The Australian university, which will begin teaching at a branch campus in Gujarat's GIFT City, has collaborated with Symbiosis for over 20 years. Deakin will offer a dual degree and an accelerated master's program with Symbiosis in business administration & analytics and liberal arts as part of the new collaboration. Iain Martin, president and vice-chancellor of Deakin University, recently traveled to India to confirm the plan with S B Majumdar, chancellor of SIU and founder and president of Symbiosis Society. Martin said at a ceremony in Pune, "Deakin and Symbiosis have always upheld their commitment to foster global learning and growth outcomes, as well as excellence in research that drives positive impact for international communities".
"We will continue to achieve our goals of education beyond borders and mutually beneficial collaborations, which form the cornerstone of bilateral links between Australia and India, as we have done for over two decades". According to Majumdar, the collaboration with Deakin has provided Symbiosis students with opportunities in global learning, skilling, and research. "Much has already been accomplished, and we look forward to brighter prospects of student/faculty mobility, knowledge engagement and exchange, and enhanced multicultural understanding and global citizenship with the current extension of our partnership", he said.
Students at the Symbiosis Centre for Management Studies in Bengaluru will be able to articulate into Deakin University in Victoria, Australia, under the new agreement. The partners added that the 2+2 program will allow students to benefit from "Deakin's global linkages and world-class research, as well as Symbiosis' vibrant learning ecosystem". After seven semesters at Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts in India, students will be able to progress into the Deakin University program through the accelerated master's program. The five-year program allows students to earn a bachelor's degree from Symbiosis International (Deemed University) as well as a master's degree from Deakin. Over the course of two decades, the partners have developed a strategic alliance that includes a Deakin HUB at Symbiosis International (Deemed University), which will open in 2022. That same year, Deakin announced hubs at OP Jindal Global University and Chitkara University.
"The new offerings will extend brilliant opportunities for ambitious Indian students”
The university's South Asia operations began in 1994 in New Delhi, India, making it one of the region's first overseas education providers, according to the university. Deakin and Symbiosis have also worked together on curriculum internationalization, a women's entrepreneurship research alliance, and mobility. "The new offerings will provide brilliant opportunities for ambitious Indian students to gain access to international academic resources and global career outcomes", the partners added. "The two institutions are facilitating mobility and accessibility as part of their commitment to providing quality education, skilling, and research pathways to help shape successful future outcomes for Indian students".
