Martin Li

    martin.mouse@163.com

    THE prestigious Georgia Institute of Technology yesterday launched a graduate program in electrical and computer engineering at Shenzhen Virtual University Park (SZVUP), Nanshan District.

    To serve the first full-time master’s program at SZVUP, Georgia Tech will dispatch a teaching team from its main campus in Atlanta. The school plans to enroll 120 students from around the world each year.

    Students will invest three semesters in the program. During the first two semesters, they will attend classes in Shenzhen. Then they may choose to complete the third semester in Shenzhen or at the Atlanta campus, according to Yves Berthelot, vice president of Georgia Tech.

    Berthelot said students enrolled in the program will have access to all of Georgia Tech resources, including a campus e-mail account and reference materials. Students in Shenzhen will be evaluated in the same manner as those in the U.S., and they receive the same degree upon graduation.

    During yesterday’s launch ceremony, Jennifer Zimdahl Galt, the U.S. consul general in Guangzhou, said Georgia Tech’s Shenzhen program will provide students with an opportunity to receive an American education without going abroad.

    Chinese and U.S. students are learning each other’s language, culture and pursuing cooperation in different areas. There are 230,000 Chinese students studying in the U.S., according to Galt. “Shenzhen is already attractive to U.S. universities. It is a city of innovation and a city where many high-tech companies have established headquarters. It’s a very attractive place for U.S. universities seeking to establish programs,” Galt told Shenzhen Daily.