Western Pacific University will commence undergraduate enrolment in 2021. Application is restricted to national school leavers only. All school-leaver applicants must apply through the GoPNG national online application system on:
Program Code: WPU 1/1
Prerequisite: Foundation Year (1 year)
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Planned Enrolment of 240 students for the Foundation Year commencing 2021
The foundation Year Program is a compulsory course of study for students seeking entry into a Bachelors’ program at Western Pacific University. The aim is to provide students with the foundational academic knowledge and skills required to successfully complete further study via online, blended and face-to-face delivery. After the Foundation Year students will enroll to one of the following academic programs for three years: Visual Communication, Programming, International Management and Advanced Networks Technologies.
WESTERN PACIFIC UNIVERSITY (WPU) - 21ST CENTURY UNIVERSITY
The Western Pacific University is an historic first for Papua New Guinea and the Region; and testimony to DHERST’s commitment to the roll-out of the i-PNG networking strategy of closely linked higher education institutions providing access and quality through digital education service delivery. The construction of the first phase of WPU is near completion and Papua New Guinea’s first fully digitalised University plans to open for 240 student enrolments in 2021.
The Western Pacific University has been established for 21st Century learning and education. The rapid growth in demand for continuing education and the provision of distance programs by colleges and universities in particular has challenged traditional notions of the content and delivery of postsecondary education. For example, there is increased complexity of institutional functions; changing student demographics; demands for entrepreneurial behaviour, technological innovation and increases in external interest group interventions.
A number of key political shifts, including a growing retreat from public funding of colleges and universities, demands for privatization of colleges and universities services, and the use of the university as an instrument in broader national economic and social life, will challenge and enrich organizational arrangements at WPU.
These new shifts will entail considerably more institutional outreach to legislatures, governors, and the involvement of key interest groups at the state and national levels; as well as additional staff in governmental and public relations. WPU organizational structure is therefore flexibly design in response to the challenges of the twenty-first century in Papua New Guinea.
The Western Pacific University is located in Ialibu. Ialibu is a town in the Southern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea, serving as the headquarters for the Ialibu-Pangia District.
Ialibu is connected by roads to the rest of Papua New Guinea. Ialibu does have a certified airstrip which is yet to be operational. The nearest airports are Mendi and Mt Hagen, both about an hour from Ialibu Station. Radio stations are available and mobile phone and landline phones are provided by Telikom PNG and DIGICEL. The national television station, EM TV is broadcast throughout the Ialibu area.
In 2021 the first cohort of students will be enrolled in the Foundation Year Program. This program is a compulsory course of study for students seeking entry to a Bachelor’s program at Western Pacific University. The aim is to provide students with the foundational academic knowledge and skills required to successfully complete further study via online, blended and face-to-face delivery.
Visual Communication
Classes will be conducted by practitioners who deal with graphic design, multimedia graphics and branding. These classes are focused on practice and will allow students to acquire skills that are needed in the labour market. Personal and professional development are interlinked, since students will acquire skills that enable them to work both as valuable members of a creative team and as individuals able to implement complex and demanding projects for their own clients as freelancers.
Opportunities after graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Visual Communication
As graduates, students will possess extensive knowledge and skills related to graphic design, in particular for marketing purposes. Thanks to these skills, and having engaged with a comprehensive curricula, graduates will be able to carry out complex graphics projects, confidently navigating the business and economic environment in national and international settings.
Programming
Students enrolled in the IT program will be prepared for leadership in this important and fastchanging sector of the world economy. The IT program gives students freedom of choice and a wide range of employment opportunities. For too long IT has been an employee’s rather than an employer’s market; however, equipped with cutting-edge knowledge and skills, students will quickly find interesting and well-paid jobs or go on to establish and develop their own businesses.
Opportunities after graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Programming
According to the American business magazine ‘Forbes’, most job offers of the future will be directed towards specialists in the IT industry. By studying IT at Western Pacific University, students can confidently look forward to enhancing their professional prospects in this crucial area of the world economy as the Fourth Industrial Revolution gathers pace.
International Management
Students will examine a broad spectrum of issues related to economics, with emphasis on various aspects of management in international companies. In the course of their studies, students will learn how to plan and run companies in the global market. Problem based, interdisciplinary, learning will be a strong feature of this degree program.
A practical approach to teaching is reflected in the practice-orientated coursework that covers:
- macroeconomics illustrating basic principles combined with the experience of real-life case studies,
- statistics, providing a balance between statistical theory and application;
- forecasting and simulation in the context of application manufacturing, retail, and service industries;
- mathematical economics placing emphasis on a substantial amount of interpretation of numerical indicators in the economic context; and
- accounting practices that deal with the application of accounting concepts and principles to real-life business situations.
Opportunities after graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in International Management
Graduates with a Bachelor’s Degree in International Management will be equipped to run their own companies as well as occupy middle-management positions in both the national and international context.
Advanced Network Technologies
For those of you interested in building your knowledge and skills in the field of design, management, exploitation of network and server infrastructure, and would like the opportunity to cooperate with corporations and other institutions – the Advanced Network Technologies course is for you. The practical nature of the studies, as well as the integration of the curriculum with a certification program and Work Related Learning, will result not only in a good start but also success in the development of a professional career in a global labour market that is largely dominated by the demand for IT.
Opportunities after graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Advanced Network Technologies
Internet and network technologies represent a constantly developing area of activity in business and other spheres of the rapidly changing labour market. As specialists in these technologies, graduates will, with ease, locate employment opportunities in many emerging fields, for example, virtualisation, cloud computing, system security and, not least, the Internet of things.