs in health science with a master's degree program in occupational health and safety.

For overseas Chinese students, Curtin Singapore provides distinct advantages.

The institution offers courses at an accelerated pace, which allow students to complete a bachelor's degree in two years of full-time study. Singapore also offers Asian students a safe location where the Chinese language is widely used and Chinese culture readily available.

But, its biggest advantage lays in what Curtin calls its Pathway Programs.

"Our Pathway Programs allow Chinese students to forego the gaokao, the national higher education entrance examination. Students who have completed gaosan (third grade of senior middle school) are able to join the diploma of commerce program at Curtin Singapore, which is equivalent to the first year of the bachelor's degree. Successful students then flow into the second year," said Curtin Singapore's director of marketing and admissions Jeremy Histon.

"Curtin Singapore allows students to gain a different perspective they would never be able to obtain by staying in just one place," said Curtin Singapore Director Teo Yu Gin.

As the global society grows more integrated, the value of obtaining a comprehensive world perspective will certainly become increasingly essential for the professionals of tomorrow, he noted.

www.curtin.edu.sg

(China Daily 08/06/2010 page18)