The graduating class of Douglas College's dual-degree business administration program in finance celebrated yesterday at a ceremony at the Heilongjiang Institute of Science and Technology (HIST) in Harbin, China.

Minister of Advanced Education Naomi Yamamoto attended the ceremony and spoke to the 137 grads. Yamamoto is in China June 16-25, 2011, to promote international education.

Under the dual-degree program, students can earn the Douglas College diploma in financial services, the HIST bachelor of economics and management and the Douglas College bachelor of business administration.

Students take 52 courses designed to qualify them to work as specialists in global financial markets and international banking. Twenty of the courses are taught in English. As a joint teaching initiative, 26 faculty from HIST have come to Douglas College to receive training and 12 instructors from Douglas College have taught in the program at HIST.

Douglas College started offering its dual-degree program at HIST in 2003. It was modelled on a similar program launched in collaboration with the Shanghai Institute for Foreign Trade in 1998.

The HIST program was selected by the Education Committee of Heilongjiang Province as the best model for joint teaching and international degree-granting programs in the province.

Why It Matters:

International partnerships in education promote B.C. as a safe, high-quality global destination of choice for students and teachers around the world.

Collaboration between educational institutions in British Columbia and other countries builds global relationships and develops foreign trade, investment and business opportunities.

International education builds bridges between cultures and contributes to a more well-rounded education.

In 2010, it is estimated there were 94,000 international students in B.C. (K-12, post-secondary and Language Canada schools). The direct economic benefits of international education in B.C. are conservatively estimated at more than $1.2 billion in GDP, 22,000 jobs and almost $70 million in government revenue.

As an export service, international education is British Columbia's fifth-largest export, accounting for seven per cent of goods exported from the province.

Quotes:

Former student of the program, Jia Gao, now taking post-graduate studies at the University of Sydney, Australia -

"My parents were very supportive of the HIST program because of the advantages of English studies and a western curriculum. They managed to find the money to finance my studies because they believe this is a good investment."

Quick Facts:

• There are now more than 500 graduates from the dual-degree program at HIST. The job placement rate for HIST/Douglas College graduates is 86 per cent, and 12 per cent of the students continue their grad studies at universities around the world.
• There are 500 students currently enrolled in the program at HIST.
  
• In June, 2011, Douglas College was named as the first-ever recipient of the Association of Canadian Community Colleges Internationalization Excellence Award. The award is given to a college or institute that has shown leadership in internationalizing its entire institution for the benefit of its learners and community.
• Over the past decade, at least 100 Douglas faculty members have participated in conferences, research and publication in the international arena.
• Douglas College, located in New Westminster and Coquitlam, is one of the largest colleges in British Columbia, providing a variety of bachelor's degrees, university transfer, career and post-degree programs for over 20,000 students each year.
• In 2009, B.C. introduced the Education Quality Assurance (EQA) designation - the first education brand of its kind in Canada that promotes quality abroad. The EQA brand enables students to make more informed decisions about where they study. All 25 of British Columbia's public post-secondary institutions, including Douglas College, and more than 60 private institutions currently have the EQA designation.

Learn More:

• For information on Douglas College, visit: www.douglascollege.ca
• For information on international education in B.C. visit: http://www.aved.gov.bc.ca/internationaleducation/welcome.htm
• For more on the importance of international education, take a look at: http://www.newsroom.gov.bc.ca/2011/06/launching-the-next-generation-as-international-citizens-1.html

Media Contacts:

Joanne Whittier
Communications Manager
Ministry of Advanced Education
250 952-6400
250 893-5650 (cell)

Dave Taylor
Director of Marketing
Douglas College
604 527-5327