Partnerships and Agreements

The Office of International Programs (OIP) manages WSU's agreements with institutions and organizations around the world. These partnerships come in many forms, from faculty exchange and research partnerships to student enrollment pathways and beyond.

International agreement process

All international agreements need to be reviewed and approved by the Office of the General Counsel before going into effect. If you and your colleagues abroad want to initiate a formal institutional partnership, please complete the new agreement request form and our staff will follow up with you directly.

1. Fill out the new agreement request form: OIP staff will be in touch with you to determine the best way to proceed.
2. Export control check: OIP checks with export control to ensure there are no issues.
3. Agree to terms of relationship: OIP manages communication with relevant staff from the partner institution and WSU counterparts to determine to the type of agreement that's most appropriate.
   • Typically, this includes the faculty directly involved, international programs staff such as OIP and/or Study Abroad staff and senior leadership such as the provost, rector, etc. as appropriate.
4. Agree to contract language/terms and conditions: OIP coordinates with staff at WSU and partner institution to mutually agree to the terms and conditions.
5. General Counsel approval: OIP staff obtains General Counsel's approval to ensure the agreement meets institutional legal requirements.
6. Obtain all necessary WSU approvals: OIP obtains signatures from all required institutional representatives, which typically includes:
   • Academic unit (Dean and others)
   • Graduate School dean for graduate programs
   • Provost
7. Send to partner for approval: OIP will coordinate with partner abroad to obtain all necessary signatures from the institution.
8. OIP will notify all parties once the agreement is complete!

Common types of agreements

Below are some of the most common types of agreements WSU establishes with international partners, each designed to support specific forms of academic collaboration, student mobility, and/or research engagement.

General MOU

• Considered an "agreement to consider future collaborations". While this requires serious consideration, it does not commit the university to any specific activities or obligations.

3+2 agreement

• Allows students at partner institution to complete 3 years of a 4-year undergraduate program, then complete a 2-year Master’s program at WSU. Coursework in year 1 of the Master’s is transferred to home institution, counting for both remaining undergraduate requirements and WSU graduate requirements. This results in an undergraduate degree from their home institution and a graduate degree from WSU (This structure is similar to AGRADE at WSU.)

1+1 agreement

• Allow students to begin a 2-year Master's at their home institution for one year, then transfer those credits towards a 2-year program at WSU, enrolling for 1 year to complete remaining credits. This results in students obtaining 2 Master’s degrees, one from their home institution and one from WSU.

Student Exchanges

• Allow students to take classes at partner institution for home institution credit. This is dependent on the host institution waiving tuition for the visiting students. Credit therefore appears on their transcript as standard coursework, not transfer credit.

Research partnerships

• Allow WSU and partners abroad to outline a formal relationship related to research. Terms and arrangements vary by agreement, but typically detail any faculty exchange activities, financial or resource obligations, plus specific language related to intellectual property.

Need help?

For additional information, please contact Jaclyn Assarian at jassarian@wayne.edu.