Turkey :: Programs and Activities :: Dual Diploma
Undergraduate Dual Diploma Programs between The State University of New York and Turkish Universities
Subsequent to the agreement on dual diploma programs made between campuses of The State University of New York (SUNY) and Turkish universities in July 2001, ten initial programs began in 2003-2004 academic year. Each program leads to the awarding of a single degree simultaneously by the two respective partner institutions. Although degree recipients are awarded two diplomas, one from each institution, both diplomas refer to the degree in the same manner and no student can receive the degree or either of the diplomas without satisfying the academic requirements of both institutions. Among those requirements are the General Education requirements of SUNY Board of Trustees.
Programs
The ten initial programs follow varying models, all of which incorporate the academic calendars and meet the residency requirements of each set of partner institutions. The business and economics programs are comprised of three full calendar years, as below:
- Year 1: Fall and Spring semesters in Turkey; Summer in New York (registering for one or two
online courses to be completed during the next fall semester) - Year 2: same pattern as year 1
- Year 3: Fall and Spring semesters in Turkey; Summer in Turkey, possibly with SUNY faculty
teaching a few of the courses
The second program model, four years of fall and spring semesters only:
- Years 1 and 3 in Turkey;
- Years 2 and 4 in New York (final semester can be taken in Turkey or in New York).
Subsequent programs follow patterns that are most appropriate for the subject area and partner campuses.
Placement and Admission
In Turkey, students are admitted to undergraduate programs on the basis of a highly competitive national examination (ÖSS) administered annually by the Student Selection and Placement Center (ÖSYM) under the auspices of The Turkish Higher Education Council (YÖK). Using the program information provided in the booklet distributed with the examination, students select and prioritize a small number of degree programs, then are placed by ÖSYM into one program according to their rank among the nearly 2 million students seeking to enter undergraduate education. Turkey currently has residential programs to accommodate less than half of the 2 million students, with approximately 800,000 of the remaining students entering the open education faculty at Anadolu University, Turkey's distance learning campus center.
To merge the distinct admissions systems of the Turkish and State University institutions, the following process of admission to the current programs was agreed upon. At the Turkish end, students receiving a minimum student selection examination (ÖSS) score of 130 (at or above the 85th percentile) and a composite score (based on ÖSS score, high school weighting and high school performance) of 150 (at or above the 80th percentile) are eligible for placement into the programs. Of the students who choose to be considered for placement in the programs and who meet the minimum scores described above, thirty-five students are placed into each program based on their ranking among other students selecting the programs. For the 2003-04 academic year, the scores of students placed in the programs are well above the minimum requirements.
The ÖSS exam is offered in June each year, with exam grading, ranking and placement completed by the second half of August. Before the students are officially admitted into the programs, their placement test scores and other academic details are sent to the admissions offices of the University campuses for review. Admitted students who do not have the minimum English proficiency-a score of 550 or higher (213 electronic) on the U.S. Test of English as a Foreign Language-will defer enrollment for one year to study English intensively to achieve this score. During their first year of study in Turkey, all of the enrolled students must apply for visas and are guided in this process by coordinators from both the Turkish and U.S. side. However, students are informed that the partner SUNY campuses are unable to guarantee the issuance of visas, and that visas are required prior to enrollment at our campuses.
Cost and Financial Administration
Students pay the appropriate tuition for the courses administered by the Turkish institutions. For courses administered by State University campuses, out-of-state tuition will be charged in addition to the normal fees and, when the student is in residence at a campus, health insurance, room and board. The cost for each full degree program has been estimated and divided equally so that students pay a fixed amount each year, unless a significant increase in tuition requires redistribution over the remaining years. Students make annual payments via wire transfer to a Turkish escrow agent bank account shared by the partner campuses. Per agreement between the Turkish institutions, SUNY campuses and the Turkish bank, the bank holds the funds until a specified deadline early in the semester. At this time, the campuses receive a list of the students' names and corresponding programs, then review and approve the list for disbursement of funds in one sum via wire transfer.
Scholarship funds for the existing programs are dispersed by the scholarship committee established by the bilateral advisory board and chaired by the Executive Director of the Fulbright Commission of Turkey. Initial scholarship funds in the amount of $250,000 were awarded in September 2002 by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Dept. of State.