Policy 412.1

INTERNATIONAL DUAL GRADUATE DEGREES
(Proposal 24-10)
(Proposal 3-11)

Senate Policy 412.1

Definitions:
Dual degrees are defined as arrangements whereby a student, upon completion of a course of
study, receives two parallel degrees, one from each of the institutions participating in the
arrangement. These may entail adjustments to accommodate the differences in the rules
and expectations of the two institutions, but the student has not completed two distinct
curricula and has not written two separate theses or dissertations. Dual degrees can not be
arranged ad hoc; they must be administered under the rubric of an established formal
agreement.

International graduate degrees are defined through arrangements between Michigan Tech and
one other comparable institution in a country outside of the U.S.

Concept proposal is a written document used in the Michigan Tech preliminary approval
process.

Formal agreement, such as a Memorandum of Understanding, is legally negotiated between
the two, or more, institutions in the arrangement.

Policy:
The Graduate School will entertain concept proposals for establishment of programs to award
International Dual Graduate Degrees. Once approved, these degrees will be articulated
through formal agreements between Michigan Tech and one or more collaborating universities.

Students enrolled in an International Dual Graduate Degree program must complete all of the
requirements (both content and credit) for a degree at Michigan Tech through combined studies
at Michigan Tech and the partnering institution. In addition, students enrolled in an International
Dual Graduate Degree program must also earn at least 50% of the credits required for a
Michigan Tech degree through Michigan Tech (ie., they may earn up to 50% of the credits
through the collaborating institution). (Note that this is inconsistent with the general requirement
that 2/3 of the graduate course work be taken in residence; see Board of Control Policy 8.5 for
mechanism for approval of variance.)

Students pursuing an International Dual Graduate Degree will receive a degree and diploma
from both Michigan Tech and the collaborating university. When the degree and diploma
awarded from each collaborating university are in the same academic area, up to 50% of the
credits required for each degree may be used to fulfill degree requirements at Michigan Tech
and another university. When the degree and diploma awarded from each collaborating
university are in different academic areas, students may double-count up to 33% of the credits
required for each degree (if the academic content covered by those credits can be appropriately
applied toward each degree).

Each participating student’s final Michigan Tech transcript will indicate that the degree was
earned as part of an International Dual Graduate Degree program and will provide the name(s)
of the collaborating universities.

Students enrolled in International Dual Graduate Degree programs will complete a thesis or
dissertation and will be co-advised by a qualified faculty member from Michigan Tech and the
primary collaborating university. If more than one collaborating university is involved in an
agreement, the primary collaborating university will be the one at which a participating student
will earn the most credits (in addition to the credits earned at Michigan Tech). Students will
defend their thesis or dissertation at Michigan Tech and the primary participating university,
either on-site or through the use of video or web-based conferencing.

Equivalence of Michigan Tech credits and credits earned at a collaborating university will be
determined based on the basic principal that full-time enrollment at Michigan Tech requires the
same amount of student effort as full-time enrollment at the collaborating university.

International Dual Graduate Degree programs can only involve degrees that are already
available at Michigan Tech. New degree programs cannot be developed initially as International
Dual Graduate Degrees.

Proposals for New International Dual Graduate Degrees:

1. Initial concept proposals will be developed by a member of the Michigan Tech Graduate
   Faculty. Faculty seeking assistance or guidance in developing proposals are encouraged
   to contact the Graduate School. Concept proposals should identify the proposing faculty
   member, the name of the Michigan Tech graduate program that will offer the degree, a
   statement of the benefits of the proposed dual degree to Michigan Tech and the
   appropriate intellectual community, the name of the collaborating university(s), and the
   name of a correspondent faculty member at the collaborating university(s).
   Concept proposals must also attend to the following elements: financial arrangements,
   including insurance; the time period of student attendance at Michigan Tech; the
   disciplinary scope of the agreement; clear exposition of credit and other academic
   equivalencies presumed; policies with regard to the comprehensive, qualifying, and final
   examinations; any anticipated intellectual property issues; arrangements for renewal and
   termination of the agreement; and an evaluation process and timeline for program
   evaluation.
2. Concept proposals must be approved by the faculty of the department or school that
   hosts the degree program. For non-departmental degrees, initial approval can be granted
   by the dean of the college or school in which the proposing faculty member has their
   primary academic appointment.
3. Concept proposals must be approved by the dean of the college or school that hosts
   the degree program. For non-departmental degrees, initial approval can be granted by
   the dean of the college or school in which the proposing faculty member has their
   primary academic appointment.
4. After initial approvals are completed (steps 1-3) proposals will be submitted to the dean
   of the Graduate School for review. Upon successful preliminary review, the dean of the
   Graduate School will:
   1. Submit the concept proposal to the Graduate Faculty Council and the University
      Senate's Curricular Policy Committee (US-CPC) for review. The US-CPC will consider
      and vote on the proposal and then report on the proposal and their deliberations to
      the Senate during a regularly held meeting and if approved by the US-CPC;
   2. Submit the concept proposal to the manager of Sponsored Operations who will
      develop an initial draft formal agreement. The draft formal agreement will be based on
      the Michigan Tech Standard Template for International Dual Graduate Degrees, or a
      similar document from one of the dual agreement institutions.
5. The draft formal agreement will then be reviewed by the dean of the Graduate School,
   the Registrar's Office, the director of International Programs and Services, and the
   University’s legal counsel. Recommendations for modification will be acted upon by the
   manager of Sponsored Operations. Upon successful completion of the internal review
   process, copies of the formal agreement will be forwarded to the collaborating university
   for review and modification. Once the terms of the formal agreement are agreed upon by
   the collaborating universities, it will be reviewed and, if appropriate, signed by the
   president and provost at Michigan Tech and by the leadership at the collaborating
   university(s).

Proposal 24-10:
Senate Introduction: 31 March 2010
Clarifying Amendment added: 14 April 2010
Adopted by Senate with Amendment: 14 April 2010
Approved by administration: 21 April 2010

Proposal 3-11:
Senate Introduction: 10 November 2010
Adopted by Senate: 8 December 2010
Approved by Administration: 20 December 2010