Culture

Program between 2 universities in Kurdistan, US will allow students to study abroad

The American University of Kurdistan (AUK) in Duhok on Thursday made an initial agreement with Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) in the United States, kickstarting a partnership between them that will allow students from either school to travel to the other to take classes.

Kurdistan 24 2019/07/25 14:29

kurdistan Kurdistan Duhok AUK US MTSU Nashville Tennessee

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The American University of Kurdistan (AUK) in Duhok on Thursday made an initial agreement with Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) in the United States, kickstarting a partnership between them that will allow students from either school to travel to the other to take classes.

A ceremony was held in the northern city of Duhok, during which AUK's provost, Dr. Nazar Numan, signed a memorandum of understanding in the presence of MTSU Vice-Provost for Academic Programs Dr. Peter Cunningham, according to a UAK statement. On the MTSU side, the Vice-President of Business and Finance Alan R. Thomas also signed the document.

MTSU is located about 40 kilometers from the central-eastern US city of Nashville, Tennessee, which, as the AUK statement noted, is home to the nation's largest Kurdish community. One neighborhood in south Nashville is often referred to as "Little Kurdistan."

“As a result of this partnership, students from Kurdistan will have the opportunity to complete part of their AUK degree at MTSU” or joint graduate programs, it continued. “This effectively opens up to local students the possibility of studying in over 160 different academic degree programs at MTSU at a significant cost saving of going there for four full years.”

Likewise, American students will be able to attend one or two years at AUK and later transfer their credits to MTSU.

“For Kurdish students in the U.S., this will be a great opportunity to return to Kurdistan for part of their college education to reinforce their connections to Kurdistan, while for non-Kurdish students, it will be a great opportunity to learn about Kurdistan and its cultures, languages, etc. in an American-style academic setting that is safe, secure, and teaches to U.S. standards.”

AUK Director of Educational Advancement Michael McClellan said during the event that the university was also “closely working” with the University of Houston, Wayne State University, and the University at Buffalo on similar programs.

Editing by John J. Catherine