Mumbai University gets invited to set up campuses in UAE, Dubai

The University of Mumbai has received invitation from Dubai and United Arab Emirates (UAE) to set up its campus there.

As per the University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines, Indian universities require permission from UGC to open its campuses in foreign countries.

Sanjay Deshmukh, the vice-chancellor MU, who is also a member of the committee, which drafted the recent version of the Maharashtra Public Universities Act, has been working to include the clause that would permit universities to have an offshore presence.

While announcing the university's budget for 2016-17, Deshmukh said a budgetary provision of Rs 20 lakh has been set aside for the purpose.

The inviting countries will set up the campuses and the university will have to conduct academic activities there.

For its own students who wish to study abroad, the university will apply for membership to the College Board code. This will give Mumbai University students information access to 6,000 American colleges.

"We will take more memberships of European and south-east Asian countries where our students head. This will put them in a comfort zone in terms of accessing information," said Deshmukh added.

The university budget, which has projected surplus of Rs 63 crore from the previous Rs 74 crore, has earmarked funds for various developments in the university including, inter-university and institutional association for student and faculty exchange and development of dual-degree programmes.

University plans online MBA programme

The university is also contemplating to begin an online MBA programme in collaboration with Ural Federal University in the coming academic year . The Russian university's collaboration will offer 17 specializations for students to choose from.

Students will earn a certificate degree at the end of the first year and a degree on completing all the 106 credits in the two-year-long course.

TOI