Zhang Qian

    zhqcindy@163.com

    THE first joint university by China and Moscow State University of Russia, Shenzhen MSU-BIT University, announced Friday it would start construction of its permanent campus in Longgang District.

    A groundbreaking ceremony was held near the Universiade Center in Longgang District last week. Chairman of the Duma of the Russian Federation, Sergei Naryshkin, and China’s vice premier, Liu Yandong, attended the ceremony with other provincial leaders from Guangdong and municipal officials in Shenzhen.

    The university is the result of a strategic cooperation deal among the Shenzhen Municipal Government, Beijing Institute of Technology and Moscow State University three months after the two countries’ education departments inked an MOU with the witness of the two national leaders, Xi Jinping and Vladmir Putin, in May 2014.

    China’s Ministry of Education approved the preparation of the university in August 2015. The university is now ready to build its permanent campus in eastern Shenzhen.

    The university will be near the International Bicycle Race-field in Longgang, close to the terminal exit of Shuiguan Expressway connecting Luohu with Longgang. The campus will cover an area of 33.37 hectares and feature a Russian architectural style. The total investment of the campus reached 1.96 billion yuan (US$301 million).

    A transitional campus has already been built near the area to serve as the teaching building, accommodation with a library, offices and lecture rooms for the university’s first postgraduate students to be enrolled this September.

    Unlike many other universities that accept undergraduate students first, Shenzhen MSU-BIT University will welcome its first batch of students for two master’s degree programs in September.

    “We will enroll two classes of postgraduate students in the two majors of nano-biotechnology and bio-ecology and the programs will be taught in English,” Zhao Ping, president of the university during the preparatory period, said at a news conference after the ceremony Friday.

    But the enrollment will only be carried out if the university’s application for the programs is approved by the Ministry of Education before July, said Zhao.

    The president also said that the university plans to have 5,000 students and will offer more than 3,000 places by 2020.

    Apart from some postgraduate programs, all of the undergraduate programs will be taught in three languages — Chinese, English and Russian. Language centers will be set up on and off campus to provide training for both Chinese and Russian for all students, according to the president.

    Both Beijing Institute of Technology and Moscow State University are famous for their math, science and engineering programs. The joint university will open courses such as math and applied math, material science and engineering, physical geography and resource environment. The university will also provide courses in international business, trading and Russian literature.

    In terms of the sources of future students, Hu Haiyan, president of Beijing Institute of Technology, who is also a member of the preparatory board, said 30 to 50 percent of the students enrolled at the joint university will come from countries other than China, especially students from the “Belt and Road” countries. The other half of the students will be Chinese.

    Though the method of enrollment hasn’t been decided or approved by the Ministry of Education, Hu said the university would favor students who are competent at learning foreign languages as the courses will be taught in three languages.

    Exchange programs to Russia will also be provided and over half of the teaching staff will be appointed by Moscow State University directly.

    Shenzhen plans to build an international university city in Longgang District.