Sheffield Hallam University

Developing our strategic partnership with Sheffield Hallam University (UK).

Our story so far

Since announcing our strategic partnership in 2019, La Trobe University and Sheffield Hallam University have shared a vision of the transformative potential of universities – for people, places, and partners.

Both universities combine access and excellence locally. We’ve created new opportunities for our communities, outperforming our respective national benchmarks on inclusion, access, and participation for disadvantaged and under-represented groups, but we’ve also made a real impact on the problems facing the world.

We’re united by our shared values and our civic missions, but our partnership is also strengthened by the ways we're different – our complementary expertise, ideas, and resources mean we achieve greater scale and impact together than we could alone. Working together means we extend our reach beyond geographical constraints. By combining our strengths and our perspectives, we make a difference.

How our partnership works

As we look to the next stage of our partnership, we will serve our communities by:

  • Pursuing access and inclusion for under-represented groups in our respective communities and, by acting together, globally.
  • Combining our complementary capabilities and strengths to help solve global challenges in a manner that is meaningful and impactful to our communities such as in both technological and social science approaches to global security – providing local solutions to broader structural issues.
  • Extending our institutions’ presence and accessibility to new communities and audiences across the globe.

We will do this by establishing comprehensive connections across the entire institution for:

  • Students: mobility, international experience, shared expertise, and experience driving access and inclusion.
  • Researchers and innovators: combining our strengths to solve industry and community problems.
  • Professional staff: exchanging information, best practice, local experiences, and professional development.

Our global partnership in educational transformation means:

  • For our students, to be inclusive rather than exclusive, giving everyone the opportunity to succeed irrespective of their background and personal circumstances – including through access to international learning experiences
  • For our research, to use global perspectives to generate and translate knowledge for maximum impact and the public good
  • For our staff, to support them to be innovative and impactful, with a fluid exchange of ideas, people, and good practice
  • For our partners, to support the acceleration of innovation in their organisations
  • For our communities, to accelerate positive social outcomes by placing the knowledge, innovation, and skills we create at their service
  • For each university, to create a new model for transnational university partnerships – based on stitching together our complementary strengths in a reciprocal and symbiotic way.

Partnership Impact: Some examples

Drawing on the joint research expertise of La Trobe and Sheffield Hallam universities, the Global Security and Society Institute (GSSI), launched in June 2023, brings together advanced technical capability with humanitarian and social science perspectives to create global research that will help societies tackle complex security challenges such as sophisticated cybercrime, the growth of AI and modern slavery.

The global research institute is training the next generation of security academics through joint international PhD programs, including on topics such as Security, Information and Intelligence and People and Place. The institute also provides teaching and learning at undergraduate and postgraduate level, as well as via short courses.

Read our article to learn more.

La Trobe and Sheffield Hallam universities have developed a joint Doctoral Degree Program that provides PhD candidates with unique and exciting opportunities to work on cross-border research projects, with supervisors and research teams based in both Australia and the United Kingdom.

Students get to spend up to 12 months at the host institution, gaining access to professional development opportunities and world-class facilities.

On successful completion of the Program, candidates are awarded a PhD jointly by both institutions.

Read our article to learn more.

The joint La Trobe and Sheffield Hallam Degree in International Hospitality and Tourism offers eligible La Trobe students an opportunity to gain a unique global perspective by spending the second year of their Bachelor of International Tourism and Hospitality Management course at Sheffield Hallam University.

International Hospitality and Tourism Management undergraduate students who begin their course in Sheffield will mirror that experience, spending a year at La Trobe.

On the completion of the award, students from both institutions gain a  University Degree from their home university and an International Diploma from their host University.

La Trobe University students receive a degree with the title Bachelor of International Tourism and Hospitality Management and an International Diploma in Hospitality and Tourism Management from Sheffield Hallam University in recognition of their 12 months of overseas study.

Sheffield Hallam students receive a BSc. (Hons) International Hospitality and Tourism Management and an International Diploma of Higher Education from La Trobe.

A partnership between La Trobe University (Australia), Sheffield Hallam University (UK), Siam University (Thailand) and Nurture Higher Education was established in July 2023 to create new transnational education opportunities in Thailand and Southeast Asia.

The partnership’s goal is to enrol 2000 students over the next five years at the soon-to-be established Global University Academy in Siam University, Bangkok.

As well as giving local students the opportunity to complete a foreign qualification at home, it will provide access to La Trobe University and Sheffield Hallam degrees for international students from the broader Asian region such as Myanmar and Cambodia.

Students will have the option to complete their full program in Thailand or come to La Trobe or Sheffield Hallam to complete part of their degree, where there will be opportunity for them to engage with industry partners in Australia or the UK. Programs offered will be in sectors for which there is high workforce demand, such as computer science and hospitality.

Read our article to learn more.

What’s next?

We’re proud of what we’ve achieved together, but we’re only just beginning. As we look ahead to the next five years, our partnership will prioritise projects in four focus areas:

  • Innovative joint courses and experiences

  • Internationally-recognised, high-impact joint research and innovation focused on global challenges

  • Shared regional and global place-based commitments in support of communities and economies, with a focus on innovation and entrepreneurship

  • Impactful interventions in areas of special interest including student access and participation, staff development and climate change.

About Sheffield Hallam University

Sheffield Hallam University was founded in 1843 as the Sheffield School of Design in response to the industrial revolution, in which the town of Sheffield established itself as a leading centre for steel production.

Granted university status in 1992, Sheffield Hallam is now the sixth largest University in the United Kingdom with over 30,000 students undertaking various studies, including 4,000 international students from around the world.

Sheffield Hallam was named University of the Year for Teaching Quality in the 2020 Times/Sunday Times Good Universities Guide.

Contact us

Whether you are a student or staff member, or a lecturer, local business or community group, we believe this partnership has the potential to spark new possibilities and perspectives.