Students of the institute perform a field investigation in Songyang county, Zhejiang province. CHINA DAILY

With the commitment to cultivating high-level versatile talents to play a bigger role on the global stage, Ningbo University, located in East China's Zhejiang province, has been gearing up its cooperation with the University of Angers, a French public university with a history of more than 700 years.

Ningbo University-University of Angers Joint Institute at Ningbo University, or ICUNA, approved by the Ministry of Education, is a Sino-French cooperative institution in the areas of humanities and social sciences.

As a Sino-French cooperative institution without a separate legal entity, ICUNA is directly affiliated to Ningbo University and run by the two parties. ICUNA offers three Sino-French cooperative undergraduate programs: Sino-French cooperation in tourism management; human geography and urban-rural planning; and apparel and fashion design. The Sino-French cooperation in tourism management program is listed in the first batch of national-level first-class undergraduate programs, while the other two are recognized as the first-class undergraduate programs by Zhejiang province. Additionally, there is an academic master's degree in tourism management (Sino-French cooperative) and a non-full-time master's degree program in Master of Tourism Administration.

Throughout the course of their studies, students are registered at both Ningbo University and the University of Angers. In addition to professional courses, students are also learning two foreign languages of French and English. Upon successful completion of all courses, students receive graduation certificates from both Ningbo University and the University of Angers. ICUNA builds an internationalized faculty, providing students with an integrative curriculum, global exchange programs and scholarships, reputable internships and other education platforms.

ICUNA is also one of the organizers of international academic conferences such as the China-Europe International Tourism Academic Conference and the Seminar on Tourism Higher Education between China and the Belt and Road Countries, aiming to cultivate an international perspective among students with professional competence and cross-cultural adaptability, and sustainable development capabilities.

To date, more than 1,000 students have graduated from ICUNA and are employed in various industries within and beyond China, with an average annual employment rate of 95 percent. More than half of the graduates further their education in local and overseas universities, including Peking University, Fudan University, Zhejiang University, the University of Hong Kong, Sorbonne University, and Paris-Saclay University.