Archived News

Bangor University welcomes Chinese delegation

Bangor University was the location for a study tour of a delegation from the Chinese Education Ministry and a number of Chinese Universities wanting to learn how British universities contribute to developing the regional economy.

Chinese delegation

The delegation was welcomed to Bangor by Vice-Chancellor, Professor John G Hughes and spent the day studying how different initiatives at Bangor University that promote entrepreneurship and regeneration within the region. They also heard the case from Welsh Government on the impact that universities can have on their regional economies.

“We were delighted to have the opportunity to welcome such influential guests to Bangor and to showcase how we work with other agencies to support business in the region,” said Vice-Chancellor Professor John G. Hughes.

In his opening address, Vice-Chancellor Hughes stressed the importance of the University’s excellent links with local authorities- such as their involvement with the Anglesey Energy Park, and, its commitment to growing small businesses, the back bone of the regional economy through schemes which enable small companies to access expertise at the University to help them develop their business.

Come and Visit Bangor Business School's London Centre

The Bangor Business School London Centre has announced the dates of its first ever Open Days.

Taking place on Thursday 30th June, Friday 22nd July, Wednesday 24th August and Thursday 8th September, the Open Days will offer an invaluable opportunity to Image of London meet the staff and to take a look around the facilities at London’s impressive Broadgate Tower. Staff will be at hand to answer questions and to offer advice on everything from accommodation and applying to course structure and learning resources.

Anyone who has applied or is considering applying to the London Centre is invited to register for any of the Open Days.

In the government’s most recent Research Assessment Exercise, Bangor Business School was rated No.1 in the UK for the quality of research conducted by its staff in the areas of Accounting, Banking and Finance. The London Centre brings two of its cutting-edge financial programmes, the MBA in Banking and Finance and the MBA in Islamic Banking and Finance, to individuals who wish to live and study in London.

Interested in International Relations and Politics?

The three year BA in English Language Studies is specifically designed for non-native speakers of English. It provides training aimed at bringing students up to a near-native level of English upon ompletion, as well as training in a wide range of aspects of the English language and English linguistics.

Training includes sociolinguistic aspects of English, the grammar, sound system and semantics of English, the history of English, as well as issues pertaining to English and globalisation, language planning and policy, and educational language. The course also offers the option of certification in TEFL (a Bangor University TEFL certificate), and also allows students the option to minor in a modern European anguage (French, German, Italian or Spanish).

View the flyer

26.05.2011

Interested in Translating in an International Context?

This new MA programme will provide students with theoretical and practical training which will enable the pursuit of the discipline in both an academic and a vocational context. The first semester provides the theoretical and methodological underpinning through modules in Translation Studies and Research Methods. The modules in the second semester provide students with the opportunity to explore areas of personal interest. The first module, Translation in Practice, covers aspects such as machine translation, interpreting, and translation software, whilst the second, the Translation Portfolio, enables students to choose their own corpus of material for translation and commentary. These four modules constitute the first part of the degree programme; the second comprises a 20,000-word Dissertation on a relevant area of the student's choice, under specialist supervision.

View the flyer

26.05.2011

High profile British Council China delegation to visit Bangor....

Bangor University has been selected by the British Council (BC) to host a high profile delegation from China on the 31st of May as part of their UK research visit sponsored by BC. This is part of a 3 year (2009-2011) research project jointly funded by the BC and China National Centre for Education Development Research (NCEDR, an MOE think tank) to study Higher Education Policy for Regional Development in both countries.

Bangor will host a one day workshop to share ideas and experiences on collaboration between higher education institutes, local government and local communities.

Key speakers include Mr Dafydd Hughes Interim Head of Energy & Environment Sector, Department for Business, Enterprise and Technology, Welsh Government and Ms Teresa Cooper, Senior Economic Development Manager, Higher Education Funding Council Wales, amongst many others.

