The UOC consolidates its international presence with over 600 agreements on five continents
The UOC continues work on its global expansion through the establishment of educational alliances with other universities and intergovernmental organizations. "We're seeking to attract students from other countries," explains John Zvereff, director of the UOC's International Development Office, "relations with universities that can bring us prestige while also enhancing our range of courses." At present, of the 38,000 students enrolled this academic year, there are over a thousand international students from some seventy countries.
Since the arrival of the new president, Josep A. Planell, 36 new international agreements have been signed or are in negotiation: twenty in Latin America, three in Europe, three in Asia, two in Africa, one in the United States, one in Australia and four with intergovernmental organizations.
Intergovernmental agencies
Of note among the latter are the agreements signed with the World Health Organization (WHO), which covers a training project related to Health Sciences; with the United Nations Institute of Training and Research (UNITAR), which will see the start of a joint Conflictology programme, and the agreements reached with the FUMI-ISESCO and the UDUAL.
Expansion into Arabic countries
Another of the strategic lines is the one established through an agreement with the online university, Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University, in Dubai for the creation of an Executive MBA in Islamic Finance. This alliance opens the door to the UOC's expansion in Arabic-influenced countries. "It's a dual qualification," explains Zvereff, "where students get part of the teaching with us and another part with them. This means a strategic relationship with regard to the Gulf area and the Arab countries."
Latin America and the Caribbean
Another major focus is Latin America. Proof of this is that the only physical centre that the UOC has abroad is in Mexico. The aim in this area, the UOC's natural market for linguistic and cultural reasons, is to consolidate its presence in Mexico, Colombia (which provides the largest number of international students), Peru and Chile. An agreement has been set up in the last of these with the University of Chile-INACAP that includes various IT and business training programmes as well as a dual qualification in Education and ICT. Besides this, an agreement with iGlobal Funglode, in the Dominican Republic, means that the UOC also has a presence in the Caribbean.
The French-speaking sphere
Another sphere of influence where the UOC is expanding into is the French-speaking world. Through an agreement with the University of Andorra, the Virtual University of Tunisia and the Agence Universitaire pour la Francophonie (AUF), to offer a joint qualification in sustainable tourism, the UOC is strengthening its presence among French-speaking students. This presence is further strengthened through an agreement with the Université Paul Valéry-Montpellier 3.
Over 600 agreements
Internationalization is one of the strategic pillars for the UOC, which has signed over 600 agreements with universities, educational institutions and companies worldwide since was created in 1994 as the first online university. This expansion has been strengthened with the new figure of the Director of Global Business Development, who will be responsible for setting out the lines for the UOC's internationalization.
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