The University of Wollongong has continued its expansion into south-east Asia with yesterday's launch of a campus in Kuala Lumpur.
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It is the newest in the University of Wollongong's Sydney Business School stable, and will offer a master of business administration (MBA) to an initial cohort of 20 students.
The campus occupies three levels of a 15-storey building in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia's capital.
It follows programs already established by the UOW Sydney Business School in Penang, in Malaysia's north, and in a suburb of Kuala Lumpur.
Emeritus Professor Barry Harper, UOW's pro-vice-chancellor for the south-east Asia region, said the expansion was part of UOW's transformation into a global institution, with a widely recognised reputation and the ability to create exchanges and other opportunities for Australian business students during what is being called the "Asian century".
"The innovative and forward-looking [universities] are doing this," said Prof Harper, speaking from Malaysia.
"Unless you're giving your students a global view of the world now, you really aren't giving them the best possible education."
According to UOW vice-chancellor Professor Paul Wellings, Malaysia was selected because it was at the forefront of Islamic finance, in which UOW's Sydney Business School holds a strategic interest.
The school is the first from Australia to be accepted into the Global Business School Network, which aims to educate managers and entrepreneurs in the developing world.
"There is a lot of need here for high-quality business schools," Prof Harper said.
"Malaysia is a well-developed country, becoming an economic powerhouse.
"But what they are short of is this high-level expertise broadly across management."
Teaching staff from Australia will deliver at least six of the 12 MBA modules in Kuala Lumpur.
The graduate school has partnered with INTI International College Kuala Lumpur to deliver the new program.
INTI chief executive Amit Sevak said the partnership would allow students to access international academics and visiting lecturers.
"This is a great opportunity for networking and building connections between the students, [UOW's] Sydney Business School and the business community," Mr Sevak said.
"Leveraging off INTI's corporate and government networks, our future alumni will have access to the region's top employers."
The Sydney Business School is a graduate facility of UOW.
