Iskandar Investment Group has started the year with a deal between Iskandar Education Enterprise Sdn Bhd and the University of Southampton to develop the University of Southampton Malaysia Campus (USMC) in EduCity, Iskandar Malaysia.
Due to open next year with 60 students, the 1.39 acre USMC will be part of the Multi-Varsity Enterprise Complex, which will also house the Netherlands Maritime Institute of Technology campus and a Students Centre, shared among tenants.
With the proposed second phase of development, USMC will expand its own standalone campus, with enrolment expected to reach about 1,151 students by 2019.
USMC in EduCity@Iskandar will offer both undergraduate and post-graduate courses in mechanical, electrical and aerospace engineering. It will offer undergraduate courses in engineering for the initial two years of the programme, with a seamless transition to Southampton’s campus in the UK for the last two years. This will guarantee a unique “Southampton” educational experience, combining the best of the UK and Malaysia.
The deal marks another significant milestone in the journey of Iskandar Investment towards establishing EduCity@Iskandar as Asia’s leading education hub. It is Iskandar Investment’s fifth partnership with an internationally-recognised educational institution.
“The University of Southampton Malaysia Campus in EduCity@Iskandar will boost the region’s education offerings and enhance the nation’s capacity building towards becoming a high income economy. It will also address Malaysia’s shortage of engineers and our ability to meet the demand for 200,000 engineers by 2020,” said Datuk Syed Mohamed Syed Ibrahim, President and CEO of Iskandar Investment.
USMC will join other globally-recognised educational institutions in EduCity@Iskandar, which include the Newcastle University Medicine Malaysia (NUMed) and NMIT.