Case Study: Developing an application for an Erasmus Mundus Masters Course International Masters in Russian, Central and East European Studies Dr Clare McManus, School of Social & Political Sciences

Aims of Case Study To offer advice on the preparation of an application for Erasmus Mundus II programme ( ) 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 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

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 Planning 1)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 advice Preferably 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 partners Advice: 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.

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