JOINT DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY AGREEMENT POLICY

Date approved:	10 June 2011	Date Policy will take effect:	Immediately	Date of Next Review:	December 2013
Approved by:	University Council
Custodian title & e-mail address:	Director, Research Student Centre research_student_centre@uow.edu.au
Author:	Director, Research Student Centre
Responsible Faculty/ Division & Unit:	Research Student Centre
Supporting documents, procedures & forms of this policy:	UOW Joint PhD Guidelines UOW Joint PhD Agreement Proposal Form
References & Legislation:	French Ministerial Regulations DEEWR: Administrative Information for Providers (AIP): Student Support (2010) DIMA: Overseas Students on Exchange Programs in a Third Country Higher Education Support Act, 2003 (Commonwealth) General Course Rules Academic Grievance Policy (Higher Degree Research Students) International Linkages Policy Intellectual Property Policy Code of Practice - Supervision
Audience:	Public – accessible to anyone
Expiry Date of Policy:	Not applicable

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Contents

• 1 Purpose of Policy 3
• 2 Definitions 3
• 3 Application & Scope 4
• 4 Proposed UOW Conditions for Joint PhD Agreements 4
• 5 Roles & Responsibilities 7
• 6 Version Control and Change History 7

1 Purpose of Policy

• 1. To set out clear and defined conditions for the establishment and management of Joint PhD Agreements between the University of Wollongong (UOW) and Overseas institutions, governing joint doctoral degrees from both institutions.
• 2. A Joint PhD Agreement is an agreement between UOW and an Overseas institution; governing a joint doctoral degree from both institutions. Under such an agreement, the Doctoral degree is recognised on the UOW transcript and testamur and the relevant certification of the Overseas institution as having been awarded under a Joint PhD Agreement with the partner institution.
• 3. The Joint PhD Agreement aims to:
• a. enhance international research collaboration, including the recruitment of research students;
• b. improve the opportunities for doctoral research students to undertake international study;
• c. enhance access by doctoral students to up-to-date technologies and equipment, and the finest supervision; and
• d. allow international students to gain access to funding mechanisms which may otherwise be unavailable.

2 Definitions

Word/Term	Definition (with examples if required)
Candidate	A student in the process of completing the requirements for a degree.
Candidature	The undertaking of a course of study.
Commonwealth Grant	A grant provided to University students by the Commonwealth, as per the Commonwealth Grants Scheme.
Contact Officer	The UOW officer responsible for implementing, communicating, maintaining and reviewing the policy; and responding to queries regarding the policy.
Joint PhD Agreement	An agreement between an Australian University (in this case UOW) and an overseas institution, governing a joint doctoral degree from both institutions.
Domestic Student	A student who is an Australian Citizen, Australian Permanent Resident, or New Zealand Citizen and is studying at an Australian (in this case UOW) institution.
FEAST	Forum of European-Australian Science and Technology Cooperation
Formal Exchange	A formal agreement between a provider and an overseas higher education institution to have a reciprocal exchange of students over time.
Intellectual Property	A product of the intellect that has commercial value, including copyrighted property such as literary or artistic works, and ideational property, such as patents, appellations of origin, business methods, and industrial processes.
Joint /Double Badged Program	A joint degree program between UOW and any other institution whereby one degree is awarded by both UOW and the other institution.
Partner / Host Institution	The institution at which the candidate has secondary enrolment.
Home Institution	The institution at which the candidate has primary enrolment
RTS	Research Training Scheme
Scholarship	An award of access to an institution and/or a financial aid award for an individual for the purposes of furthering their education.
Student Visa	A document issued by a country giving a certain individual permission to enter that country for a given period of time for the purpose of study.
Testamur	Certification of an award. In the case of joint PhD agreements a student can receive a testamur from each institution relating to the joint degree program.
Tuition Fee	A fee to cover the educational costs of a program.
Viva Voce	An oral examination.

3 Application & Scope

• 1. This policy is to be referred and adhered to by all UOW staff and students when establishing and/or managing a Joint PhD Agreement.

4 Proposed UOW Conditions for Joint PhD Agreements

• 1. The following conditions will apply to UOW Joint PhD Agreements with Overseas Higher Education Institutions.

Process for Establishment of a Joint PhD Agreement

• 2. A Joint PhD Agreement must be drawn up between the two participating institutions in respect of each candidate, detailing the specific arrangements pertaining to that particular candidature.
• 3. A proposal for a Joint PhD Agreement must be completed using the UOW Joint PhD Agreement Proposal Form. When completing a Joint PhD Agreement proposal, authors should refer to the UOW Joint PhD Agreement Guidelines, and any Ministerial Regulations relevant to the proposed partner country, in addition to this policy.
• 4. Once signed by the Dean of the Faculty (see section 7.15 regarding approval), the Joint PhD Agreement Proposal must be submitted to the Research Student Centre. Once approved by the Dean of Research, the Director, Research Student Centre will liaise with the Legal Services Unit, who will draw up a Joint PhD Agreement between UOW and the partner institution. The Research Student Centre is responsible for negotiating and finalising the Agreement.
• 5. Joint PhD Agreements should take effect from the beginning of candidature, however under certain conditions retrospective approval may be sought for existing candidates. The same process for the establishment of a Joint PhD Agreement is required for existing candidates.

Existing Research Collaborations

• 6. A Joint PhD Agreement will normally only be initiated in cases where there has been a history of research collaboration between the two institutions/departments or research groups.

Time Spent at Each Institution

• 7. The Joint PhD candidature must be divided between the two institutions with alternate stays at each and a minimum of 1 year full-time (two semesters full-time) at each institutions. The remaining time for completions will be as agreed by both institutions. An indicative timetable for candidature at both institutions must be specified in the Agreement.

