Jan. 31, 2022
For Immediate Release

Waterloo – Wilfrid Laurier University, with campuses in Waterloo and Brantford, Ont., and I.K. Gujral Punjab Technical University (IKGPTU) in Kapurthala, India have signed an agreement to allow eligible students who have completed two years in IKGPTU’s Computer Science and Engineering program to transfer to Laurier’s Computer Science program for their third and fourth years to complete a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science degree.

The Memorandum of Understanding, the first with the institution, was signed during a virtual ceremony on Jan. 31.

“At Laurier, we seek to recruit and admit the most inquisitive and motivated students from around the world,” said Heidi Northwood, Laurier’s senior executive officer of global strategy. “With our new partners, IGKPTU, we will create new opportunities for collaboration and learning, for both the students and the faculty.”

This agreement is aligned with the internationalization objective in the Laurier Strategy: 2019-2024, which outlines the goal of cultivating global citizens with strong intellectual competence while making an impact as a globally integrated institution.

“Signing this memorandum of understanding to provide computer science students an opportunity to begin their studies at IKGPTU and finish them at Laurier is an exciting prospect for both our institutions and students,” said Deborah MacLatchy, Laurier’s president and vice-chancellor. “Through this partnership, IKGPTU and Laurier will be expanding our global reach, providing students with valuable international experience, and strengthening their intercultural competence.”

Through Laurier’s Computer Science program, students gain the fundamentals of computing through hands-on experience in both software and hardware. Students develop strong algorithm analysis and design skills in procedural, object-oriented and low-level languages. In senior years, students can learn more about app creation, applied cryptography and quantum computing, among other topics. Computer Science students can also apply their learning through co-op placements.

The Computer Science and Engineering program at IKGPTU combines foundational knowledge in computer science and engineering with hands-on training in workplace settings. Students gain a wide range of knowledge, including in algorithms, networking, data warehousing and data mining, software engineering, machine learning and database management.