CONCURRENT MASTERS DEGREES ACROSS THE ATLANTIC: INNOVATIONS, ISSUES INSIGHTS

摘要

Atransatlantic degree consortium to implement a four-semester dual masters degree initiative across a three-institution consortium consisting of Purdue University (USA), the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT), and the Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya (Spain) is presented in this paper. This initiative, while focusing on graduate (Masters) student mobility, also includes faculty mobility, language instruction and assessment, project evaluation and other services to insure ongoing success. Effective existing collaborations, i.e., an active undergraduate exchange semester and collaborative faculty activity established a solid foundation for the new dual/concurrent technology degree program and enabled it to get off to a fast start. Two of the new consortium members are already partnering in an Atlantis undergraduate student mobility project that is working well and which has generated considerable student and faculty traffic and collaboration well in excess of the funding requirements [1]. The partners have invested considerable amounts of their own monies in building the relationship and thus evidence the sustainability of the new dual transatlantic technology masters degree program. Globalization, technological innovation and sustainability are critical issues for most if not all nations in the world. Nowhere do these concerns converge more than in the preparation of leaders with significant capabilities in technology. In the Americas and in Europe, advanced programs in leadership development are often configured as master's degree programs - both conventional and professional (see the National Academy Press' recent document [2] on this for evidence). There exists a wide range of masters programs that include professional masters, MBAs, online degrees, and conventional campus-based experiences. But, few if any focus specifically on the intersection of Technology - Globalization - Innovation and Sustainability!