A Floating Campus for Bahçeşehir University

Bahçeşehir University is now extending its international connections to the seas. The Semester at Sea ship, which has offered a unique study-abroad experience since 1963, will now come to Istanbul every year and organize joint courses, seminars and activities with Bahçeşehir University.

At a meeting between Bahçeşehir University officials and the Semester at Sea administrators who visited Bahçeşehir University to examine the educational atmosphere in Türkiye, it was also decided to carry out student exchanges between the programs.

A "SEMESTER AT SEA" OPPORTUNITY FOR PREPARATORY STUDENTS

Thus, an alternative for students who take their English preparatory education at Bahçeşehir University's Washington campus in the USA has come from the "Semester at Sea" ship. Bahçeşehir University students who wish will be able to complete their English preparatory education on the "Semester at Sea" ship. Bahçeşehir University students will also be able to benefit from the certificate programs offered by the Semester at Sea program. Through training series given by expert guest speakers from different sectors, students will be able to spend the summer months studying at sea.

BAHÇEŞEHİR UNIVERSITY FACULTY MEMBERS WILL TEACH STUDENTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

Under the bilateral agreement, Bahçeşehir University faculty members will also teach hundreds of international students coming to Istanbul with the Semester at Sea program. Bahçeşehir University faculty members will teach some of the credit courses within the Semester at Sea academic program. One of these courses will be an Istanbul course.

During their study abroad on the Semester at Sea ship, lasting about 3 months, Bahçeşehir University students will gain a unique experience with 750 students from 25 different countries. Students will be able to take courses from their own departments or departments they are interested in. Courses being taught in English will also play a major role in improving students' English. At the end of this education, students will not only have gotten to know different cultures and seen different countries, but will also have developed themselves on the way to becoming global citizens.

CLASSES IN 14 PORTS OVER 15 WEEKS

The Semester at Sea program was founded in 1963 to offer international students a unique study-abroad experience. Under the program, students can take various courses on board depending on the length of study they choose. Study periods on board range from 3 weeks up to 15 weeks. Again depending on the length of study, students have the chance to visit different countries, from a minimum of 7 ports to a maximum of 14 ports.

Students from various countries around the world can participate in the Semester at Sea program. The courses students take on board count as credit courses, and they can transfer these credits to their universities when they return to their countries. When registering for the program, students enroll as visiting students at the University of Virginia, the academic sponsor of the Semester at Sea program. Therefore, the courses they take on board are approved by the University of Virginia, and after completing their education on the Semester at Sea ship, students are issued a transcript by the University of Virginia. This transcript clearly lists the courses taken and the grades received.

90 PERCENT OF THE SHIP IS INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

Academic advisors are on board throughout the program, with whom students or university officials can discuss various academic issues, such as whether the courses taken in the Semester at Sea program are equivalent to the courses students must take at their own universities.

Students who have completed their first year of university with a minimum GPA of 2.75 can apply to this program. 90% of the ship consists of international students. International students with academic achievements can apply for various Semester at Sea scholarship opportunities.

In the Semester at Sea program, classes are held only while the ship is at sea. Classes end the moment the ship docks at a country's port, and resume when the ship leaves that country and heads for another.

In this program, in which 55,000 undergraduate students have participated to date, students can choose courses either related to their field or to areas they are interested in. However, there is one course that every student is required to take: "Global Studies." This course is offered as a 3-credit course. Depending on the length of study they choose, students can enroll in programs ranging from a minimum of 9 credits to a maximum of 15 credits.

PRESTIGIOUS ACADEMIC STAFF

Before arriving at a country's port, students are briefed on various topics about that country. The ship is sometimes visited by ambassadors, faculty members and expert guest speakers. Students can also take part in activities organized in advance by Semester at Sea program administrators in the cities they visit.

The academic staff of the Semester at Sea program is also quite diverse. Hosting different faculty members every year, the Semester at Sea ship's faculty are selected from various prestigious schools such as Cornell University, Pennsylvania State University, Emerson College, Bentley University and Duke University.