Evaluation of Joint Degree Proposals

The following motion was passed by Senate at its April 2000 meeting upon recommendation of the Academic Policy Committee:

That proposals for joint degree programs be reviewed and approved by the Academic Policy Committee prior to their consideration by the Curriculum Committee.

The following are guidelines for joint degree proposals, prepared by the Academic Policy Committee:

A proposal for a joint degree program should be reviewed and approved initially by the UBC Senate Academic Policy Committee prior to its consideration by the Senate Curriculum Committee. Because each proposal for a joint degree is likely to involve different idiosyncratic arrangements, these proposals should be considered by the Academic Policy Committee on a case-by-case basis. The guidelines we are creating with our recommendation takes this point into account. Such a review process will allow the UBC Senate to ensure that academic matters are appropriately addressed, and the degree designation on the parchment conforms to UBC Senate approved policy (e.g., Senate Minutes, October 1997).

The proposal for a joint degree program must clearly demonstrate why such a program cannot be covered by UBC’s current exchange arrangements. The advantages of a specific joint degree proposal to students, UBC and their partner institutions, should be clearly cited and be readily apparent. The proposal for any degree program will be expected to provide satisfactory answers to questions of the following kind and should be addressed in the proposal.

  • Is there assurance that a student will be registered in both institutions?
  • Are there mechanisms in place to ensure that student records are maintained in both institutions?
  • Are there mechanisms in place to ensure that a student enrolled in a joint program has access to housing, loans, scholarships, athletics and recreational facilities, daycare, library privileges, e-mail accounts in AT LEAST one of the institutions?
  • Are there procedures in place to ensure that actions related to student discipline are in place for such students at least at one of the institutions?
  • Are the standards set for student admissions at both institutions comparable in respect to the specific program being offered?
  • Are the students enrolled in a joint degree program expected to spend at least two years in residence on the UBC campus?
  • Will decisions made about student progress, etc. made at one institution be respected/accepted by the partner institutions?
  • In the event that a student decides to drop out of the joint degree program, and transfers to another program at one of the partner institutions, is there assurance that the student’s new program will accept appropriate courses taken prior to transfer, at all of the cooperating institutions?”

This information is for quick reference. For the full text of the Minutes of Senate, which include the motions and discussion, please see the Minutes Archive.