Students graduate at first full in-person Birmingham-Guangzhou ceremony

Students today graduated with their University of Birmingham degrees from the Jinan University-University of Birmingham Joint Institute’s (J-BJI) first full in-person graduation ceremony.

The ceremony saw 195 students receive their Birmingham degrees in the special ceremony held on the Jinan University campus, in Guangzhou.

University of Birmingham Vice-Chancellor and Principal Professor Adam Tickell was joined by President of Jinan University Professor Song Xianzhong at the ceremony, where the students received their certificates in front of their families.

Key elements of the University of Birmingham’s graduation ceremony were incorporated into the event – including a specially commissioned ceremonial mace, which was shipped to China after being created in the UK.

President Song and Professor Tickell also signed a joint Memorandum of Understanding to explore the delivery of joint postgraduate programmes at JBJI in Bioinformatics, Data Science & Statistics, Financial Mathematics, Financial Engineering, and Artificial Intelligence.

Professor Adam Tickell commented: “It is wonderful to see our students graduate from the Jinan University-University of Birmingham Joint Institute in a full in-person ceremony, which allows them to properly celebrate their achievement with their families.

“Achieving a joint degree is never easy, but this cohort of graduates deserves recognition for overcoming the challenges imposed by the global COVID-19 lockdown, as they successfully combined online and in-person study.

“J-BJI’s programmes already give undergraduate students in China the opportunity to achieve high-quality dual degrees, whilst experiencing the study methods used at the University of Birmingham. I look forward to extending this wonderful experience to future postgraduate students.”

President of Jinan University Professor Song Xianzhong commented: “We have walked together on an extraordinary journey. However, I am gratified that you have not been intimidated or deterred. Instead, you have maintained a dedication to academic excellence and comprehensive development. The overseas universities that you are admitted to for further studies are all in the world’s top 100.”

“I wholeheartedly wish you all the best as you embark on a journey of great expectations. May you have both ‘the river currents like smaller forces’ to cultivate your inner character and ‘the great silent and steady forces of Creation’ to embrace the world and the future. May you grow stronger through the trials and tribulations, and become more resilient from the tests you encounter. May you always retain your innocence, embrace life with enthusiasm and live a colorful life.”

The partnership between the University of Birmingham and Jinan University was founded in 2017. Students experience a UK-style education in China. Each of the four-year programmes includes innovative modules designed to develop problem-solving and team-working skills - building their ability to apply maths to real-world problems.

Subsequent postgraduate taught programmes have been linked to the innovative education programme and J-BJI graduates can progress onto taught postgraduate programmes in Mathematics-related subjects and programmes in the College of Medical and Dental Sciences in Birmingham.

J-BJI graduates have already gone on to great success – moving on to further academic study at US Ivy League universities such as Cornell and Columbia, as well as UK Russell Group Universities including Cambridge, Edinburgh, and St Andrews.

The partnership already offers students the opportunity to earn high quality degrees from both Universities. There will be 280 places available for students in September 2023 and J-BJI will have over 1,000 students by 2024.

Programmes are based on the Jinan University campus and taught by both Jinan University staff and a team of top University of Birmingham mathematicians. 

Professor Jamie Alcock, Deputy Dean J-BJI and leader of Financial Mathematics, at the University of Birmingham, said: "This close collaboration between our two universities is testament to the University of Birmingham’s growing reputation in China. By working in partnership to deliver high-quality education with a global impact, we are giving Chinese students skills that are highly sought after by international graduate employers.”