Shiyi Chen, dean of the College of Engineering (COE), signed a “Declaration of Intent” for the Global Educational Exchange Initiative (GLOBEX) with Darryll Pines, dean of the A. James Clark College of Engineering, University of Maryland, on February 16 at Peking University.

The GLOBEX Initiative is designed to strengthen the partnership between the two institutions by providing a framework for exceptional students and faculty to attain a global educational, research and professional experience. Selected COE undergraduate students will have the opportunity to study at University of Maryland for one semester in either their sophomore or junior year.

University of Maryland is ranked 12th among all public U.S. universities and 36th worldwide based on  a recent international survey. The A. James Clark College of Engineering has a history of over 100 years. Its undergraduate majors include Aerospace Engineering, Bioengineering, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Fire Protection Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering.

“The collaboration will provide a framework for students from both schools to increase international exchange. It will also promote the internationalization of engineering education,” said Chen.

The Globex program intends to involve five U.S. and one Asian university. COE students will spend a semester taking courses in a foreign school and the foreign schools in turn, will send their students to spend up to two months during the summer taking engineering and humanities-social sciences classes taught in English at PKU.

A similar MOU with University of Delaware (UD) was signed on December 1, 2011. According to the agreement, a maximum of six PKU undergraduate students will take a maximum of six credits including a global multidisciplinary design course offered at UD, while a maximum of six UD undergraduate students and faculty will conduct an intensive 6-week summer program at PKU. The program is expected to begin summer 2012.