The workshop in Bangor will provide an excellent opportunity to show case successful research innovation projects carried out in Bangor and other Welsh Universities that benefit the Welsh regional development. The workshop will also encourage collaborations between Wales and China, particularly in the area of knowledge transfer.

Click here to view the Workshop Programme.

Should you wish to attend the workshop, please contact Sue Williams, International Development Office by telephone on 01248 382990 (ext. 2990) or by e-mail: aose01@bangor.ac.uk

20.05.2011

Leading Chinese Universities visited by senior Bangor Delegation

Following on from the successful launch of Bangor University’s Beijing Office by the British Ambassador to China, a team of senior academics and administrators headed by the Vice Chancellor, Prof. John Hughes visited leading Chinese Universities in March 2011.

The fact that Heads of School from Law, Psychology, Creative Studies & Media and the Business School were involved in the visits, as well as senior staff from Computer Science and Electronic Engineering, showed that Bangor was determined to actively pursue cooperation and partnerships in China, commented Prof. Hughes.

Delegates from Bangor were welcomed by Presidents, Vice Presidents and Deans on their visits to a number of leading Chinese Universities in the Beijing and Shanghai areas. These Universities included Renmin University, Beijing Normal University, Beihai University, China University of Political Science and Law, Fudan University, Shanghai Jiatong University, Shanghai University, East China Normal University, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, and Tianjin Normal University. The visits have given Bangor academics a valuable opportunity to meet their Chinese counterparts and discuss, in person, areas where closer links could lead to mutually beneficial results. Issues that were raised include joint research projects, faculty and student exchanges and various models of course progression (2+2 at undergraduate level and 1+1 at postgraduate level etc.)

Considerable progress was made on accelerating research links between leading professors in China’s top ten Law Schools and Bangor Law School’s international commercial and business law research group. This builds on existing teaching collaboration between Bangor Law School and China’s elite Law Schools. There was also focused discussion on mutual summer school promotion and programme development collaboration. Bangor currently hosts elite Chinese national exam students on its LLM and PhD programmes.

Dr Stephanie Marriott, Head of School of Creative & Media Studies said “We have been delighted by the shared interests we have discovered with colleagues in top media schools in Beijing and Shanghai and look forward to the development of productive and positive teaching and research partnerships in the very near future.”

Prof. Oliver Turnbull of the School of Psychology said “I have been very impressed by the facilities I have seen and the quality of science that these universities are producing and I am confident that we will be able to deepen our links with China.”

In addition to the promising visits and discussions, Bangor is pleased to announce that during this visit to China, agreements have been signed with Shanghai University, China University of Political Science and Law and the Southwestern University of Finance and Economics. Dr Wu, Bangor’s Director of International Development said “These agreements are a tangible measure of Bangor’s increasingly international outlook and we hope that they are the first of many in the coming years.”

25.03.2011

Partnership and Cooperation the key themes at the Opening of Bangor University's Office in Beijing, China

Bangor University has officially opened an office in Beijing, China with the launch being led by the University's Vice-Chancellor Professor John G Hughes and including speeches by both the UK's Ambassador to China, Sebastian Wood CMG and Director An Yuxiang of the Chinese Services Centre for Scholarly Exchange (CSCSE). The event also included the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between CSCSE and Bangor University.

In his introduction Professor Hughes said "Bangor is well established as a destination of choice for Chinese students and China forms a key part of Bangor's strategy to recruit 20% of its students from overseas." However the underlying theme of the event was not one of recruitment but partnership, Bangor's commitment to which was illustrated by the agreement with CSCSE that was signed at the same event. Professor Hughes said "Partnership is the way forward and that is not just in the terms of student recruitment and exchange but in areas such as research collaboration and quality assurance. These partnerships need to be underpinned by deep, trusting relationships and joint activities." He went on to add "In my opinion the UK Education sector has a lot to learn from their Chinese counterparts. This new office and the MoU with CSCSE demonstrate Bangor's intention to be at the forefront of this knowledge exchange."

