Initiating Agreements
Contact
International Partnership Development
Jennifer Hilton Montero
Director for International Initiatives
Email: jennifer.HiltonMontero@utdallas.edu
Student Exchange Program Agreements
Sara Spiegler
Director of International Education
Email: sara.spiegler@utdallas.edu
Research Agreements
Brian Scott
Manager Contracts Grants
Office of Research and Innovation
Phone: 972-883-4552
Email: brian.scott@utdallas.edu
Academic/ Dual Degree Program Agreements
Serenity King
Associate Vice President for Institutional Success and Decision Support
Phone: 972-883-6749
Email: serenity.king@utdallas.edu
Best Practices
For a smooth and streamlined process, we recommend reviewing our best practices guide. Learn about the steps to International Agreement Success and what to expect for the timeline.
Priorities
- Alignment with UT Dallas vision and goals
- Strength of alignment with UT Dallas vision and goals and the corresponding UT Dallas School vision and objectives.
- Articulation of learning, academic, and/or research objectives to be achieved through the potential partnership.
- Academic parity
- Ranking and accreditation of the international institution.
- Articulation of the value added to the existing academic / research curricula of UT Dallas.
- Sustainability
- Fiscal resources available to engage in this international partnership.
- Strength of interest and recruitment methods to support levels of participation.
- Articulation of evaluation mechanisms to determine the success of the partnership.
- Intellectual and geographic diversity
- The geographic diversity of the partnership in relationship to existing partnerships.
- Academic requirements (dual degree program agreements only)
- Strength of pairing between existing UT Dallas undergraduate or master degrees and those of the international institution.
- Strength of pairing between existing UT Dallas academic requirements and those of the international institution.
Types of Agreements
Student Exchange Program Agreement
Student exchange program agreements establish the structure for UT Dallas students to enroll full time at a comparable international institution, while an equal number of students from the international institution enroll full time at UT Dallas. If approved, students may register and pay tuition at UT Dallas while enrolling with an international institution during a long semester (UT Dallas Fall or Spring semesters).
Student exchange program agreements allow students to strengthen foreign language and intercultural competence, while pursuing academic credit internationally.
Student exchange program agreements must meet the following guidelines:
- Over a five-year period or the period of the student exchange program agreement (whichever is shorter), the number of exchange students in-bound and out-bound must balance to zero.
- The partner institution must offer sufficient transferable coursework to allow UT Dallas students to transfer credit into the UT Dallas curriculum.
- The admission process and academic calendars of UT Dallas and the partner institution must allow students to participate in the exchange. Consideration should be given to deadlines, guidelines, procedures, housing and insurance information, and orientations.
Agreement of Cooperation or Memorandum of Understanding
Recommended for an initial or general partnership. Agreements of cooperation or memoranda of understanding state the intent between UT Dallas and a comparable international institution to cooperate in teaching and research activities of mutual interest.
Affiliation Agreement
Recommended for a detailed partnership. Affiliation agreements often serve as a foundation for future program agreements between UT Dallas and a comparable international institution. Affiliation agreements often include details about collaborative research projects, exchange of publications, reports, academic information, collaborative academic development and other activities as mutually agreed.
Research Agreement
Recommended to protect rights to intellectual property developed during the course of a specific research collaboration. The terms of collaboration allows the participation of students to pursue research in foreign destinations / institutions, especially in those destination / institutions with which UT Dallas does not have an affiliation. Note: The template may be obtained from the Office of Research upon request. The review and approval of these terms of collaboration are subject to the Office of Research’s guidelines.
Degree Program Agreement
Recommended to articulate the transfer of credits from a foreign partner institution to UT Dallas based on the guidelines of the current UT Dallas graduate and undergraduate catalogs. Degree program agreements require 1) the satisfaction of admission and graduation requirements at UT Dallas and 2) the transfer of credits from the foreign partner to an existing UT Dallas degree program. The agreement must include a clear sequence of courses from the foreign university to UT Dallas, including course numbering system, grading system, and equivalency of courses between the foreign university and UT Dallas
Dual Degree Program Agreement, including Cotutelle Agreement
Dual degree program agreements establish an academic structure to apply shared coursework to two degrees from two universities. The dual degree program agreement requires 1) the satisfaction of admission and graduation requirements at both institutions and 2) the transfer of credits from a home institution’s existing degree program to a host institution’s existing degree program. The agreement must include a clear sequence of courses from one institution to another; course numbering system, grading system, and equivalency of courses between institutions. Based on this academic structure each institution will grant a separate academic award bearing only its name, seal, and signature.
Fill out and submit an International Partnership Proposal
Create an International Partnership Proposal
You will be contacted by a representative of International Partnership Development within 3 business days from your form submission.
Process
- International Partnership Development (IPD) will contact you (the Sponsor) within 3 business days after you submit the International Partnership Proposal to confirm receipt.
- IPD will submit your request for review to the Office of Research Integrity and Outreach (ORIO).
- ORIO will review your request to determine if export control risks exist and authorize if appropriate. If authorized:
- The Sponsor will fill out a Letter of Intent (LOI) and obtain the School Dean’s or appropriate Vice President approval.
- Note: If the request is for DPA, DDPA, or CA, the Sponsor needs to obtain and include the course articulation in the LOI.
- IPD will develop the Institutional Fact Sheet (FS) on the proposed institution and share it with the Sponsor.
- IPD will schedule the Sponsor to present the request (including the FS and LOI) to the International Education Development Committee (IEDC).
- Note: The presentation will be scheduled based on the IEDC meeting calendar and agenda.
- IEDC will review the request and authorize if appropriate. If authorized:
- IPD will work with the sponsor and partner institution to draft a partnership agreement.
- Note: Agreements that deviate substantively from the template, will be sent to the appropriate stakeholders (legal, provost’s office, registrar, contracts, etc.) including IEDC for review and authorization of the changes.
- IPD will route the finalized partnership agreement to IEDC for authorization. If authorized:
- Note: For DDPA, the agreement will be routed through academic governance. This includes Graduate or Undergraduate Council, Committee on Educational Policy, Academic Council, Academic Senate, Provost’s Office. The review/ approval process is based on the Academic Governance calendar. DDPA agreements must also meet the university’s substantive change policy. Per this policy, all dual degree program agreements are subject to prior review by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).
- IPD will route the agreement to the Office of the Provost for final institutional authorization.