Leeds Metropolitan University UK  has set up campus in Bhopal for the first time in India. The India campus,  set up as a collaborative venture along with JSWS, Bhopal, is called Leeds Met India and will offer courses in International Business, Business Studies Management, Retail Marketing Management and International Hospitality Management.
 
Prof. Phil Clement, Academic Director, Leeds Met India, who has been teaching and managing academic institutions around the world for 15 years now, is in Bhopal to oversee the new campus. In an interview with DH Education, he talks about his plans for the new collaborative venture.

Why India, and why Bhopal? Did the fact that Indian students comprise the largest overseas students group in the UK prompt Leeds Met UK to start courses here and capture a slice of the education pie?

India is a growing player in the world economy, and we do see a great opportunity here. Over the years, we have found at Leeds Met UK that Indian students make up a majority of our overseas students’ programme. The question for us was: can we cut the Indian students’ cost of living and studying abroad by setting up a campus in India without compromising on the courses or the experience, and the answer was yes.

We already had education links with Bhopal. Considering that the city is located in Madhya Pradesh, we hope to be accessible to students from across the country. 

We’ve had queries not just from local students but also from young people in Sri Lanka, Maldives, Saudi Arabia and Nepal. We have a small presence in Hong Kong too. We are  developing links in South Africa but the Bhopal campus is our biggest effort so far.

Replicating academic standards from Leeds Met UK is surely going to be a challenge. How do you plan to address it?

Leeds Met UK faculty will visit and teach 30 per cent of the course content to students in India. An academic director will be seconded on a full time basis to supervise and ensure smooth functioning of the Bhopal campus. Students will have access to the university’s vast online e-learning resources. They will also get an opportunity to study at least one semester at Leeds Met UK to enhance their career prospects. They would get an exposure spanning across two continents. All students would be awarded an internationally recognised degree from Leeds Metropolitan University UK. 

We have appointed experienced faculty here in India who have shown willingness to work with the UK curriculum. Leeds Met UK professors will mentor them continually through  communication online. Each course has 8 modules a year with module leaders at Leeds Met UK. Next year, we hope the Leeds Met India faculty will visit Leeds Met UK to share their experiences. When it comes to student intake, we can accommodate a maximum of 70 students in every stream. In order to be eligible students need to score at least 60 per cent in their Class 12 examinations and clear our screening test, which is the same admissions procedure we have at Leeds Met UK.

You’ve been interacting with students in India. How would you describe the experience?

Indians students are enthusiastic and committed, and very, very focussed on their career and their future. They take some time to understand our model of learning, which is more interactive and more applied. The goal we have is to ensure that our students are industry-ready when they leave our portals.

Personally, when I first came to Bhopal it was so hot and humid I felt I was walking into a sauna. There were these really long power cuts too! Of course, life here is chaotic but it is chaotic in a positive way. On a more serious note, I think my obsession with time and punctuality needs to rub off on my students. When I tell them  class starts at 10 am, I mean 10 am and not 10.30 am! On the whole, it’s a good learning experience for me and the young people.

What’s on offer

BA (Hons) Business Studies
BA (Hons) Business & HRM
BA (Hons) Business & Management
BA (Hons) International Business 
International Hospitality Business Management
Retail Marketing Management
The MBA course will start in September 2010

Courses & costs

According to Leeds Met India, the total course fee for the Business courses is Rs 5.75 lakh and total cost with accommodation and fees, including the UK stay, comes to Rs 9.75 lakh. This  includes the tuition fee for 3 years, both at Leeds Met India as well as one semester at Leeds Met UK.

The fee for the Hospitality course is Rs 8.5 lakh, which includes the tuition fee for 3 years, both at Leeds Met India as well as one semester at Leeds Met UK.

The MBA course will start in September 2010 and the fee structure will be available in December 2009.