PhD Program Collaboration

POLICY NO: AB-61

Purpose

1. The University of South Australia aims to enhance opportunities and quality of the research training environment for research degree students. This includes the opportunity for PhD students to gain experience and exposure to different cultural and university environments and creating professional links at an early stage of their careers, while attracting high quality PhD students and increasing collaborations between UniSA and strategic partner institutions. This Policy sets out the University’s principles and criteria for Dual Award and Jointly Badged PhD programs.

Scope

2. This Policy applies to all research degree students, research degree supervisors and staff associated with the support, coordination and leadership of Dual Award and Jointly Badged PhD programs.

3. Administration of Dual Award and Jointly Badged PhD programs will be in accordance with this Policy, its Procedure and national policies and legislation.

Exclusions

4. Research degree students jointly supervised by UniSA and a supervisor from another institution.

Responsibilities

5. Academic Board is the approving authority for this Policy.

6. The Deputy Vice Chancellor: Research and Enterprise is the officer responsible for organisation-wide adherence to this Policy.

7. Research degree students, research degree supervisors and staff associated with the support, coordination and leadership of Dual Award and Jointly Badged PhD programs are responsible for understanding and complying with this Policy.

8. The procedural responsibilities of this Policy are provided in Procedure AB-61 P1: PhD Program Collaboration.

Policy Principles

9. A Dual Award or Jointly Badged PhD Program will be established when UniSA has, or plans to have, a strategic relationship in research collaboration with a partner institution and where a Dual Award or Jointly Badged PhD would enhance those links. Where a Dual Award or Jointly Badged PhD Program does not exist, joint supervision may be considered to meet the needs of individual research degree students. Jointly supervised research degree students are enrolled at UniSA only and are governed by Policy AB-58. In all cases of PhD collaborations:

UniSA will fulfill its responsibility for ensuring a high quality research training experience for the research degree student at any particular time.
Supervision by the UniSA supervisor continues when the research degree student is at the other institution.
All supervisors from other institutions will meet the minimum eligibility criteria for their supervisory role as set out in
Policy AB-64: Supervision of Research Degree Students.

Definitions

Cotutelle PhD is a Dual Award or Jointly Badged PhD where the other institution is a French university. The testamur (parchment) must have inscribed that the degree is a Cotutelle PhD and the name of the French partner institution. Further information can be found on the website of the Embassy of France in Canberra.

Dual Award PhD is an arrangement whereby a PhD student is jointly supervised by UniSA and another institution. The PhD student is enrolled at both institutions, and receives one award (qualification) conferred separately with a testamur (parchment) from each institution. A Dual Award PhD may also be referred to as a "double degree". The UniSA testamur (parchment) must have inscribed that the degree was undertaken under a Dual Award PhD arrangement and must include the name of the other institution. It is preferred that the other institution's testamur (parchment) should contain similar information. Each Dual Award PhD candidate is governed by a Dual Award PhD Agreement between the collaborating institutions and an individual Research Student Schedule.

Home Institution is the institution designated as the primary coordinating institution of a student undertaking a Dual Award or Jointly Badged PhD, normally on the basis that it invites the student to apply for the program and provides a greater share of resources throughout the candidature, and is the institution at which the student intends to spend the greater period of time.

Jointly Badged PhD is an arrangement whereby a PhD student is jointly supervised by UniSA and another institution, enrolled at both institutions and receives one award (qualification) and a single testamur (parchment) jointly conferred by UniSA and the other institution. Each Jointly Badged PhD candidature is governed by a Jointly Badged PhD Agreement between the collaborating institutions and an individual Research Student Schedule.

Jointly Supervised PhD is an arrangement whereby a PhD student is jointly supervised by UniSA and a supervisor from another institution. The student will receive an award from the institution in which they are enrolled.

Partner Institution is an institution other than the home institution of a student undertaking a Dual Award or Jointly Badged PhD, to which the student will travel to undertake part of their studies.

PhD Agreement is a signed agreement which incorporates, but is not limited to, information associated with:

Admission to the institutions
Allocation of time between institutions
Application of rules and regulations
Supervisors
Fees, scholarships, revenues and expenses
Intellectual property, authorship and ethics
Submission and examination of thesis
Coordination of Agreement
Alterations to Agreement
Termination

Research Collaboration should demonstrate one or more of the following: jointly supervised PhDs, jointly published papers, research student exchange, academic visitor programs and research projects.

Research Student Schedule is a document which sets out the arrangements agreed upon by both parties for an individual research student undertaking a Dual Award or Jointly Badged PhD.