SPbPU students will be able to obtain a second degree from a university in New Zealand

Peter the Great St.Petersburg Polytechnic University (Russia) and New Zealand University IPU New Zealand signed an agreement on cooperation in the framework of the international educational program of the Master’s degree program International Business Development. According to the new agreement, Russian and international students will be able to obtain two degrees at once. The first one – after a year of study in New Zealand (Postgraduate Diploma, Level 8), the second one – after studying at Polytechnic University (Master’s degree from SPbPU). The degrees of higher education of two different systems – Bologna and British – will significantly increase the competitiveness of future graduates on the international labor market. The duration of education will not change.

The International Business Development program is implemented by the Institute of Industrial Management, Economics, and Trade (IIMET) of SPbPU. “Despite the coronavirus pandemic, IIMET has made significant progress in establishing a partner network in New Zealand. We have formed a pool of partners with whom we continue to negotiate – particularly in the area of development international educational programs,” noted IIMET Director Vladimir SHCHEPININ. “We understand the values of New Zealand universities, the peculiarities of the education system, and the main points of prospective cooperation. And I must say that the interest is mutual. In the near future, our main task is to expand the cooperation on other international programs and to intensify the joint publication activity.”

An important step in the development of the new program will be obtaining accreditation by NZQA (New Zealand Qualifications Authority). According to IIMET Deputy Director for International Activities Nikita LUKASHEVICH, this accreditation will allow the New Zealand partners to recognize the results of the SPbPU program and enable the graduates to get a Master’s Degree, Level 9, in New Zealand.

According to Kiwi Education, Polytechnic University has become the first Russian university, which in 2020 has signed a cooperation agreement with a New Zealand university. In addition, New Zealand was the first region where SPbPU went online. “We are glad that it was Polytechnic University that turned out to be the first university in history to sign a cooperation agreement with a university in New Zealand. This is not an accident, but the result of hard, patient collaboration, an understanding of the current changes in the world of higher education, and the highest professionalism on both sides,” stressed Serge NAIRI, Platinum Standard Education President and Kiwi Education Development Director.

“We are very grateful to our colleagues at Kiwi Education for the support and fruitful collaboration that began at the annual Asia Pacific Association for International Education APAIE in 2019. Kiwi Education is the leading accredited operator of the New Zealand education market. For more than two years, New Zealand colleagues, international services, and SPbPU institutes have been actively involved in negotiations, which, as you can see, have been confirmed by successful cases. I am sure that there will be new excellent results in our cooperation,” commented Olga EMELYANOVA, Head of the Department of International Educational Programs and Academic Mobility.

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