Xavier University through its Office of International Cooperation and Networking (OICN) and the University of La Rochelle (ULR) in France officially formed a partnership for a joint faculty and student exchange program.
XU President Fr Roberto C Yap SJ and ULR Provisional Administrator Mathias Tranchant were the primary signatories of the memorandum of agreement between the two institutions.
Witnesses to the MOA signing on April 25 at Xavier included OICN Director Elisabeth Enerio on behalf of XU Academic Vice President Fr Rene Tacastacas SJ, and French Embassy's Attaché for Higher Education and Head of Campus France Jules Leconte.
According to the agreement, “permanent lecturers, researchers and administrative staff from both universities are welcome to enroll in a master’s and PhD programs at the partner school.”
Besides faculty and student exchanges between the two universities, the tie-up is also expected to result in other academic cooperation initiatives, such as double-degree programs, and other joint educational undertakings.
ULR’s Institut Universitaire Asie-Pacifique serves as OICN’s counterpart in facilitating the said exchange program.
The research endeavors between XU and the French university will center on the fields of food processing and food security, biotechnology, marine sciences, and climate change.
Tuition and living costs might be supported by a third party through government grants and private scholarship mechanisms.
However, master’s and doctoral program candidates from XU must be fluent in French (B2 Level), besides having a good command of English, while ULR applicants for XU’s graduate courses must have at least reached the B2 Level (or equivalent) in English proficiency.
Graduate students in the exchange program are encouraged to engage with local researchers, possibly leading to joint publications, conduct lectures, and participate in conferences and other relevant activities in the host university.
Under the said agreement, each institution can accept up to five students per semester. Only students who have completed at least one year of tertiary education at their home university can apply for the exchange program.
Last year, SCAC sponsored a faculty member of the XU Food Technology department to take a two-year master’s program at the Toulouse Agri Campus in Toulouse, France. SCAC will be offering another scholarship grant this year.
In June 2015, XU and the Embassy of France signed an agreement fortifying the support of the French Embassy for the French language courses and cultural programs of XU with faculty training, financial assistance and access to comprehensive academic materials. XU offers French courses in the curriculum of its Bachelor of Arts in International Studies program and as elective subjects in other programs.
Interested applicants from XU may inquire at the Office of International Cooperation and Networking and/or send an email here.