Dual diploma program between two maritime institutes: A three-year overview

In recent years, world maritime institutes have been investigating possible new models to come up with a better maritime educational system in the near future. Several programs have been proposed, including international educational agreements between two maritime institutes. The Dual Diploma Program between the Istanbul Technical University Maritime Faculty (ITUMF) and the State University of New York Maritime College (SUNYMC), which was established three years ago, is one of these programs. Our experience during the first three years shows that although the educational advantages are obvious, it comes with several problems that need to be resolved. These include but are not limited to social, personal and cultural problems related to students and academic/financial problems that arise from the educational agreement itself. In this study, we are summarizing some of these existing problems with proposed solutions. Possible future problems are also investigated.