Trends in Chemical Engineering Education in the Far East
Special Symposium - Education
The Future of European Chemical Engineering Education in a Globalized World
Keywords: chemical engineering programs, far east, opportunities, collaboration
Booming economies in the Far East, most notably the People’s Republic of China, are fuelling demand for graduate chemical engineers. Enrolments in chemical engineering programs are booming with China’s 175 chemical engineering departments producing over 8000 graduates in 2005. This number is growing rapidly with at least one department having 2000 undergraduates enrolled in its programs this year. In countries such as Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand demand for entry into the undergraduate programs is also strong. Government-funded universities are growing, increasing the number of chemical engineering places available while in some countries private universities have recently been established to meet the needs of the local communities. Universiti Technologi Petronas is an example of a private university recently established in Malaysia primarily to educate engineers while the University of Nottingham of the UK has established a campus in Malaysia with private equity in recent years. Across the Far East local universities and private capital are entering into arrangements with Australian, European or North American interests to either establish new chemical engineering programs or to grow existing ones. The growth in the number and size of such programs has led to the growing demand for appropriate engineering educators.
This presentation will address these issues as they relate in particular to Australia, Malaysia, PRChina, Singapore and Thailand. Opportunities for possible collaborations between Western institutions and their Far East counterparts will be presented and discussed.
Presented Tuesday 18, 14:00 to 14:25, in session The Future of European Chemical Engineering Education in a Globalized World - III.
