New partnership with UIBE launches two AI-focused programmes in Beijing

Embedded within the School of Mathematical Sciences, the partnership marks an important step in the Faculty of Science and Engineering’s strategic ambition to establish a major transnational education operation in every School.

The new partnership sees the launch of two four-year undergraduate programmes: BSc Actuarial Science with AI and BSc Insurance with AI. Each programme will welcome a cohort of 120 students, with students studying in Beijing throughout their degree, alongside an intended future opportunity to spend one year studying in London.

Founded in 1951, UIBE is a multidisciplinary university with a strong reputation in finance and economics. According to the Shanghai Rankings, UIBE is ranked among the world’s top 50 universities for Finance and is ranked third among China’s financial and economic universities.

The partnership is already welcoming its first students, marking an exciting new chapter in the relationship between the two institutions.

Lei Fang has been appointed Acting Director of the joint programme, providing leadership as the new partnership gets underway. If any colleagues from across Science and Engineering would like to be considered for the first full 3-year term of the Director role, they will have an opportunity to submit an expression of interest for this in spring 2027.

The launch builds on the close relationship between Queen Mary and UIBE, including the university’s recent 70th anniversary celebrations, where a pre-recorded congratulatory message from Queen Mary President and Principal Professor Colin Bailey was shared.

With AI increasingly transforming the fields of actuarial science and insurance, the new programmes bring together Queen Mary’s expertise in mathematical sciences with UIBE’s established strengths in finance and economics, creating new opportunities for students in Beijing and strengthening the Faculty’s international education portfolio.