The Chairman of the Supervisory Board of IMC Krems, Dr. h.c. Heinz Boyer, and the Managing Director, Dr. Karl Ennsfellner, signed cooperation agreements for transnational programmes with a university in Egypt for the second time. Last year, cooperation agreements were concluded with the largest private university in Egypt, the University of the 6th of October.
Strong support from National Council President Sobotka
The President of the Austrian National Council, Wolfgang Sobotka, already played a leading role when a cooperation agreement with a university institution in Egypt was signed for the first time. This time, too, he was instrumental in bringing about this international cooperation in the field of tourism education. “For the first time, it is possible to build an educational bridge between Egypt and Austria in the field of tourism. The door to this unique project was opened during the visit of National Council President Sobotka. Minister Abdel Ghafar invited us to be a partner in a very interesting project at King Salman University and now we have signed the contracts,” says Heinz Boyer, Chairman of the Supervisory Board.
Signing ceremony with video conference and high-level participants
The foundation of the new cooperation took place virtually with the President of the National Council Sobotka from Vienna, the Egyptian Minister of Education, the ambassadors of both countries and the highest representatives of the King Salman International University in Sharm el Sheikh. High-ranking representatives of King Salman International University were present at the virtual ceremony: the President, Prof. Dr. Ashraf Hussein, and the Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Dr. Mohammed Sheirah, as well as the programme directors and professors of the Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality. The delegation of the Ministry of Higher Education and Research was led by the Minister, H.E. Prof. Khaled Abdel Ghafar. Prof. Dr. Mohamed Shennawi, negotiator on the Egyptian side, and Dr. Ola Adel, cultural attaché, also attended the signing ceremony. The Egyptian Ambassador, H.E. Mohamed El-Molla, and the Austrian Ambassador in Cairo, H.E. Georg Stillfried, were also part of this unique Austrian educational transfer.
Educational bridge in tourism
The following transnational degree programmes at IMC Krems are scheduled to start in the winter semester of 2023:
Bachelor programme “Hospitality Management” (duration: 6 semesters)
Master programme “Tourism and Leisure Management” (duration: 4 semesters)
Master programme “Marketing” (duration: 4 semesters)
The degree programmes are accredited in Austria as well as in Egypt. Graduates are also awarded the Austrian academic degree. The programmes will be held in Sharm el Sheikh and are scheduled to start in the winter semester of 2023 (the preparatory Foundation Programme will already start in the winter semester of 2022). The professors of IMC Krems will hold a significant part of the courses in Sharm el Sheikh. Intensive cooperation is also planned in the area of research.
Transnational programmes at IMC Krems
Currently, nine transnational programmes with more than 500 students are being carried out in six countries. The transnational programmes at the IMC University of Applied Sciences Krems are based on the Austrian curricula and are adapted to the local needs of the partner universities. English as the language of lectures, international lecturers and the option of a study stay in Krems prepare students for an international career. IMC Krems takes care of quality assurance, accreditations and the selection of lecturers. In addition, the IMC University of Applied Sciences Krems provides its own lecturers within the framework of the so-called “Flying Faculty”. Depending on the degree programme, graduates are awarded the academic degrees Bachelor of Arts in Business (BA) or Master of Arts in Business (MA) by IMC Krems.
At the IMC University of Applied Sciences in Krems, more than 3,000 students study in 27 Bachelor and Master degree programmes in the fields of Business, Digitalisation & Technology, Health and Life Sciences.
