Australian university, DLSU establish graduate studies joint program

MANILA, Philippines – The Australian National University (ANU) and De La Salle University (DLSU) in the Philippines have signed an agreement to establish a new joint program of graduate studies in economics at both universities.

The partnership was made possible through the Australian government’s institutional partnerships program in the Philippines.

 The agreement was signed last Aug. 2 at the DLSU campus in Manila.

Under the agreement, one year of graduate studies will be undertaken at DLSU and another year at ANU.

Students who complete the first year of studies will receive a diploma in development economics from DLSU and will be granted entry into the ANU Crawford School to continue their graduate studies.

Those who successfully complete studies at the Australian university will be awarded a master’s degree in environmental and resource economics (MERE) or a master of international and development economics (MIDEC).

Mat Kimberley, Australia’s deputy head of mission to the Philippines, attended the signing. 

“This is a wonderful development and one that we would like to see more of. Education plays a vital role in Australia-Philippine relations, dating back to the 1950s when Filipino scholars were in the first cohort of the Colombo Plan,” Kimberley said. 

Since then more than 3,000 young Filipinos have studied in Australia as part of the Australia Awards Program. Each yearx 10,000 Filipinos study and train in Australia.  

“Today, we are also sending Australia’s best and brightest to study and train in the Philippines under the New Colombo Plan,” Kimberley said.

Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is also working with ANU to deliver The Philippines Update 2016 Conference on Sept. 2-3.

The conference will provide a forum to link Australian and Filipino officials and researchers together to support research on inclusive growth, trade and governance in the Philippines and to look at how development gains under the previous administration can continue under the Duterte administration.   

The Philippines Update 2016 conference is being presented as part of the 70th anniversary celebration of Philippine-Australia relations.