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

1. 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

2. 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

3. 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.

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. Submitting an Erasmus Mundus application Benefits 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

8. Institutional ownership The programme coordinator is advised to: • Seek the support of Senior Management, to include legal and financial endorsement • Ensure the commitment of the Subject/School to the proposed programme of study – devote the time • Secure the long-term backing of the academic and administrative staff involved in the scheme

9. Initial Planning • Institutional level – Internationalisation Strategy?; legal capacity to award joint/double degrees?; approval for proposed EMMC fee levels? • Regulatory issues – enabling regulations for a 2-year Masters degree?; are institutions able to be flexible with regard to Masters regulations; assessment issues • School / Departmental level – nature of proposed European partners; market research; competition from other consortia; strengths of the school

10. Initial planning – practical advice Preferably before approaching other HEIs: • 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 • Involve the Head of College/Faculty, Senior University & College/Faculty Management • Ensure that you involve the Central Administration throughout - Senate Office, Head of Registry, Head of RIO, College International Development Manager, Finance Office…

11. 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 partners Advice: Set up a meeting with key administrators in each of the partners

12. 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

13. 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.

14. 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