Penang Medical College (PMC) was recently awarded the Foreign University Branch Campus status by the Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE). Malaysia’s newest Foreign University Branch Campus (FUBC) is now named the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) and University College Dublin (UCD) Malaysia Campus – or “RCSI & UCD Malaysia Campus” (RUMC) for short.

Degrees awarded by the National University of Ireland are globally recognised and programmes offered range from foundation, bachelors, to masters and doctoral levels.

“Ireland and Malaysia have an extensive history of links and collaboration in the field of education and this accolade, the first Irish foreign university branch campus in Malaysia, is further evidence of the growing relationship between Ireland and Malaysia. We hope to see many more students moving between Ireland and Malaysia as RUMC grows and develops,” said the Irish Ambassador to Malaysia, His Excellency Eamon Hickey, who has been instrumental in cementing Irish-Malaysian education links in the region.

The PMC campus is centrally located close to the heart of George Town and within a five-minute walk of Penang Hospital, where most of the clinical teaching takes place. Located at the Sepoy Lines grounds, a four-storey academic complex houses the modern facilities essential for training medical professionals.

Established over 20 years ago, Penang Medical College provided Malaysia’s first registrable medical degree from a Malaysian private higher education institution and is wholly-owned by Irish institutions, the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) and University College Dublin (UCD). It remains the first and only full Irish university in Malaysia and the region. The PMC Clinical Skills and Education Centre in Seberang Jaya was launched in 2015 and is located next to the Seberang Jaya Hospital.

“Congratulations to Penang Medical College for being upgraded to become the tenth FUBC in Malaysia. This indicates a strong global recognition of the Malaysian higher equation system and of Malaysia as an education hub. We hope RCSI-UCD Malaysia Campus will continue to contribute towards Malaysia’s higher education excellence and nation building”, said Datin Paduka Ir. Dr. Siti Hamisah Binti Tapsir, Director-General of the Ministry of Higher Education.

Nearly 1,700 medical doctors have now graduated from PMC with globally recognised medical degrees of the National University of Ireland (NUI) and practice in Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, Ireland, UK, Switzerland, Malta, Australia, New Zealand, USA and many other countries.

Once the Brexit process is completed in 2019, RUMC will be the only foreign branch campus in Malaysia linking the European Union with Malaysia.

An official launch ceremony will be held later this year to celebrate and mark this momentous achievement as the first of many RUMC milestones moving forward.

“庆贺槟城医学院升格为马来西亚第十间外国大学分校（FUBC）。这也显示了全世界对于马来西亚高等综合系统和马来西亚作为教育中心的高度认可。我们希望RCSI-UCD 马来西亚校区将为我国的高等教育缔造卓越成就与贡献国家建设。”
– 马来西亚高等教育部总监 YBhg. Datin Paduka Ir. Dr. Siti Hamisah Binti Tapsir 表示。

槟城医学院 (PMC) 最近被马来西亚高等教育部 (MoHE) 授予了国外大学分校等级。这间马来西亚最新的外国大学分校 (Foreign University Branch Campus – FUBC) 目前被命名为爱尔兰皇家外科医学院 (RCSI) 与都柏林大学学院 (UCD) 马来西亚校区——或简称为 “RCSI & UCD Malaysia Campus (RUMC)”。而爱尔兰国立大学颁发的学位是获得全球公认，升学课程从基础、学士到硕士和博士学位兼具。

“爱尔兰和马来西亚在教育领域有着广泛的联系和合作历史，而随着这项荣誉升格，造就了马来西亚首间爱尔兰外国大学分校，进一步证明了两国之间飞跃促进的友好关系。随着 RUMC 成长与发展，我们希望看到更多的学生在爱尔兰和马来西亚之间积极互动。“爱尔兰驻马来西亚大使 Eamon Hickey 表示。阁下在巩固爱尔兰与马来西亚教育联系方面发挥了关键作用。

PMC 校区位于乔治市的中心地带，距离槟城医院步行 5 分钟，是大多数临床教学的地方。一座四层的学术综合楼坐落在 Sepoy line，具备训练医学专业人员所需的现代化设施。

槟城医学院成立于 20 多年前，也是首家马来西亚私立高等教育机构获得注册医学学位，由爱尔兰教育机构、爱尔兰皇家外科医学院(RCSI) 和都柏林大学学院 (UCD) 所拥有，并且仍然是马来西亚和该地区第一家也是唯一保持完整爱尔兰文化的大学。另外，位于诗布朗再也的 PMC 临床技能和教育中心于 2015 年启动，比邻诗布朗再也医院。

“庆贺槟城医学院升格为马来西亚第十间外国大学分校 (FUBC)。这也显示了全世界对于马来西亚高等综合系统和马来西亚作为教育中心的高度认可。我们希望 RCSI-UCD 马来西亚校区将为我国的高等教育缔造卓越成就与贡献国家建设。”马来西亚教育部高等教育总监 YBhg. Datin Paduka Ir. Dr. Siti Hamisah Binti Tapsir 表示。

目前已有近 1700 名医生毕业于槟城医学院，并获得了全球认可的爱尔兰国立大学 (NUI) 医学学位，并在马来西亚、文莱、新加坡、爱尔兰、英国、瑞士、马耳他、澳大利亚，新西兰与美国等国家执业。

一旦 2019 年英国退欧进程完成，RUMC 将成为马来西亚唯一将欧盟与马来西亚连接起来的外国分校。今年内预计将举行正式的推介仪式，庆祝并纪念这一重大成就，这也是 RUMC 向前迈进的首要里程碑之一。

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by Monica