UNIVERSITY SECRETARIAT
Inter-Institutional CoSupervisory Agreements
Procedures Document
Version number 1.8
Approved by Academic Council: 6 December 2012
UNIVERSITY SECRETARIAT
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Policy Title
Inter-Institutional Co-Supervisory Agreements: Procedures Document
Policy Officer
Michael Kennedy
Date Approved
6th December 2012
Date Effective From
1st January 2013
Last updated
18th December 2012 (v1.8)
1.
Context / Background
An Inter-Institutional Co-Supervisory Agreement may be used to establish the rules and procedures according to
which a student may have their registration, supervision and award of a degree with both UCD and another non-Irish
third-level institution. For co-supervisory arrangements with other Irish third-level institutions, staff are advised that
academic staff from these institutions may be accommodated as advisors on the student’s Research Masters or
Doctoral Studies Panel,1 or may be appointed as Principal Supervisors or Co-Supervisors, in accordance with UCD
policies2 and the Academic Regulations.3
Management of joint supervision arrangements for graduate research students has its foundation with collaborations
with French universities and has traditionally taken the form of a ‘Co-Tutelle Agreement’. However, use of the cotutelle template and framework for other non-French institutions has expanded, giving rise to the need to re-develop
these procedures to accommodate the various forms of all similar types of collaboration. Furthermore, the Universitas
21 (www.universitas21.com) global network of leading research intensive universities have signed a Memorandum of
Understanding on Jointly Awarded PhD Degrees as a way of enabling doctoral students to embark on joint degrees
which should considerably enhance their research and employment opportunities on an international scale. The
signatories to this Memorandum of Understanding are University College Dublin and the universities of Auckland,
Birmingham, British Columbia, Delhi, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Hong Kong, Korea, McGill, Melbourne, Nottingham,
Queensland, New South Wales, Lund and Virginia.
Each Inter-Institutional Co-Supervisory Agreement is drawn up between the collaborating institutionson behalf of each
individual student. Co-Supervisory Agreements are open to both UCD students looking to undertake research
elsewhere as part of their graduate research programme, as well as graduate research students from other non-Irish
third level institutions wishing to conduct part of their research in UCD.Where an entire cohort of students may be
involved, or where there may be a desire to establish a joint graduate research programme, staff should refer to
http://www.ucd.ie/registry/academicsecretariat/progs.htm for information on developing a new collaborative
programme.
2.
Definitions
An Inter-Institutional Co-Supervisory Agreement provides a student with a joint research supervision agreement.
Under the agreement, a student may pursue their graduate research programme at two universities under two different
supervisors and, upon satisfying the degree requirements of both institutions, the student may receive either two
degrees – one from each institution – or a single joint degree.
3.
Purpose
An Inter-Institutional Co-Supervisory Agreement is normally entered into on the basis of the following principles:
a)
b)
To enhance bilateral international research collaboration and to recruit outstanding international research
students;
To promote graduate research student mobility and to improve the opportunities for graduate research students
to undertake international study;
1
The terms of reference for the Doctoral Studies Panel is available at http://www.ucd.ie/registry/academicsecretariat/docs/dstudies_tor.pdf.
Approval of the membership of a given Doctoral Studies Panel rests with the relevant Graduate School Board.
2
See Policy on Approval of Adjunct and Visiting Staff, and Procedures for Appointment of Adjunct or Visiting Staff as Principal Supervisors, available
at http://www.ucd.ie/registry/academicsecretariat/adjunctvisiting.htm.
3
Available at http://www.ucd.ie/registry/academicsecretariat/regs_home.htm.
www.ucd.ie/registry/academicsecretariat
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c)
UNIVERSITY SECRETARIAT
d)
To enhance access to technologies and equipment for both institutions and to improve dialogue between
academics and field experts;
To enable students to access a wider range of funding mechanisms that may otherwise be unavailable to them.
4.
Scope
This procedures document seeks to establish clear guidelines for the development and approval of Inter-Institutional
Co-Supervisory Agreements at UCD. This is part of the Programme Development, Approval and Review Framework
(PDARF)4 along with the proposal and approval of all University Awards. These procedures and associated principles
relate to all inter-institutional co-supervisory graduate research student arrangements where such students will have
their registration, supervision and award of a degree with both UCD and another non-Irish third-level institution.
5.
Principles
This procedure seeks to provide clarity of purpose and transparency in practice. The following principles underpin the
development of Inter-Institutional Co-Supervisory Agreements at UCD:
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
6.
An Inter-Institutional Co-Supervisory Agreement may only be drafted for one student. Where there may be a
cohort of students involved in the same programme, staff should seek to establish a collaborative programme in
accordance with the University’s Programme Development, Approval and Review Framework.
An Inter-Institutional Co-Supervisory Agreement must normally be agreed for a student either at admission or
within the first year of their graduate research programme.
Students must satisfy the agreed academic requirements of both UCD and the other institution with regard to
registration, progression, progress reviews, thesis submission and examination and as outlined in their InterInstitutional Co-Supervisory Agreement and/or as required by the supervisors at each institution.
Students are bound by the UCD Academic Regulations5, the UCD Student Code6 and various academic
policies.
Students must spend a minimum of one year full-time (or part-time equivalent) at each institution (UCD and the
other institution), completing a minimum equivalent of 90 credits.
