Top UK arts university has designs on Hong Kong
University of the Arts London, home of Central Saint Martins, will offer degree courses in city to meet West Kowloon Cultural Centre needs
One of Britain's most prestigious universities specialising in the arts may offer postgraduate programmes in Hong Kong to meet the expected demand for managerial skills in the creative sector when the West Kowloon Cultural District opens.
The prestigious University of the Arts London, which comprises six colleges including Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design and the London College of Communication, is in talks with the University of Hong Kong's School of Professional and Continuing Education (HKU Space) about launching master's degree programmes in the city.
Professor Jeremy Till, head of Central Saint Martins and pro-vice-chancellor of the university, said master of arts programmes in subjects such as curating and arts management could be available in Hong Kong within a year.
Till said the West Kowloon Cultural District would require a range of talent and create a demand for relevant education. The first of its museums, theatres and galleries are due to open in 2017.
Till said the number of students from Hong Kong who had graduated from Central Saint Martins outnumbered those from any other foreign city. He added that the Hong Kong government had demonstrated its ambition to make the city a cultural and creative hub. It had previously tried to woo Central Saint Martins to establish a physical presence in the city, but the plan never came to fruition, according to sources.
Till said the programmes offered in Hong Kong would be rolled out slowly, to ensure they were of the highest quality.