Dual Degree Programs With Universities In The State Of Florida Usa An Internationalization Strategy Of The Engineering College In Universidad Del Norte, Colombia

Universidad del Norte is a private institution located in Barranquilla, Colombia. As part of the institutional development plan, the engineering college has defined many strategies for internationalization. These strategies include impelling cooperation and exchange of faculty, promoting participation in international congresses, promoting faculty short term mobility in universities abroad and encouraging student mobility in the same way. Establishing alliances with universities in the State of Florida to define options for dual degree program is a way to stimulate and promote mobility of students, but also it is a recognition of quality equivalencies of the engineering programs in Universidad del Norte with programs in the US. This process has not been easy. The paper will mention the difficulties we have experienced and how they were solved. It shows how the dual degree program works and explains how the students take some courses in Colombia the first four years and later they go to the US and take courses during two semesters and a summer. When the students pass their courses, Universidad del Norte give them the Engineering degree in Colombia and the Universities in Florida give them the equivalent diploma. In addition, the paper shows the advantage for the student of this kind of programs and includes student opinion about it.