Challenges in Islamic finance education and ways out: An empirical evaluation of higher education programs

There has been an intense interest to Islamic finance education in Turkey at the recent years, in parallel with its sectoral development. However, there are many problems and difficulties experienced in the education process. The aim of this study is to identify these problems experienced at the higher education level and to reveal the solutions. Qualitative research method was adopted in the study, data were obtained by interview method and content analysis was performed. Within the scope of the study, a total of 30 interviews were conducted with students studying and academicians teaching in this field at universities in cities such as Konya, Istanbul, Bursa, Sakarya and Ankara, where Islamic finance education is at the forefront, MAXQDA 2022 program was used in the data analysis process. As a result, 7 problem categories have been determined as a) Lack of course materials, b) Absence of a standard and graded curriculum, c) Uniformity/similarity in academic studies, d) Inadequacy in the quality and number of instructors, e) Student profile (heterogeneity) and quality, f) employment problem and g) the ideological view towards the field. The solutions are; a) Preparation of a standard and gradual education curriculum, b) Increasing the competence and the training of educators, c) Establishing sector-public-university collaboration platforms and increasing the number of scientific publications, d) Expanding national and international academic activities and increasing the number of undergraduate/graduate programs e) Practical training; touching to the sector, the market, people and providing solutions to problems, f) raising awareness for the field, financial literacy. and providing political support, g) Recognition of the field as a separate discipline at the academic titles and appointments, h) Giving equivalence for undergraduate programs. It is expected that the findings will add value to the decisions of the authorized units of higher education institutions, sector representatives and relevant public authorities.