From now on, students of Aalen University of Applied Sciences can choose Vietnam as a destination for their semester abroad. A general collaboration, cooperation and exchange agreement was signed at the beginning of March this year on the new Campus of the Vietnamese-German University (VGU) in Binh Duong Province, not far from Ho Chi Minh City.
During their visit, the German delegation, consisting of Prof. Dr. med. Ralf von Baer, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Optics & Mechatronics; Dr. Alexandra Jürgens, Managing Director of the Graduate Campus, and Martina Kübler, Deputy Director of the International Relations Office, inspected the new campus of the Vietnamese-German University (VGU), which went into operation last year. Discussions with VGU colleagues and students laid the foundations for future student exchanges. Another aim of the delegation was to examine the prerequisites(s) and conditions for the transfer and implementation of Aalen University of Applied Sciences' existing Health Technology Management masters/master's programme at VGU. At the Faculty of Optics & Mechatronics, this is part of the Health Sciences Field of Study, which consists of three Bachelor's programs, Ophthalmic Optics/Optometry, Audiology and Digital Health Management, as well as another Master's programme, Vision Science and Business (Optometry).
Transnational education project
Founded in 2008, the VGU is a higher education project initiated by the Vietnamese government and the state of Hesse. On the German side, the project is supported by the State of Hesse and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The Vietnamese government provides the infrastructure for the university and a new Campus and provides financing, funding for the VGU's ongoing basis. The German funding sources are financing the development of VGU with different special fields.
Since its foundation, the VGU has developed into one of the largest transnational education projects with German participation. VGU's mission is to establish a university with a strong research focus and a special field (of) technology, engineering and economics. The academic backbone of the VGU is formed by the VGU e.V. consortium with its member universities, which was founded in 2009 at the DAAD in Bonn. It supports and coordinates the activities of the VGU's German partner universities and at the same time contributes to the internationalization of the German higher education landscape. Aalen University of Applied Sciences joined this consortium in 2022.
Aalen University of Applied Sciences establishes masters/master's programme in Vietnam
The VGU currently has around 2,500 students and offers 16 Bachelor's and Master's programmes. Further degree programmes are currently being developed. Aalen University of Applied Sciences was invited to establish the masters/master's programme in Health Technology Management at VGU. These programmes offered are a response to the diverse challenges of the healthcare sector of the future. This is because the technological healthcare market is growing and needs qualified experts. Knowledge of medicine, natural sciences, technology and business enables graduates to improve technology management and drive innovation.
"We were very impressed by the new Campus and the excellent opportunities for research and teaching. Our next step will be to analyze what requirements potential Vietnamese students and employers have of our programmes offered and how these can be met by the masters/master's programme in Health Technology Management," says Vice Dean Ralf von Baer. The degree program will then be developed in cooperation, cooperative venture, partnership, collaboration with the Graduate Campus.
"For students of Aalen University of Applied Sciences, the new collaboration not only opens up the opportunity to gain experience in such a culturally different country, but also to complete an exchange semester that corresponds to German quality standards," adds Kübler. Students who are interested in an exchange semester in Vietnam can find out more about the opportunities at the International Relations Office.
