James Cook University

STUDENTS seeking to go directly from O levels to university may soon be able to do it here, at James Cook University (JCU).

What is even better is that after that, JCU students can opt to finish their degree programme in two years.

Which means that if you are 17 years old, you could get an Australian university degree by the time you are 20, "with hard work", said its Singapore campus dean Noel Richards.

He said JCU Singapore is considering how students in Singapore can progress to the Bachelor of Business programme.

"Students who have completed their secondary school education may be able to gain entry through a diploma-style programme," he added.

"We are currently evaluating the attractiveness of such a programme to students here. If we decide to embark on this venture, I am sure it will be well-appreciated in Singapore," said Mr Richards.

He also highlighted that a degree from JCU's Singapore campus is the same as the one offered by its Australian campus.

For example, JCU's psychology degree - one of its most popular courses here - is also accredited by the Australian Psychology Association.

Mr Richards said that JCU's international campus in Singapore has grown since it was started three years ago.

"We have about 1,000 students and are looking to doubling that in the next year or so," he said.

The school is searching for a new campus, as it is growing too big for the five floors it occupies at the Spring Singapore building in Bukit Merah.

The university attracts students from all over the world - six in 10 are from overseas.

One of them is Yang Chunzi from Shandong province in China.

An only child, Chunzi, 20, had initially wanted to go to Australia for her university education. But, she said, her grandparents thought it was too far away.

She settled on JCU Singapore where she could get an Australian degree in a country that her parents felt was "safe for a girl studying here alone".

She is pursuing a double major business degree, in marketing and international business.

"In China, I need four years to finish my degree, but here, I just need two years," she said.

The child of a tour guide and an English teacher, she is almost finished with her degree programme, and is hoping to find work here.

Like her, Benita Heinze from Germany decided to come to Singapore late last year, so she could get her bachelor's degree in two years, instead of the usual three.

Unhappy

She made the move after one unhappy year at a German university. Her father was posted here by the pharmaceutical company he worked for and she decided to follow him for the "Asian experience".

Aysen Korucu, 25, from Turkey, is one of JCU's MBA students.

She came to Singapore on an internship earlier and liked it so much that she wanted to pursue her graduate degree here.

She said: "I chose JCU because it is very international. There are students from all over - China, Vietnam and Norway. And our lecturers are also very international."

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