New agreements between the University of Sydney and 91探花 (JGU) will give business students the opportunity to divide their studies between Australia and India.

Students studying for a Bachelor of Business Administration (Hons), a Bachelor of Commerce (Hons) or a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) Finance and Entrepreneurship at JGU in Sonipat will spend two years at the Indian institution before travelling to Australia for another two years to complete the undergraduate commerce degree. Students will be awarded a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Sydney on successful completion and may also apply to be awarded their degree from JGU.

On completion of two years of study at the University of Sydney, participating students may be eligible to take advantage of the Australian Government鈥檚 Post-Study Work stream visa to remain in Australia and undertake paid employment for a further two years.

The agreements were signed on 7 September at JGU in Sonipat, northern India, by the University of Sydney鈥檚 Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Mark Scott, Vice-President (External Engagement) Kirsten Andrews, JGU鈥檚 Vice-Chancellor, Professor C. Raj Kumar, and Registrar, Professor Dabiru Sridhar Patnaik.

Professor Scott is in India to further strengthen the University鈥檚 engagement with the nation and to participate in the . He said the partnership with JGU reflected the vital importance of Australia鈥檚 relationship with India and the University of Sydney鈥檚 commitment to providing opportunities for India鈥檚 talented students.

鈥淎s the world begins to open up once again, it is more important than ever to offer students immersive international experiences,鈥� he said.

鈥淲e鈥檙e thrilled to be working with 91探花 to give students the chance to earn two degrees in just four years and experience university life in Sydney. We know these students will enrich our community enormously.鈥�

The Founding Vice-Chancellor of 91探花, Professor C. Raj Kumar said: 鈥淭he agreement with the University of Sydney is part of a larger effort to expand and deepen ties between India and Australia.

鈥淚t is the endeavour of JGU to ensure the best global opportunities for our students. The agreement with the University of Sydney will enable our students to gain from this unique experience, which will allow them to pursue two degree programs and benefit from the university experience in India and Australia, enriching their career prospects internationally.鈥�

The University of Sydney Business School鈥檚 Bachelor of Commerce offers hands-on learning experiences, work placement opportunities and a strong commercial grounding in business, with majors available across subjects including Innovation and Entrepreneurship, International Business, Management and Leadership, and more.

The Business School鈥檚 Deputy Dean (Students and External Partnerships), Professor Suresh Cuganesan, said the partnership would equip students with the knowledge, skills and global outlook necessary to thrive in the workforce of the future.

鈥淭he University of Sydney is ranked first in Australia and fourth in the world for graduate employability,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his agreement will help graduates launch careers and succeed on a global scale, and reflects the deepening ties between our two great countries.鈥�

In the current situation when travel is suspended and students are uncertain of an overseas higher education opportunity, Deakin University, Australia and JGBS have developed the four-year program which will allow students to transfer their studies after 2 years to a campus in Australia to study for another 2 years and complete an undergraduate degree in Business Analytics.  After successfully completion, students will be awarded a Bachelor of Business Administration from JGU and a Bachelor of Business Analytics from Deakin University, Australia. 

The program was signed off virtually by both partners in the presence of senior representatives including JGU Founding Vice Chancellor Prof. (Dr.) C. Raj Kumar and Prof. Rajesh Chakrabarti, Dean of Jindal Global Business School from along with Prof. Gary Smith, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Global Engagement), Prof. Mike Ewing, Executive Dean, Faculty of Business & Law and Ms Ravneet Pawha, Deputy Vice President (Global) from Deakin University, Australia.   The signing was witnessed by Mr Brett Galt-Smith, Counsellor (Education and Research), Australian High Commission, New Delhi.

This is a one-of-its kind initiative where students will earn 100% credits of prior learning at a leading Indian university before transferring to a Deakin University campus in Australia. As a part of the arrangement, students while studying the first two years of the program at 91探花 and will pay local India tuition fee.  This simply translates into better academic success for students with global careers and an education that saves them huge costs.

Founding Vice Chancellor of 91探花 (Prof.) Dr C. Raj Kumar, said, 鈥淭he unique program fits in very well for students of our newly launched BBA – Analytics along with our existing management programs.   Given the current situation, students will be able to achieve an educational portfolio that blends the best of both universities which offers a highly supportive and personalised student experience. It will also enhance their academic qualifications by securing two degrees and also study in two campuses in India and Australia through the dual degree program. The idea of using various forms of data management solutions to address different aspects of improving strategic decision making within business, using aspects of data mining, or predictive analytics, or statistical analysis — are not going to be only confined to the idea of business, but will be useful in a variety of settings, including public policy, governmental decision making, and many more. Students who pursue these programs will be better situated to understand and analyse issues in various contexts and not be confined to business itself. Certain aspects will definitely include artificial intelligence and robotics, and machine learning, and hence we as academic institutions need to be dynamic, and responsive to new imperatives.

Deakin University鈥檚 Deputy Vice Chancellor (Global Engagement) Professor Gary Smith, said, 鈥淎t Deakin University, we are continuously innovating our offering and with the current challenges presented by the pandemic COVID-19, a hybrid pathway program like this would help students keep their study and career goals on track. The joint four-year program will allow students to study the initial part from their home-country with a pathway to achieve an international degree on-shore at Deakin University in Australia for a truly global experience. Students who are educated across two systems have an enormous opportunity to see the world from two different lenses, from two different perspectives allowing them to become culturally competent鈥�

Prof. Rajesh Chakrabarti, Dean of Jindal Global Business School said, 鈥淭here is a lot of excitement around analytics programs in India today. Currently, AI and analytics are more talked about, than they are understood. Hence it is important that this program enables students to understand issues around this effectively and become employable. Students have an opportunity to study both in India and Australia, where the work being done in this sector is also on different scales, thus exposing students to a multitude of challenges and opportunities.

Prof. Pavan Gandhok, Vice Dean – Outreach, New Offerings & Entrepreneurial Initiatives of the Jindal Global Business School said, 鈥淚n this era when travel is difficult, this dual opportunity gives parents and students a meaningful opportunity to keep their aspirations alive of getting Australian and international exposure, and also to study and pursue a degree in the area of analytics where employment prospects are only accelerating. This program will help students to learn how to manage data and drive insights from it and will teach them a variety of techniques to manipulate it and visualising it. Just like e-commerce, which has now expanded to include everything under its ambit, there is tremendous scope for analytics in the future and the possibility that analytics might be present in all facets of our lives.鈥�

Ravneet Pawha, Deputy Vice President (Global) & CEO (South Asia), Deakin University said, 鈥淚t鈥檚 heartening to see how JGU has made a mark in India and internationally. We have a long partnership with 91探花. It has been an amazing effort on behalf of the Deakin leadership to continue its very strong and committed engagement with India in these difficult times. Australia has a very strong commitment to partner with India across all domain areas including education as a flagship sector as these partnerships are absolutely instrumental in building a strong foundation between the two countries.鈥