Globalisation and International University Cooperation

This work examines the situation facing higher education today in terms of globalisation from the perspective of international university cooperation (IUC). IUC is one of the ways through which student and staff mobility are enabled and opportunities are created. This thesis has analysed IUC in student and staff mobility between universities in Finland and universities from five African countries: South Africa, Namibia, Tanzania, Uganda and Botswana. Data on the criteria for the selection of partner universities in Africa by universities in Finland, motives for cooperation, areas of cooperation and the benefit, challenges and measures to overcome the challenges of IUC between these collaborating universities have been collected and analysed. The analyses are done from three perspectives: those of (a) administrators, (b) teachers, and (c) students. The results obtained in this thesis ought to be beneficial to stakeholders involved in IUC in the planning and execution of future cooperation projects.