Duration

• 8. The duration of a Doctoral degree under a Joint PhD Agreement is the same as a normal Doctoral degree; that is, taking 2-4 years to complete as a full-time candidate (General Course Rule 6.30).

General Conditions of Candidature

• 9. The conditions of and regulations pertaining to candidature at the partner institution must be compatible with UOW guidelines and regulations, as detailed below (or in the absence of guidelines at the partner institution, UOW guidelines/regulations shall apply). In the case of a significant variation, this should be foreshadowed and resolved in the initial agreement documents.
• 10. Candidature related matters would include, but are not necessarily limited to:

• Admission Requirements - note that UOW requires its entry requirements to be met by all students whether from UOW or the partner institution
• Code of Practice - Research
• Code of Practice - Supervision
• General Course Rules
• Student Conduct Rules
• Academic Grievance Policy (Higher Degree Research Students)
• Ethics Clearances
• Workplace Health and Safety and Equity protocols

Intellectual Property

• 11. The Joint PhD Agreement must specify any intellectual property agreements or conditions. Copyright of the thesis will be assigned to the candidate. All Agreements must comply with the UOW Intellectual Property Policy.

Fees

• 12. The Joint PhD Agreement must set out the arrangements for candidature fees and expenses. Joint PhD Agreements will be conducted as formal exchange agreements between the two institutions. Formal exchange programs involve a formal agreement between a provider and an overseas higher education institution to have a reciprocal exchange of students over time. These arrangements allow UOW domestic students to pay for their overseas study under the provisions of the Higher Education Support Act. These arrangements also allow overseas students to pay for the study they undertake in Australia under the fee regime that applies to them in their home country. 1

Student Fees at Home Institution

• 13. Students will pay fees according to the fee requirements of their Home institution.

Student Fees at Host Institution

• 14. Host institutions must agree to grant fee exemptions or provide tuition fee scholarships covering the period of enrolment at the host institution.

Overseas Student Fees

• 15. A student whose nominated home institution is an overseas institution will pay tuition fees to their home institution as per that institution’s fee regime and will not pay fees to UOW. The Joint PhD Agreement will specify any provisions for the candidate's research costs including laboratory/fieldwork funding, which is provided by the home University.

Living and Other Costs

• 16. Other incidental fees and charges, health cover, travel and associated costs, accommodation and personal expenses are the responsibility of the candidate.

Visas

• 17. Students are enrolled as a doctoral student at both universities and are eligible to apply for a Student Visa for the period of research overseas. Students studying in Australia and overseas are subject to strict visa conditions and should contact the Department of Immigration in the country they are travelling to in order to acquaint themselves with their possible visa requirements. Students will themselves be responsible for undertaking the student visa application process. Overseas students in Australia on a student visa (in this case UOW international students) are allowed to participate in an international exchange program in a third country, subject to conditions.2

Thesis

• 18. The student must produce a written thesis for examination by both institution and is required to meet all submission and examination requirements of each institution for the thesis relevant to that institution.

Supervision

• 19. The Joint PhD Agreement must list the two principal supervisors who are to undertake the joint supervision, one per institution, and if the student’s Home institution is UOW they will also be required to have at least one co-supervisor from UOW. Additional associated supervisors from either institution may be appointed, as appropriate. The partner institution must agree to apply the UOW Code of Practice - Supervision when supervising Joint PhD candidates.

Language of Instruction

• 20. Instruction shall be in the language of instruction for each institution. The candidate must therefore be able to meet both the English proficiency requirements of UOW and the language proficiency requirement of the partner institution.

Examination Process

• 21. The Joint PhD agreement will specify the nature of the examination process, and funding for expenses for examiners attending a possible Viva Voce examination (oral defence). Funding of examiner’s expenses is the responsibility of the home institution, unless otherwise negotiated in the Joint PhD Agreement.
• 22. The student will separately satisfy the examination process of both universities, However agreement to use common examiners, and share examiners’ reports may be made.
• 23. Any additional costs incurred during the examination, other than those which currently apply, would be borne by the home institution, as stipulated in the Joint PhD Agreement.

Award of Degree

• 24. When the required time spent at each institute, and the required conditions for examination have been met, a candidate will receive a UOW Doctoral testamur and certification relating to the Doctorate (or other equivalent qualification from the overseas institution) from the partner institution in respect of that candidature. The UOW testamur and transcript and the relevant certification of the overseas Institution must specify that the award is “‘Conferred as a single degree under a joint PhD program between The University of Wollongong and [name of partner institution]’.

Approval of Proposal and Agreement

• 25. The Joint PhD Agreement Proposal Form must be signed off by the Dean and must then be approved by the Dean of Research. Once approved, the Joint PhD Agreement, drawn up by the Legal Services Unit, must be signed off by the Dean of Research and the appropriate officers at the Overseas institution.

5 Roles & Responsibilities

• 1. Roles and responsibilities are as specified in this policy.

6 Version Control and Change History

Version Control	Date Effective	Approved By	Amendment
1	10 June 2011	University Council	New Policy replacing rescinded Cotutelle Policy
2	30 Nov 2012	Vice-Principal (Administration)	Updated to reflect change from OHS to WHS.

¹ Source: DEEWR: Administrative Information for Providers: Student Support (2010) Section 19: Exchange and study abroad students. Available at: http://www.deewr.gov.au/HigherEducation/Resources/Documents/AIPFeb2010.pdf

² Source: DIMA, Overseas students on exchange programs in a third country. Available at: http://www.immi.gov.au/business-services/education-providers/third_country_exchanges.htm