UK university to open campus in Thailand

The University of Central Lancashire has signed a deal with a Thai-based entrepreneur to open a university campus in Bangkok in 2014.

Degrees will be taught in English and validated by the UK university.

This will be the latest example of universities "globalising" with overseas branches.

It follows a path set by the University of Nottingham which set up a branch university in China.

The greatest concentration of such branch universities, from UK and US universities, has been in Asia and the Gulf states.

Newcastle University is establishing a medical school in Malaysia, where Nottingham also has a campus. University College London has a campus in Qatar.

The announcement of the University of Central Lancashire's plans will give this "new" university an international identity and an opportunity to expand.