Case Study: Developing an application for an Erasmus Mundus Masters Course

International Masters in

Russian, Central and East European Studies

Dr Clare McManus, Email: Clare.McManus@glasgow.ac.uk

School of Social & Political Sciences

Aims of Case Study• To offer advice on the preparation of an application for

Erasmus Mundus II programme (2009-2013)

• To reflect upon the benefits and challenges of collaborative degrees

• To reflect upon major challenges and to consider practical solutions to obstacles

IMRCEES is an international Consortium composed of five European Universities and 6 non-European universities.

Our network of associate non-educational partners from the business, public policy and NGO communities promotes student employability by offering a range of internships.

Double Degree Partners• The University of Glasgow • Corvinus University of Budapest, Hungary • The Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland • The University of Tartu, Estonia • The University of Turku, Finland • The Kazakhstan Institute of Management, Economics and

Strategic Research, Almaty, the Republic of Kazakhstan

Associate University Partners• Lobachevsky State University of Nizhni Novgorod, Russia • The University of Western Ontario, Canada • National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Ukraine • Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy, Azerbaijan • Ilia State University, Georgia

Non-educational Associate Partners• The Scottish Government • The Georgian Chamber of Commerce and Industry,

Georgia • The Budapest Institute for Public Policy, Hungary • The Eurasia Foundation of Central Asia, Kazakhstan • Albion Overseas Ltd., UK • The Scotland-Russia Forum, UK • The Confederation of Employers of Ukraine, Ukraine

Submitting an Erasmus Mundus applicationBenefits of engagement• Enhancing academic provision and student employability• Raising the profile of the University of Glasgow internationally• Raising numbers and standards of applicants• Financial benefits through studentships, fees and funding for visiting

academics

Challenges• Administrative burden (less than 1 in 9 chance of success for new

applications) eg. quality, approval & monitoring• Legal and financial differences between partners• Joint degrees / double degree

Institutional ownership

The programme coordinator is advised to:

1) Seek the support of Senior Management, to include legal and financial endorsement

2) Ensure the commitment of the Subject/School to the proposed programme of study – devote the time

3) Secure the long-term backing of the academic and administrative staff involved in the scheme

Initial Planning1) Institutional level – Internationalisation Strategy?; legal

capacity to award joint/double degrees?; approval for proposed EMMC fee levels?

2) Regulatory issues – enabling regulations for a 2-year Masters degree?; are institutions able to be flexible with regard to Masters regulations; assessment issues

3) School / Departmental level – nature of proposed European partners; market research; competition from other consortia; strengths of the school

Initial planning – practical advicePreferably before approaching other HEIs:1) Arrange an open meeting within UoG to disseminate information,

and invite Schools / Departments to present expressions of interest and include details of potential partners/countries

2) Involve the Head of College/Faculty, Senior University & College/Faculty Management

3) Ensure that you involve the Central Administration throughout - Senate Office, Head of Registry, Head of RIO, College International Development Manager, Finance Office…

You will need to work with the Central Administrative Departments to: • Familiarise yourself with the Erasmus Mundus Programme Guide• Address regulatory constraints – flexibility will be needed• Examine the responsibilities of the coordinating institution (workload

and legal) • Consider admission procedures and requirements• Determine the validation process and timetable, referring to

institutional quality assurance procedures and noting the submission deadline

• Set up and attend exploratory meetings with potential partnersAdvice: Set up a meeting with key administrators in each of the partners

Selection of the partner institutions

• The School should identify potential partners (at least 3 European HEIs are required to participate in an EM Consortium) which can complement and enhance your degree, based preferably on existing collaboration or excellence in the field

• The partners must be able to meet the criteria set out in the EM Guidelines – Award joint/double degrees

• Will the programme be taught solely in English

• Remember – one partner per country

Advice: Keep the partners to a manageable number. It is easier to add than remove a partner from the Consortium

Planning meetings – at least 4 or 5 • Ensure all partners are aware of key requirements of EM programme• Draw up an agenda to include and resolve

– The academic content and structure of scheme including mobility– Max/min. number of students– Responsibilities within the Consortium– Selection and admission requirements– Regulatory issues (including assessment) and procedural issues (including appeals);

exam boards; Joint Diploma Supplement– Legal and financial constraints– Financial issues (UK charges fees, EU partners may not)– Visa complications – Students may not study on a Schengen visa within the

Schengen countries…– Patten of mobility

Advice: Be guided by successful EMMCs / EMJDs on the Erasmus Mundus website.

Websites

www.glasgow.ac.uk/erasmusmundus/imrcees

http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/erasmus_mundus/index_en.php

http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/erasmus_mundus/tools/good_practices_en.php