Collaborative Degree Programs with International Partners

UB officials sign agreement with Dalian University, China.

The Office of International Education (OIE) serves as the central administrative clearinghouse for the review and approval of new collaborative or dual degree programs with international partners, and works closely with the host academic units, Undergraduate Education, the Graduate School, and other administrative units to facilitate this process.

In recent years, UB schools and departments have been approached more frequently by prospective partners overseas to collaborate on degree programs that involve a portion of the curricular requirements being completed at the partner institution and a portion at UB, leading to the conferral of degrees from both institutions.

For example, dual-degree undergraduate partnerships often follow a “2+2” model, with the first two years of the program completed at the partner university and the last two at UB. Dual-degree programs at the master’s level typically follow a 1+1 model, with a year of study at each institution. Some models involve a combination of an undergraduate and a graduate degree, as in the 3+2 model, with three years of undergraduate coursework at the partner followed by two years at UB culminating in the partner’s bachelor’s degree and a UB master’s degree.

However, the approval of such collaborative or dual degree programs requires extensive due diligence with respect to assessing the proposed partner for overall fitness and capacity to collaborate with UB, facilitating a good curricular match, determining enrollment projections and a business plan, and providing for overall quality assurance, among others. The process is outlined in this flow chart.

In consultation with OIE, the host department/school prepares a program proposal using the proposal form designed for this purpose.

OIE stands ready to assist academic units interested in considering such programs with current and/or prospective partners. Please contact Dr. John Wood,  Senior Associate Vice Provost for International Education, for more information.