UAF eyes collaboration with city engineering colleges

Patil was in the city for an information and admission session for Pune students. This was the fourth successive year that the UAF was conducting such a session. “The UAF has a similar agreement for petroleum engineering course with China University of Petroleum,Beijing and we want to develop a tie-up along similar lines with a Pune institute.” “We will have an arrangement in which students will have a common syllabus developed by UAF and the college concerned. Students will do their first two years in Pune and next two years in UAF. They will get a common degree,” said Patil.

“Marathwada Mitramandal College of Engineering in the city has already shown interest in similar tie-up. However,we will have to evolve the arrangement in a way that all the requirements of regulatory bodies here and in the US get fulfilled. It will take some time,” he said.

UAF is a state university in the US and is known for its research in arctic phenomena,including global climate change. “It offers 28 certificate and 167 degree courses in 122 disciplines. We have 400 international students from 46 countries of which around 70 are from India,” said Mike Earnest,director of office of admissions,UAF.

Umesh Joshi,Pune coordinator of UAF,said Pune students were favoured ones in the UAF. “In the last four years,21 students from Pune joined UAF for various graduate and postgraduate courses.”