Jointly Conferred Higher Degree by Research (HDR) Awards Policy

OVERVIEW

The University delivers jointly conferred Higher Degree by Research (HDR) awards through approved partnerships in order to develop its education portfolio, broaden its international outlook, enhance the experience of students and staff, expand the career opportunities of students and stimulate collaborative research links.

SCOPE AND APPLICATION

This policy applies to all Doctoral and Master by Research academic programs that lead to jointly conferred awards. All staff engaged in the development, delivery and administration of such programs are required to comply with this policy. It does not apply to Undergraduate or Postgraduate Coursework Awards or other types of arrangements such as articulation, credit transfer and dual degrees.

DEFINITIONS

Jointly Conferred Award(s) refers to a program delivered jointly by two or more collaborating institutions whereupon completion a student receives a single award conferred jointly by those institutions.

Higher Degree by Research (HDR) refers to a program at Doctoral or Master level which comprises two-thirds or more of its assessable content by research.

Individual Jointly Conferred Agreement refers to a one to one agreement governing a degree program developed for a specific HDR student using the French Cotutelle model.

Overarching Jointly Conferred Award Agreement refers to a document which provides an overarching agreement for the joint award of a HDR with one of the University's key international partners; multiple students may enrol under the aegis of the Overarching Jointly Conferred Award Agreement.

Home University refers to the primary institution of enrolment. The candidate pays (any) fees to the primary institution only.

REDC means the University's Research Education and Development Committee.

Register means the University's Jointly Conferred Awards Register.

Other definitions are as contained in the University Glossary of Terms.

Principles

1. General Principles

a) The academic standards of Jointly Conferred Awards must be equivalent to those of comparable awards offered solely by the University of Adelaide.

b) Partner institutions must have the academic standing to deliver Jointly Conferred Awards to the required academic standards of the University of Adelaide, the financial standing to sustain them, the legal authority to confer them and a reputation complement with the University of Adelaide.

c) Individual jointly conferred award agreements must give an indication of the time to be spent in each participating institution, which will comprise at minimum 12 months of full-time study.

d) Overarching jointly conferred agreements for the award of Higher Degrees by Research are normally restricted to the University's priority partners.

e) Any agreement, whether individual or overarching, must explicitly address the issue of fees (as applicable), supervision, the nature and language of the thesis, and details of the examination process and the selection of examiners.

f) There shall be an agreed examination procedure, which must have regard for the requirements of both institutions noting that the final process may have steps beyond those required individually by the parties for their own degree.

g) There shall be an agreed and clearly articulated dispute resolution process.

h) Where a single parchment is issued, the University's name and coat of arms must be placed with equal prominence with the partner institution's name and badge (emblem, logo, coat of arms etc.) on the award testamur and all promotional and marketing material related to the Jointly Conferred Award must equally reflect all partner institutions.

i) When parchments are issued by multiple partner institutions, each parchment should include a statement recognising that it is conferred as a single degree under a joint program between the partner institutions.

2. Authority for the Approval of Partner Institutions

a) Where there is clear evidence of research collaboration between members of the supervisory teams across both the home and proposed partner institution, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Research), or Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research Operations), are authorised to negotiate and approve Individual Jointly Conferred Award Agreements in accordance with the Rules for Jointly Awarded Higher Degree by Research (HDR) Programs specified in the Research Student Handbook.

b) The Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Research) or delegate is authorised to initiate the development of an Overarching Jointly Conferred Award Agreement with any of the University's priority partners in accordance with the process defined in Clauses 3a - 3e below.

c) If a partner, other than one of the University's priority partners is proposed, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Research) or delegate will review the status of the institution. Through consideration of the institution's areas of strength, student population (including number of research students and international students), location and rankings, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Research) or Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research Operations) must be satisfied that the proposed partner is of equivalent academic standing and reputation to the University of Adelaide before initiating the development of an Overarching Jointly Conferred Award Agreement in accordance with the process defined in Clauses 3a - 3e below.

3. Process for the Approval of an Overarching Jointly Conferred Award Agreement with a Priority Partner

a) The Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Research) will initiate the negotiation of an Overarching Jointly Conferred Award Agreement with a priority partner.

b) The Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Research) or delegate (normally the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research Operations), will prepare a draft of the Overarching Jointly Conferred Award Agreement.

c) The Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Research) (or delegate) will provide a copy of the Overarching Jointly Conferred Award Agreement to Legal and Risk in order that the final legal agreement can be prepared and negotiated.

d) The Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Research) or delegate will present the details of the proposed partnership for the joint conferral of HDR programs and recommend its approval, sequentially, to the REDC, the University Research Committee, the Academic Board and the Vice-Chancellor for approval on behalf of Council.

e) The legal agreement may be signed after the approvals required under Clause 3d above have been obtained.

4. Ongoing Matters

a) Once all approvals have been obtained and the Overarching Jointly Conferred Award Agreement has been signed by the Vice-Chancellor and President and the partner institution, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) (or delegate) shall:

i. regularly monitor compliance with the obligations under the legal agreement;

ii. ensure that the agreement is regularly reviewed in accordance with the Academic Program Rules for Higher Degrees by Research and the Rules for Jointly Awarded Higher Degree by Research (HDR) Programs as specified in the Research Student Handbook;

iii. ensure that the final copy of approved institutional agreements are lodged in the Global Engagement Office;

iv. ensure that (any) new partner institutions are added to the Register.

b) An Overarching Jointly Conferred Award Agreement may only be renewed once the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), or Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research Operations), confirms in writing to Legal and Risk that the Jointly Conferred Award and the partner institution(s) continue to meet:

i. the requirements of this policy;

ii. the requirements of all other University policies; and

iii. compliance with the signed legal agreement between the University and the partner institution(s).

c) All Jointly Conferred Award testamur designs must comply with the University's Brand Policy and must be approved by the Vice-Chancellor and President (or delegate).

Authorities

Key	Authority Category	Authority	Delegation Holder	Limits
Academic	Programs and Rules	Approve Partner Institutions for individual HDR Jointly Conferred Agreements	Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) or Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research Operations)
Academic	Programs and Rules	Approve Individual HDR Jointly Conferred Agreements	Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) or Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research Operations)
Academic	Programs and Rules	Sign legal agreements with Partner Institutions for approved Individual Jointly Conferred Agreements	Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) or Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research Operations)
Academic	Programs and Rules	Approve overarching Jointly Conferred Academic Agreements	Vice-Chancellor and President	On recommendation of Academic Board
Academic	Programs and Rules	Sign legal agreements with Partner Institutions for Overarching Jointly Conferred Awards	Vice-Chancellor and President (or delegate)	On advice of General Counsel
Academic	Programs and Rules	Approve testamur designs for Jointly Conferred Awards	Vice-Chancellor and President	On advice of Director, Marketing and Communications

Please use the following URL instead of linking to individual documents:
https://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/4063