Joint degree program

NEW YORK

New York's Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) has added Turkey to its list of international alliances, under a collaborative agreement with Istanbul Technical University (ITU). Dr. Joyce F. Brown, president of FIT, and Dr. Gulsun Saglamer, rectory of ITU, signed the agreement in June to establish degree programs in fashion and related industries.

FIT's partnership is part of a joint degree program initiated by the State University of New York and the Turkish Council of Higher Education. Under this agreement, FIT and ITU will establish two bachelor's degree programs, in fashion design and in textile development and marketing, whereby students will be required to study in both countries. Upon completion of the program, students will receive one degree recognized by both ITU and FIT.

"FIT will provide Istanbul Technical University with innovative curricula and guidance for quality instruction to prepare fashion industry professionals," Brown says. "In return, FIT can learn a great deal from a country that has played an increasingly important role in the global marketplace."

"This project will make a major contribution to the Turkish textile and apparel industries by providing the leaders necessary for the future," Saglamer says.

The partnership with ITU furthers FIT's mission to form strategic international alliances. FIT has been instrumental in establishing China's Zhejiang International Institute of Fashion Technology, India's National Institute of Fashion Technology and Israel's Shenkar College. FIT offers its programs in international fashion design and international fashion merchandising management at Polimoda in Florence, Italy, an institution it helped to establish almost 20 years ago. The college has also collaborated with educational organizations in Brazil, Egypt, the Philippines and Japan.