The Australian regional city of Wagga Wagga was the destination this week for more than 200 Malaysian university students who have just finished their studies with Charles Sturt University (CSU) through a partnership with Malaysia's HELP Institute (Higher Education Learning Program).

The students - who sat their final exams last week - are in Australia to visit their alma mater and celebrate the completion of their Bachelor of Business and Bachelor of Information Technology studies.

They are taking part in a graduate seminar, with the theme Strategic Information Management, at the Wagga Wagga Campus until 8 July to sharpen their skills for the transition from university to today's competitive global workplace. The seminar is designed as a hands-on experience to give students the chance to apply knowledge gained during their study to "real-life situations".

For those keen to fast track their studies at postgraduate level, students may select an option to gain credit towards a Master of Business Administration or Master of Information Technology degree.

These sessions will be led by CSU's Head of the School of Information Studies, Associate Professor Bob Moore. "This is a great opportunity for us to get to know each other and for the students to put a face to their campus and fellow students," Professor Moore said.

The trip won't all be hard work: another important purpose is to give the students a taste of the Australian lifestyle and culture. While based at Wagga Wagga, the visitors will enjoy weekend trips to Canberra, the national capital, and the Mt Selwyn snowfields.

The trip is one of two annual tours to CSU HELP's main Australian partner university organised by Unilink Australasia. The students will be presented with their degrees at CSU graduation ceremonies to be held in Kuala Lumpur in October.