Students may be awarded two degrees, one from each institution (also known as a ‘double’ or ‘dual’ degree) or
a single joint degree award.The award of a single joint degree or two separate degrees is dependent on the
legal and/or technical capacity of the participating institutions to award a joint degree – this should be negotiated
between UCD and the partner institution and must be addressed in the text of the agreement itself.
In the case of Universitas 21 institutions, the participant universities have agreed to award a single joint degree,
and the degree parchment will clearly reflect the joint nature of the award. For each student accepted for study
for a Universitas 21 jointly awarded degree, a lead university must be identified (and named as such in the
Agreement) which is responsible for overall administration of the arrangement. The student will normally be
awarded their joint degree at a graduation ceremony at the lead university.
Roles and Responsibilities
Students who are interested in an Inter-Institutional Co-Supervisory arrangement should approach their Principal
Supervisor in the first instance. It is the responsibility of the Principal Supervisor to draft, in co-operation with the
supervisor in the other institution, the Inter-Institutional Co-Supervisory Agreement (see draft agreement which
accompanies this document) and to liaise with the student in doing so. The Principal Supervisor may also seek
guidance and advice from the University Secretariat, UCD Graduate Studies, the International Office, the Graduate
School Director, the Graduate School Office, the Head of School or the College Principal as appropriate.
It is important that the Agreement is signed by all of the named signatories. Final approval for the Inter-Institutional CoSupervisory Agreement lies with the Registrar/Deputy Registrar.
7.
Process
a)
Supervisors at both institutions, and the student, should work together to draft the Inter-Institutional CoSupervisory Agreement (in collaboration with the signatories where necessary).
4
See http://www.ucd.ie/registry/academicsecretariat/progs.htmfor further details.
Available at http://www.ucd.ie/registry/academicsecretariat/regs_home.htm.
6
Available at http://www.ucd.ie/registry/academicsecretariat/regs_sc.html
5
www.ucd.ie/registry/academicsecretariat
UNIVERSITY SECRETARIAT
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b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
h)
i)
j)
Within UCD, the Agreement should be signed by the Principal Supervisor, the Head of School, the College
Principal and the Registrar/Deputy Registrar. It is the responsibility of the Principal Supervisor to liaise with the
relevant staff in the other institution to determine who the appropriate signatories within the other institution are.
The Principal Supervisor should submit the Inter-Institutional Co-Supervisory Agreement (hard copy), with the
necessary signatures, to the relevant Graduate School Office for Graduate School Board approval.
Where approved by the Graduate School Board, the hard copy should be submitted to the University
Programmes Board secretary for noting at the next UPB meeting.
Upon noting at UPB, and where the relevant signature has not already been obtained, University Secretariat will
arrange for the Inter-Institutional Co-Supervisory Agreement to be signed by the Registrar/Deputy Registrar.
Once the Agreement has been signed by all relevant parties at UCD (including the Registrar/Deputy Registrar),
and where necessary, University Secretariat will liaise with the Principal Supervisor to ensure that both
institutions have copies of the agreement with original signatures from all relevant parties. University Secretariat
will retain a copy of the agreement with all relevant signatures from staff at both institutions.
It is the responsibility of the Principal Supervisor to ensure that the student is provided with a copy of the final
signed agreement. The Principal Supervisor is also responsible for ensuring that the student complies with the
provisions set-out in the agreement.
Following noting of the agreement at UPB, University Secretariat will communicate the related arrangements
throughout UCD Registry to ensure that the student’s registration status is managed in accordance with the
terms of the agreement.
University Secretariat will maintain a list of all Inter-Institutional Co-Supervisory Agreements throughout the
University, to facilitate a review of these agreements as and when deemed necessary or appropriate by the
University Programmes Board or Academic Council.
Where the Inter-Institutional Co-Supervisory Agreement is initiated by the other institution, the completed
agreement template of that University will be acceptable for submission to UCD, provided that the UCD
Principal Supervisor has ensured that the information outlined in the UCD template (which accompanies this
document) is adequately covered by and provided for in the agreement supplied by the other institution.
Version History
Version
Date
Summary
Changed by
1.0
30/06/10
First draft developed in conjunction with a template/form.
E Condon
1.1
30/07/10
Second draft following consultation with International
Office (C Convery) and Michael Kennedy.
E Condon
1.2
21/09/2010
Third draft with minor amendments following
consultation with Corporate and Legal Affairs and the
University Safety Officer.
E Condon and Mary
Hogan
1.3
04/11/2010
Fourth draft with minor amendments following
discussion between M Kennedy and S Critchley.
M Kennedy
1.4& 1.5
30/11/2010
Minor amendments and clarifications following
recommendation at UGPB 25th November 2010.
E Condon
1.6& 1.7
15/10/2012
Amendments following Stage 1 Review of procedures
document, expansion of existing co-tutelle procedures to
encompass joint supervision arrangements with other
non-French institutions, inclusion of provisions for
collaboration with other Universitas 21 institutions.
M Kennedy and E
Cunningham
1.7
06/12/2012
Approved by Academic Council.
M Kennedy
1.8
18/12/2012
Minor amendments following consultation with UCD
Registry staff and Graduate School Managers.
M Kennedy
www.ucd.ie/registry/academicsecretariat