Shorelight Education has announced a partnership with the University of Massachusetts Amherst to offer blended master’s programmes for international students delivered on-campus and online.
The joint initiative between the two entities, UMass Amherst Global is set to launch in summer 2017, and will offer master’s degrees in electrical and computer engineering subjects.
“We are excited to partner with Shorelight Education to bring the world-class faculty and student experience of UMass Amherst to top students across the globe through an innovative combination of new technology and on-campus learning,” said Katherine Newman, provost and senior vice chancellor for academic affairs at the university.
Students will complete part of their degree through live video lectures, held locally by Shanghai Jiao Tong University
UMass Amherst Global will welcome students to the UMass Amherst campus for intensive summer. Students will then complete the rest of their degree through live video lectures taught by UMass faculty.
The first 18-month course to be offered is the MS Integrated Field Degree in electrical and computer engineering, and will continue in Shanghai, China.
Online courses will be delivered by Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Students will have access to support in English and their native Mandarin through involvement of UMass Amherst’s Translation Center in the College of Humanities and Fine Arts.
The creation of this will degree will enable UMass Amherst to “broaden our impact globally”, commented Newman, adding that the partnership will also provide the institution with an additional source of revenue which will support its educational mission.
Shorelight partners with universities in the US to build new degrees and provide other services to ensure that students succeed in their education on campus.
In June this year, it partnered with the University of Illinois-Chicago and the University of the Pacific for its International Accelerator Program.
