Dr. Wael Mualla, the President of Damascus University, met with Mr. Rami Musa, from the Office of International Relations at the University of Southampton in the U.K., on December 5th to discuss ways of developing cooperative relations between the two sides through the establishment of joint master’s and doctoral degree programs.
Mr. Musa suggested the possibility of a joint Ph.D. program using the “sandwich system,” in which the student spends a year at the partner university and the remaining years a Damascus University, due to the fact that the University of Southampton is the leader in geometry and computer sciences. Dr. Mualla expressed his interest in the proposal, pointing out that the Higher Education Council was currently considering recognizing diplomas issued using the “sandwich system.” He added that he expected the adoption of this policy soon, in light of the continuing efforts to reduce the costs and expenditures of the government in sending students to obtain degrees abroad.
