Selection of partners for international joint degree programs

2013-07-26This case study investigates the selection of partner institutions for international joint degree programs at the graduate level utilizing Knight’s (2008) challenges to the development of such partnerships which are: Academic Alignment, Mobility and Language concerns, and Recognition and Legitimacy concerns. This study focuses on the criteria used to identify and evaluate potential institutional partners for international joint degree programs at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. Specifically, the initiation of international joint degree programs, the methods for identification of potential partner institutions, and the factors considered to evaluate the suitability of the partner for international joint degree programs are explored. An embedded case study of three graduate joint degree programs in the sciences at NTU was used to answer the research questions. Faculty and administrators at both NTU and one of the partner institutions, Technical University of Munich, Asia, were interviewed regarding the development of the programs. Document review was completed utilizing public documents including program and school brochures and websites. The findings of this study indicate that the predominant concerns when selecting a partner institution at NTU were: program focus and school type; the availability of financial support; the prestige and rankings of the partner; and recognition of the partner by the Singaporean government. The policies of the Singaporean government were a primary driver in the development of these international joint degree programs, as funding was readily available and the partner institutions already enjoyed established connections in Singapore