Students at the UOC will be able to take part in virtual mobility exchanges with Australia's Deakin University

The UOC and Australia's Deakin University are working together to promote international virtual mobility between the two institutions. The new programme, set to kick off in the second semester of academic year 2021-2022, will involve a two-way exchange: students at Deakin will have the opportunity to take courses at the UOC and vice versa. 

This academic year, Deakin University is offering ten places for students of the Master's Degree in International Affairs and Diplomacy (UOC, UNITAR), the Master's Degree in Conflict, Peace and Security (UOC, UNITAR) and the Postgraduate Diploma in International Relations, Geopolitics and Global Governance (UOC, IBEI). Under the agreement, students can study one course of these programmes at the Australian university. At least for now, it will run for two semesters: from March 2022 to March 2023. 

According to Pastora Martínez Samper, Vice President for Globalization and Cooperation at the UOC, this partnership with Deakin University "is an opportunity to get closer to the goal of having global classrooms, with students from other countries and backgrounds. Furthermore, it will give our students the opportunity to study modules at a prestigious Australian university." The Vice President explained that "studying online makes it easier to achieve a more international university community, particularly for those people who are unable, for whatever reason, to take part in an on-site international mobility programme". 

Gemma Xarles, Director of Globalization and Cooperation at the UOC, similarly highlighted the importance of promoting this type of programme with other universities: "Mobility programmes provide UOC students with the opportunity to study at other universities worldwide without moving from their city, as well as helping attract international students, who enrich classrooms by making them more diverse... Initiatives such as this partnership help increase the worldwide prestige of our education and improve our students' learning and competencies", she noted.

About Deakin University

Deakin University, which has five campuses in Melbourne, is one of Australia's top universities, offering both on-site and online learning. Deakin University was founded in Victoria in 1974 and is the sixth largest university in Australia. 

It currently has over 60,000 students, as well as a 270,000-strong alumni community. Deakin University also stands out for its research work, which revolves around four fields: innovation, health, society and the environment.