Warwick to offer joint degrees with Paris and Brussels

The University of Warwick has announced plans to collaborate with universities in Paris and Brussels, with proposals set to include sharing staff, offering joint degrees and creating a series of student exchanges.

The initiative was launched in the Shard, the University of Warwick’s base in London, and was signed by Warwick’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Stuart Croft, the Président of Université Paris Seine, Professor François Germinet, and Professor Caroline Pauwels, Rector of Vrije Universiteit Brussel.

All three universities have agreed to commence work immediately on a detailed programme of research and teaching partnerships, which will be established over the next four years.

All three universities have agreed to commence work immediately

The University of Warwick will work with L’Université Paris Seine to create a Joint Masters in Mathematical Modelling, aiming to be ready in 2019/20, and to develop a number of student exchanges, including a potential exchange between L’Université Paris Seine and Warwick Business School.

In addition, both universities will collaborate to put together two academic conferences, one on Global Complexity, which will take place in 2018, and an Arts and Heritage conference, set to take place in 2019.

In collaboration with Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Warwick will look to establish a double MA Degree, linking Warwick’s Politics and International Studies programmes (PAIS) with VUB’s Institute of European Studies Advanced Masters in European Integration. This degree is set to be in place by the 2019/2020 academic year.

The University of Warwick will work with L’Université Paris Seine to create… a potential exchange between L’Université Paris Seine and Warwick Business School.

Additionally, both universities will explore a partnership between Warwick Medical School and VUB’s Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, possibly including areas such as reproductive health.

Speaking to the Guardian, Vice-Chancellor Stuart Croft commented that the future collaborations were “despite Brexit, not because of Brexit”.

Croft went on to add: “We chose to act now, not just to show our commitment to work together in future but to begin work on a range of activities that delivers on such a commitment.”

As well as working to establish joint degrees and student exchanges, the University of Warwick will also look to establish five reciprocal joint PhD studentships with both L’Université Paris Seine and Vrije Universiteit Brussel.

Deputy Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Europe), Seán Hand, commented that the partnership agreements are part of the “first phase” of Warwick’s “growing international collaborations”.

“It’s in the DNA of Warwick to be a highly internationalist university.”