Conjoint Arrangement: means an arrangement between the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College and a Partner Institution for the joint administration and award of a doctoral degree, under which the candidate is enrolled, supervised, and examined by both institutions.

Conjoint Doctoral Degree: means a doctoral degree that is jointly administered and awarded by the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College and a Partner Institution under a Conjoint Arrangement.

Partner Institution: means a foreign University or other educational institution with the power to confer degrees.

1. The University of Vermont and State Agricultural College will enter Conjoint Arrangements only where:
   1. The Conjoint Arrangement provides enhanced opportunities for existing, ongoing, or developing research collaborations between the two institutions and the academic supervisors involved; and
   2. There are strong academic reasons for completing a doctoral degree at both institutions and the Conjoint Arrangement will provide a significantly improved graduate training environment for candidates.
2. All Conjoint Arrangements must be evidenced in writing by a formal agreement:
   1. That typically includes a Memorandum of Understanding that 
      1. Establishes the relationship between UVM and the Partner Institution;
      2. Records the parties’ desire to enter Conjoint Arrangements; and
      3. Lists any admission prerequisites or selection criteria that potential candidates must meet; and
   2. That must include a candidate-specific agreement for each Conjoint Arrangement that the parties elect to enter which contains the details and terms and conditions in respect of the Conjoint Arrangement for that candidate.
3. The Graduate College is responsible for determining the terms and conditions of the agreements referred to in 2, provided that the exercise of any and all obligations assumed by UVM under a Conjoint Arrangement complies with all applicable UVM regulations and policies.
4. The Graduate College will make available to potential candidates information about
   1. The Partner Institutions with which UVM has a Conjoint Doctoral Degree relationship;
   2. The process for applying for enrollment in a Conjoint Doctoral Degree; and
   3. The specific admission prerequisites and selection criteria in relation to each Partner Institution.
5. Students successfully completing all requirements under the terms and conditions of a Conjoint Arrangement will be awarded a Ph.D. degree from the University of Vermont and both the UVM transcript and UVM diploma will include explicit mention of the conjoint nature of the degree.  If a student does not complete all requirements under the Conjoint Arrangement, then UVM and the Partner Institution will consult to determine whether the student may be eligible to receive a degree from one (but not both) of the two institutions based on having met all of that institution’s degree requirements. This consultation will in particular consider the issue of any possible transfer credit to be allowed.

• Candidates for Conjoint Doctoral Degrees must satisfy the requirements for admission to an existing UVM Ph.D. program.  Candidates should submit an application for admission in the usual manner, except that normal application deadlines may be waived and the application may be considered at the same time the Conjoint Arrangement is being considered.
• For students who are already matriculated in a UVM Ph.D. program, a Conjoint Arrangement for doctoral supervision should be negotiated and established prior to the commencement of dissertation research.
• In all cases, an agreement may be negotiated after dissertation research has commenced but only under exceptional circumstances.  A candidate who has already completed 25% of their dissertation research may not enter into a Conjoint Arrangement.
• Each Conjoint Arrangement (where the arrangement is cotutelle, French government regulations require the signing of a cotutelle “convention”) must either include or reference a formal memorandum of understanding at an institutional level signed by the respective University Presidents or their designees, to ensure that both institutions are committed to a shared responsibility for supervision and to provide security for candidates.
• Each Conjoint Arrangement must include a candidate-specific agreement which contains the details and terms for that candidate. Candidate-specific agreements will be approved at the level of the Dean of the Graduate College. In particular, additional candidate-specific agreements where there already exists an institutional agreement signed by the University President need only be approved by the Dean of the Graduate College.
• The institutional memorandum of understanding and the candidate-specific agreement should address all of the items on the Conjoint Agreement Checklist (attached) to ensure that the proposed arrangement meets all UVM degree requirements. This includes consideration of the compatibility of the doctoral degree regulations of the two institutions. Where incompatibilities exist, these need to be discussed and resolved, and the Conjoint Agreement should explicitly include the resolution reached as to how each institution’s rules can be met.  Any variation from Graduate College rules and procedures governing UVM degrees must be documented.  A document entitled Key Features of UVM Ph.D. Degree Requirements (attached) has been developed to assist in the compatibility assessment.
• A Conjoint Agreement Checklist and a draft Conjoint Arrangement should be forwarded to the Dean of the Graduate College for review by the Graduate College Executive Committee and legal counsel. The Executive Committee will review the proposal and make a recommendation to the Dean of the Graduate College, who will be responsible for obtaining requisite UVM signatures.

Training will be provided on an as-needed basis as determined by the Approval Authority or the Responsible Official.