In his address Ambassador Wood took up the partnership theme saying, "The Prime Ministers of both China and the UK have recently confirmed their commitment to a 'Partnership for Growth' in which they will contribute to each others development strategies." He went on to talk about how, as China moved into the next phase of its development that the UK was well placed to be a valuable ally in the development of the Chinese service sector particularly in areas such as finance, business and education. He concluded by congratulating Bangor on the establishment of its Beijing office saying "I am confident that it will lead to a further deepening of Bangor's relationships with its Chinese partners to mutual benefit."

Before signing the MoU Director Yuxiang, again echoing the theme of partnership, said that "It is a special day for the CSCSE and Bangor as this MoU will deepen cooperation between the two institutions, to the benefit of both, and provide greater opportunities for Chinese students."

Summing up the success of the event Dr Xinyu Wu, Bangor's International Development Director concluded by saying that she expected that this type of activity would allow partners to increase "Mutual respect, mutual understanding and mutually beneficial collaborations."

Also present were British Council Education Marketing team, senior representatives from a number of Bangor University’s partner universities based in Beijing including Beijing Normal University, China University of Political Science and Law, Renmin University, Beihang University, State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs (SAFEA) and the Chinese Services Centre for Scholarly Exchange (CSCSE) and a number of Bangor's Chinese Alumni.

Bangor has a very active Chinese Society and Chinese students play an important part in internationalising the Bangor student experience. There are now over 700 Chinese students at studying at Bangor.

Picture1:Vice Chancellor, Professor John G. Hughes, British Ambassador, Sebastian Wood and China Service Centre for Scholarly Exchange (CSCSE), Director AN, Yuxiang

Picture 2: Vice Chancellor, Professor John G. Hughes with the Director of the Beijing Office, Luna Wu

18.03.2011

Mardi Gras Carnival!

Bangor Students' s Union is teaming up with the International Students' Welfare team and Bar Uno to bring you the party of the year. Find out more....

21.02.2011

Exploring and celebrating the diversity of nationalities and cultures represented amongst students

Bangor University Students' Union will be exploring and celebrating the diversity of nationalities and cultures that are represented amongst our students. The event will feature talks, presentations and photos from students who have come to Bangor from all over the globe and will be a fantastic evening of sharing, learning and understanding. The event will take place on Tuesday, 22nd of February in the Main Arts Lecture Theatre (MALT) at 6pm. There will be a warm welcome for everyone and entry to the event is free.

Have you always wanted to tell others about your country and culture? If so, get in touch with Rich Gorman - More speakers needed!

14.02.2011

Chinese New Year Celebrations- A huge success with students and staff!

The Chinese New Year celebrations took place at PJ Hall on Saturday, 5th February, where over two hundred students and staff gathered to join in the festivities.

The four-hour festival began with a serving of deliciously hot Chinese food including dumplings and spring rolls. Students and staff all joined together to sing a variety of Chinese songs and took part in traditional dances and numerous fun games.

The celebration, sponsored by Bangor Business School and the Chinese Society was a great success and has developed into a major community event over the past few years.

The Vice-Chancellor, Professor John Hughes, attended the celebration and was joined by Professor Philip Molyneux, Head of the College of Business, Social Sciences and Law and Dr Xinyu Wu, Director of International Development.

Professor Hughes wished all those present a Happy New Year and discussed the University values, the links with Chinese institutions as well as our current Chinese students and alumni. The Vice-Chancellor also announced the launch and opening of Bangor’s China Office in Beijing, a trip that he is very much looking forward to in March, 2011.

09.02.2011

Chinese New Year Celebration

Bangor Business School will be hosting a Chinese New Year Celebration event (in conjunction with the Chinese Society) in PJ Hall on Saturday,

5th of February, 2011. The event will begin at 12:30p.m. and finish at 4:00p.m. Join in the celebrations.

