Students will take credit-bearing classes while on board. When visiting ports they will have the chance to take part in academic field studies, independent travel and shore excursions.

The vessel will have many of the facilities of modern university campuses, including an academic support centre, a convenience store, a fitness centre, internet hot spots, laundry facilities, a learning resource centre, multiple dining facilities, recreation and activity rooms, religious observance spaces, a swimming pool, a cinema and a 24-hour medical clinic.

Programmes will be offered at the undergraduate and graduate level. Graduate programmes will include international business, international communication and international relations. The international business programme will include accounting, business administration, economics, finance, management and marketing.

Postgraduates will receive a Certificate in Intercultural Knowledge Management from the Scholar Ship. They will also have a variety of options for earning postgraduate certificates or continuing their studies to earn master's degrees from the Scholar Ship's academic stewards or partner institutions.

Students wanting to pursue an MBA and other master's degrees should apply separately to partner institutions and make sure the credits they earn on board will count towards their degree.

The academic programme was jointly developed by the University of California at Berkeley in the United States; Fudan University in China; the Tecnologico de Monterrey in Mexico; Al Akhawayn University in Morocco; the University of Ghana; and Macquarie University in Australia.

Academic credit will be granted by Macquarie University, owing to its longstanding record of hosting international students. The cost of the programme - including tuition, meals and a shared standard cabin for the maiden voyage - will be US$19,950. Postgraduates will need a bachelor's degree from an officially recognised institution. As English is the language of instruction, non-native speakers will have to demonstrate proficiency in the language through documentation by test scores or other acceptable evidence. The application deadline for the first voyage is April 30.

'As the world grows flatter, the value of an international approach to higher education cannot be overstated,' said Joseph Olander, president of The Scholar Ship.

'The Scholar Ship is designed to prepare young adults to live and work in our increasingly interdependent, global community. Students will be immersed in an intercultural setting, exploring their fields of study in an experiential context, while developing a network of lifelong relationships around the world.'

HSBC, IBM and Microsoft have thrown their weight behind the project, providing input and guidance to make sure that learning outcomes are relevant and practical for students.

Claudette Whiting, general manager of Global Diversity and Inclusion at Microsoft, said: 'The Scholar Ship has gone well beyond the norm in designing its programme by engaging multinational employers on the front end of the development cycle to better understand the demands of tomorrow's global workforce, which should only increase the employability of its students.'

Operational support will be provided by Royal Caribbean Cruises. Richard Fain, chairman and chief executive of the cruise line, said: 'Having travelled the world extensively for business and pleasure I believe The Scholar Ship's goals of building a globally competent and culturally sensitive workforce could not be more timely and essential.'