Office of the Provost

Joint or Dual Degree Programs

Collaborative academic agreements are subject to the SACSCOC Agreements Involving Joint and Dual Academic Awards policy, and some may require prior approval as detailed in the approval matrix for substantive change procedures. If the arrangement involves international agreements, please also refer to the UT Dallas International Center's protocols.

New Cotutelle Agreements

Cotutelle Agreements foster international collaboration between UT Dallas faculty and scholars in France. Cotutelle Agreements also allow UT Dallas students who pursue doctoral training at French universities to be exposed to different labs and to diversity in their training, as well as the opportunity for international study. Hence, the Graduate Council, the Committee on Educational Policy, the Academic Senate, and the University Administration approve UT Dallas' participation in Cotutelle Agreements.

Cotutelle Agreements are official dual degree program agreements between UT Dallas and a specific university in France for a particular student. These agreements allow the doctoral student to be jointly supervised by a UT Dallas faculty member and a faculty member at a specified university in France. The Cotutelle Agreement outlines in detail the academic program the student will follow and the terms of the partnership.

To propose a Cotutelle Agreement, an individual faculty member must complete a Cotutelle Agreement (see https://www.utdallas.edu/ic/forms/#intl-partnerships) and submit the template to his or her program head for program faculty approval. Once all program approvals are received, the dean then sends an endorsement to the International Education Development Committee (IEDC), which will consider the request at its next scheduled meeting.

Upon approval by the IEDC, the agreement is routed for UT Dallas signatures and returned to the faculty member to obtain the signatures from the French institution. A signed, completed agreement is then sent to the Provost's Office so that the agreement can be submitted for SACSCOC review and approval. The dual degree program is not official until the University receives approval from SACSCOC, which typically takes six or more months.

The program head and the dean certify with their approval that the agreement is in compliance with all university policies and procedures, including UT Dallas' Policy on Procedures for Completing a Graduate Degree (http://policy.utdallas.edu/utdpp1052) and UT Dallas' Policy Related to Graduate Assistants, Student Teaching Assistants, Teaching Associates, and Student Research Assistants (http://policy.utdallas.edu/utdpp1075). The IEDC certifies that the template and terms of the agreement conform to established practices and that the agreement is appropriate for university signatures and SACSCOC per the university's substantive change policy (http://policy.utdallas.edu/utdpp1094).

Approval Process

Internal Review

  1. Submit the completed Cotutelle Agreement template to school program and/or school faculty head.[1]
  2. Evidence of vote/approval by program and/or school faculty.[2]
  3. Endorsement from school dean to IEDC.
  4. IEDC will review and route the approved request for UT Dallas signatures then return it to the faculty member to obtain the signatures from the French institution.
  5. Send the signed, completed agreement to the Assistant Provost for Policy and Program Coordination (serenity.king@utdallas.edu) for submission to SACSCOC.

External Review

  1. SACSCOC approval per substantive change policy

For assistance in completing or submitting any of these forms, please contact Serenity Rose King, Assistant Provost for Policy and Program Coordination (Mail Station AD42, 972.883.6749).

  1. Note: This is not sequential because the School (program head and dean) and the IEDC committee reviews and approves the agreement at once.
  2. Pursuant to school's bylaws.
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