Wishing you all a happy and prosperous new year! 新年快樂

31.01.2011

International Evening

An evening of song and dance to celebrate the diverse cultures and nationalities will be held at the University. Come and join us in PJ Hall, Main Arts Building on Friday, 11th of February at 6:00pm.

View the International Evening video...

Bangor offers ten new international Forestry distance learning Scholarships thanks to the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission

Staff at Bangor University’s School of Environment, Natural Resources and Geography (SENRGy) are delighted to announce that the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC) have agreed to fund 10 places for scholars from developing commonwealth countries to study on the MSc Forestry (distance learning) course. The scholarship will include international tuition fees, plus a travel scholarship to enable scholars to attend a field course in 2012 or 2013.

Dr James Walmsley, Distance Learning Co-ordinator, said "The CSC has previously funded individual PhD projects in SENRGy but this is the first time they have agreed to fund a taught postgraduate programme.

“There has been growing interest in our distance learning course from forestry professionals from developing countries in recent years. These prestigious distance learning scholarships will enable 10 international students to study for their MSc Forestry degree, whilst living and working in their own countries. We hope that, through studying this course, we can impart knowledge, skills and ideas to facilitate sustainable forest management in a number of developing commonwealth countries," he added.

The School have been running forestry-related distance learning courses since 2002 and have so far produced 71 graduates; people who would otherwise not had the opportunity to study for a postgraduate degree. The course team continue to revise and update teaching materials, with ever greater use being made of e-learning technologies, to enhance both individual and group work learning and assessment.

Please email distance@bangor.ac.uk for further information.

27.01.2011

If London is where you want to be...then study at the No. 1 Business School for Accounting, Banking and Finance*

Bangor Business School has oficially launched it's new centre in the heart of London's financial district.

Currently ranked No 1 in the UK for Accounting, Banking and Finance research*, Bangor Business School will be offering two full-time MBAs and one part-time distance learning MBA at its prestigious premises at Broadgate Tower in the heart of London’s financial district.

The school’s flagship programme: MBA Banking and Finance and the highly popular MBA Islamic Banking and Finance will both be delivered in London on a full-time basis. Both programmes will be almost identical to the Bangor-based programmes as the same senior staff and Professors who teach in Bangor will also teach in London. London-based students can therefore be assured they will receive the same high quality educational experience as their counterparts at the University’s north Wales campus.

Also delivered at Bangor’s London Centre is the unique Chartered Banker MBA which provides a dual award of an MBA and professional ‘Chartered Banker’ status (in partnership with the Chartered Institute of Bankers Scotland). This MBA will combine distance learning with face to face workshops in London.

Professor Phil Molyneux, Head of Bangor Business School, says, “We have one of the leading Banking and Finance faculties in Europe and our research offering in this field is officially second to none.

Now is our opportunity to deliver three outstanding programmes that are extremely relevant to the challenges that banking faces today and from a truly international location.

Platinum and Gold Scholarships

To celebrate the launch of the London Centre, Bangor Business School will be awarding a limited number of Platinum and Gold scholarships to the first cohort of students enrolling in September 2011.

Gold scholarships are valued at £5,000. Platinum scholarships – worth £10,000 – are exclusive to the London Centre. All individuals who are made an offer of admission on to the MBA Banking and Finance and MBA Islamic Banking and Finance courses will automatically be considered for an award.

Further information is available at www.bangor.ac.uk/london

* according to the most recent Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) conducted for the UK Government

21.01.2011

Reception for International Students

Bangor University’s Vice Chancellor has hosted the first of many country specific receptions for international students.

The University has a large international student body, representing a wide and diverse range of nationalities and cultures. Image of Students from India at the International Reception Bangor is committed to ensuring that overseas students have a positive experience whilst studying at Bangor and, as part of this, the University's Vice Chancellor, Professor Merfyn Jones, will be hosting a series of receptions throughout the year.

The first such event was held on the 1st of December at the Management Centre, with students from all countries within the Indian Subcontinent invited.

