HBU-UCLan School of Media, Communication and Creative Industries was jointly established by Hebei University and the UK's University of Lancashire. Approved by the Ministry of Education in October 2013, it is Hebei Province's first Sino-foreign cooperative education institution, the only one covering both undergraduate and postgraduate education, and has been designated as the province's sole "Demonstrative Sino-Foreign Cooperative Education Institution" by the Hebei Provincial Department of Education. The School offers programs focused on cultural and creative industries, with six undergraduate programs using the "4+0" cultivation model and three postgraduate-level Sino-foreign cooperative education programs using the "3+0" model, featuring dual enrollment registration and dual degree awards. This year, all 15 graduates from the School's first cohort of postgraduate-level Sino-foreign cooperative education programs received dual master's degrees from both universities. For over ten years of operation, the School has been driven by institutional innovation and educational exploration, continuously working on curriculum system development, teaching reform, student support systems, and international education exchanges and cooperation, gradually forming unique educational characteristics.
The School adheres to the socialist orientation in education, highly values the construction of the "Curriculum Ideology and Politics" system, and enhances the educational effectiveness of curriculum ideology and politics through flexible and diverse methods. Young faculty members from the School have successively won special awards in the Curriculum Ideology and Politics category of the 3rd and 4th Hebei Provincial Teaching Innovation Competitions.
By integrating the educational advantages of both universities, the School continuously improves curriculum development outcomes and emphasizes the cultivation of students' innovation and practical abilities. Over the past five years, students from the School have won 133 provincial-level first prizes or higher awards. Graduates from the Animation program joined the production team of NeZha 2 attracting widespread attention. The School innovates teaching methods by implementing project-based learning, where teachers set project topics and students complete research reports and project productions in groups, focusing on enhancing students' teamwork and application skills.
The School has established student organizations such as the English Debate Team, Photography Club, Research Society, Entrepreneurs Club, and Reception Team, set up an Innovation and Entrepreneurship Guidance Center, and organized students to travel to western China, rural areas, and abroad, including participating in international teaching assistance and volunteer activities in Nepal and Cambodia.
The related programmes of both universities synchronize courses and enable credit transfer, building a dual-campus education platform. Each year, the School organizes teachers and students to visit the partner university for academic summer camp activities, while the UK side annually selects teachers and students to come to the School to participate in Chinese traditional culture experience and cooperative teaching projects.
The School fully leverages its international platform and professional advantages, encouraging students to tell China's stories well using international language and perspectives. It organizes Chinese and foreign teachers to visit the Hanging Temple, Yungang Grottoes, Xiongan New Area, and around Baoding for immersive experiences in excellent Chinese traditional culture, and invites masters of Peking Opera, Hebei Bangzi, and Baoding Lao Tune to perform and explain at the School, continuously enhancing the "Four Confidences" among teachers and students, and cultivating outstanding talents with national pride, international perspectives, and global competitiveness.
HBU-UCLan School of Media, Communication and Creative Industries, adhering to the philosophy of "Sino-foreign integration, upholding integrity and innovation," has explored a path of Sino-foreign cooperative education with demonstrative significance. In the future, the School will continue to use reform and innovation as driving forces, continuously promote the transformation of education and teaching models, and contribute to the building of a strong education system.
