Bournemouth University (BU) has announced a major expansion of its international education with the launch of its first Joint Institute in China.
BU’s Talbot CampusThe partnership with Tianjin University of Technology (TUT) will enable students in China to study four BU undergraduate degrees from its campus on the country’s northeastern coast.
The STEM-focused Joint Institute will eventually see up to 1,000 students a year enrol onto programmes in data science and artificial intelligence, product design, mechanical engineering and environmental science. These courses will be delivered by academics from both TUT and BU, and follow a curriculum designed jointly by BU and the partner institution as a dual award.
The announcement follows the recent approval by the Chinese Ministry of Education to establish the Joint Institute, as part of a new wave of Transnational Education (TNE) partnerships.
Professor Alison Honour, Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of Bournemouth University, said: “This partnership is significant, not just for the university but for the region, as we seek to take the best of what Bournemouth has to offer to learners around the world. It comes as we launch our new 10-year strategy, BU2035, which will drive an expanded range of international partnerships to create a truly global organisation for the benefit of our students and staff.
“Around a quarter of the Transnational Education partnerships approved by the Chinese government in this latest round are with UK universities, which demonstrates the continued strength and confidence in our provision.”
The Joint Institute will enable students to study one of the following BU courses: BSc (Hons) Product Design, BEng (Hons) Mechanical Engineering, BSc (Hons) Data Science and Artificial Intelligence and BSc (Hons) Environmental Science.
Professor Christos Gatzidis, Pro-Vice Chancellor Dean for the Faculty of Media, Science and Technology at BU, where three of these degrees reside, said: "We are very excited about this new chapter for both the faculty and university, as we increase our reach through this international partnership and demonstrate our commitment to excellence in STEM disciplines. There is so much that our respective students, and staff, can and will learn from one another through this joint endeavour.”
The international partnership is the second to be announced by BU in the last 12 months.
In September 2025, the first students enrolled on one of two degrees provided by BU at British University Vietnam. This partnership provides students in Vietnam with opportunities to study for a BA (Hons) Tourism Management and a BA (Hons) in Events Management.