The purpose of the receptions is to give students an opportunity to meet staff and other students from their home countries in an informal setting.

Alan Edwards, the University's International Student Welfare Adviser, said the first reception was a “great success”. He said,

"Such events are an excellent opportunity for the University to extend a warm welcome to its overseas students who have made such a commitment to travel from home and study in a different country. We hope the receptions will help them to feel at home at Bangor".

Postgraduate Student, Vaibhav Dewan from Deli and President of the Indian Society at Bangor was present at the reception. He said,

“When we come from our home country we remember our families that we’ve left behind; mum, dad and everyone else. Now when we see people of the same colour, same ethnicity, same costume, same eating styles it feels like being at home again. This kind of event is simply great and also gives us the opportunity to get to know staff and students from other cultures outside India too.”

A number of receptions will be held throughout the academic year. Details of the next reception will be available soon

02.12.09

Bangor in Top 15

Bangor was placed in the top 15 universities in the UK during the most recent Times Higher Education Student Experience Survey. This prestigious study assesses each university in several important areas such as facilities, teaching quality, welfare services, overall study environment and campus security. Once again Bangor performed superbly well and can be compared favourably to other top UK institutions which include Cambridge, Oxford, Sheffield and Loughborough.

The Developing Association between Wales and the UAE

A member of the Abu Dhabi ruling family has achieved outstanding success in his PhD degree awarded by Bangor University's Business School.

After gaining his MPhil at Cambridge University, Sheikh Hazza bin Sultan Al-Nahyan, enrolled on a PhD programme at Bangor Business School undertaking research in "Natural Resources, Economic Development and Security in the United Arab Emirates", supervised by Dr David Law and Professor Phil Molyneux, Head of the Business School.

The timing of Sheik Hazza bin Zayed al Nahyan's award coincided with a milestone in the history of Bangor Business School of being officially rated the No 1 department in the UK for Finance and Accounting Research, according to the results of the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise.

Following his viva voce, Sheikh Hazza commented: "I inherited my Royal title but I am very glad to have gained my PhD independently. I have enjoyed the friendly and supportive atmosphere at Bangor, the encouragement of my family and the support of my advisor, Dr. Walid Al-Dargazelli."

Reflecting on Sheikh Hazza's success, Dr David Law said: "Sheikh Hazza was a very good student, who was especially impressive in his articulate defence of his wide-ranging PhD thesis in the final viva voce examination. I am sure that his work will enable him to make a substantial contribution to the future development of the UAE."

UK citizens will be most familiar with another member of Sheikh Hazza's family, his uncle Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, the owner of Manchester City Football Club, which is managed by the Wales ex-International footballer Mark Hughes, who is coincidentally an Honorary Fellow at Bangor University. Sheikh Hazza himself is not merely a successful academic; since childhood he has also been a keen sportsman, with especially active interests in falconry and horse-riding. In 2005 he won the World Championship in endurance horse-riding.

Bangor Business School also enjoys close ties with other countries on the Arabian peninsula. Students funded by the King Abdullah Scholarships of Saudi Arabia enroll on Masters degrees in Accounting, Banking and Finance. Bahraini students also enroll every year on Banking and Finance bachelor degrees through a partnership agreement with the Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance. Also members of the Qatari Al-Thani royal family have also graduated from Bangor University in recent years

Bangor Business School's recent launch of a suite of MA and MSc degrees in Islamic Banking and Finance has proved to be extremely successful, attracting students not only from the Gulf States but also from a number of Islamic banking organizations.

Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, Sheikh Hazza's uncle and President of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, helped to fund the Centre for Islamic Studies at the University of Wales, Lampeter in 1997.

Student Ambassadors

Bangor University strongly believes in looking after their students. That’s why Bangor now has six International Student Ambassadors to support international students. Meet the Ambassadors..

International Student Barometer Results 2008

The results of a recent prestigious study have once again shown Bangor to be amongst the leading universities in the UK for providing high quality academic and welfare support to our international students. More...