USC, Jiao Tong launch joint institute

Shanghai Jiao Tong University signed an agreement this week with the University of Southern California to jointly establish a cultural and creative industry institute.

Positioned as a world-class teaching and research base, the USC-SJTU Institute of Cultural and Creative Industry aims to cultivate high-level management and technical talent for the industry.

The University of Southern California (USC) is a world leading private research university founded in 1880 with its main campus in Los Angeles, California, a global center for culture and arts.

Shanghai Jiao Tong University has actively developed its culture and arts disciplines in recent years. It has established more than 20 related research institutes, such as the Global Communication Research Institute and the Media Culture and Social Development Advanced Research Center.

"By leveraging the resources of the two universities, the new institute hopes to cultivate more high-level talent and help improve the core competition of the cultural and creative industry in Shanghai, and even all of China," said Zhang Jie, president of Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

The new institute will offer only master's programs initially, such as a culture and creative industry management double degree, master's in arts and master's in cultural industry economics and financial investment.

It plans eventually to launch MBA, EMBA and DBA programs in the cultural and creative industry when the time is right, according to Zhao Feng of the International Cooperation and Exchange Department of Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

The institute will use the education mode and cultivation plan from USC, and introduce quality core curricula and education resources. The faculty will mainly come from the two universities, she said.

According to current plan, the institute's scientific research base and advanced training center will be located at Qiantan International Business Zone in the Pudong New Area, while its teaching center will be at the Zizhu International Education Park in the city's Minhang district.

The establishment of the new institute is still awaiting official approval from the Ministry of Education. The first batch of students is expected to be enrolled in 2016.