Nottingham Ningbo accredited by IChemE

THE University of Nottingham Ningbo China has received accreditation by IChemE for its chemical engineering programme.

This marks the first accreditation of the university’s BEng(Hons) Chemical Engineering (B-Standard) programme and lasts for three years, with reassessment in 2018. This is normal practice for a newly-accredited programme, with future reassessments then taking place in five-year cycles.

Tao Wu, professor of chemical engineering at the Ningbo’s department of chemical and environmental engineering, says the accreditation benchmarks the programme against others across the world and gives graduates the best possible opportunity for employment in the global market.

'Our course follows a British-style education and it uses English as the medium of instruction,' he added. 'It is designed to make our graduates industry-ready, with a strong emphasis on chemical engineering design and process safety. Alongside traditional teaching we use industrial visits and lectures from industrial experts to complement the core engineering subjects. We also have a strong practical element, and with help from the Ningbo government, we have benefited from an investment of over £2m (US$2.46m) in the latest chemical engineering teaching rigs.'

Rob Best, chair of the IChemE Education and Accreditation Forum, welcomed the programme into accreditation, saying: 'Following earlier advice from IChemE, the department had engaged an industrially-based consultant to review the teaching of process safety and is now delivering a commendably innovative and holistic programme of embedded SHE material.

'IChemE accreditation is valued internationally for its high standards which ensure that graduates with accredited degrees enter employment equipped with an appropriate range of professional skills including understanding of the importance of safety, ethics and sustainability.'

In 2004, the University of Nottingham Ningbo China became the first Sino-foreign university established in the country with the full approval of the Chinese Ministry of Education. The university is run by the UK’s University of Nottingham with co-operation from China’s Zhejiang Wanli Education Group.

The accreditation is IChemE’s second in China following Tianjin University’s in 2008.

IChemE accredits more than 50 university programmes in 13 countries including Australia, Malaysia, Spain and the UK. Through accreditation, IChemE seeks to raise standards in chemical engineering education, encourage innovation in course programme design and delivery, while promoting the development of the wider profession.