NANJING, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Ministry of Education has formally approved the establishment of Duke Kunshan University (DKU) in east China's Jiangsu Province, according a statement from the university Tuesday at a press conference.

The Duke Kunshan University in the city of Kunshan, was jointly created by Duke Universtiy in Durham, North Carolina, the city of Kunshan and Wuhan University in Hubei Province.

The universtiy will offer both degree and non-degree academic programs for students from China and around the world.

It will enroll first batch of students in fall 2014, offering master's degree programs in global health, medical physics and management studies. Graduates will be granted degrees from Duke University.

Undergraduate courses in global health, the humanities, physical and nature sciences and social science will be provided for the 2014-2015 academic year.

Meanwhile, it will provide non-degree courses for undergraduate students currently enrolled at other universities to study at DKU and earn Duke University credit across several disciplines.

The initial plan of the university began in 2010, and it received preliminary approval from the Ministry of Education in August 2013. The city of Kunshan is constructing the campus on a 200-acre site within Kunshan Yangcheng Lake science park.

The campus includes state-of-the-art classroom facilities, a library, student and faculty housing, dinning and recreational facilities.

Liu Jingnan, chancellor of Kunshan Duke University, academician from the Chinese academy of engineering, said that creating a comprehensive, prestigious, world class international institution is not as simple as combining two universties.

"We are creatively intergrating complementary strengths from two universities, as well as two countries to challenge our students to learn and grow not only as scholars but also as citizens of the world," Liu said.

Editor: Yang Yi

(From Xinhua, 2013-09-17)