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Students celebrate as first ever UoR Accounting graduation held in Beijing

26 June 2017

Graduates at the first graduation ceremony for the Accounting degree run jointly by the University of Reading and Beijing Institute of Technology

The first students to take an Accounting degree that allows them to study in both Reading and China have celebrated their graduation.

The inaugural BA Accounting graduation ceremony took place at the Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT) on Monday. The course has been run jointly by Henley Business School, at the University of Reading, since 2013 and has grown to attract around 150 students each year.

A total of 44 graduates gathered in the Report Hall of the International Education Communication Building at BIT, in traditional gowns flown out from Reading, to be presented with their degree certificates.

The degree programme is designed to prepare students for roles in accounting or management and has an international emphasis. Students began the four-year course in Beijing in August 2013, with 10 taking up the option of spending their final year in Reading.

Vincenzo Raimo, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Global Engagement at the University of Reading, said: “Congratulations to today’s University of Reading-Beijing Institute of Technology graduates. They are truly global graduates who have benefited from an international education and the experience of dedicated staff in this a true UK-China partnership.

“The University of Reading’s students graduating today in Beijing are part of the University’s growing off-shore population. Today almost 2,500 University of Reading students are studying towards a Reading degree at one of our campuses or partner sites overseas including in China, Malaysia and South Africa. By the end of this decade almost a quarter of the University’s students will be based overseas.”

Henley Business School’s Professor Roger Gibbard, Teaching and Learning Dean, and Professor Kecheng Liu, Director of Strategic Initiatives, attended to act respectively as presiding officer and speaker at the ceremony.

Collectively, students taking the course achieved 24 firsts, 12 2:1s, seven 2:2s and one pass. Eight of those to take their final year in Reading were awarded First Class Honours.

Three students were also awarded prizes by the University of Reading:

  • Song Haozhe – Dean’s Award for best performance (Weighted average 83.22)
  • Lyu Longji – Academic Excellence Award for second best performance (Weighted average 80.83)
  • Rong Xuan - Academic Excellence Award for third best performance (Weighted average 78.83)

Organ music played at graduation ceremonies at the University of Reading was recorded specially for the BIT event to demonstrate that the students are part of the Reading tradition. The graduates were then served refreshments, where they were able to celebrate together and take photos.

For information on applying for the BA Accounting course, visit the Henley Business School course page to download a brochure.

 

Photo caption: L/R: Professor Mei (Dean, School of International Education, BIT), Christoph Biehl (UoR lecturer in Accounting), Roger Gibbard (Teaching and Learning Dean), Lyu Longji (Second Place prize winner), Kecheng Liu (Director of Strategic Initiatives) , Dan Luo (Programme Director), Professor Jiang (Associate Dean, School of International Education, BIT).