International Cooperative Degree Programs

The purpose of an international cooperative degree program is to give outstanding international students an opportunity to pursue, simultaneously, two degrees in different international universities by reducing the amount of time required to complete both sets of degree requirements. The opportunity to gain an international experience in graduate education provides a means of access to new information and perspectives, innovative concepts and methods, emerging research technologies and unique populations and environments not typically available at a single institution and country. 

The international cooperative graduate degrees are implemented after an approved international cooperative graduate degree agreement (ICGDA) exists between Ohio State and an international partner institution. In this arrangement, a part of the undergraduate or graduate degree requirements are met by the students enrolled at the partner institution, following which the students enroll for and complete the requirements of the graduate program at Ohio State. International cooperative degrees can be formalized for any existing combined or dual degree programs at Ohio State in accordance with the guidelines outlined in the specific programs and in the ICGDAs.  

All international cooperative graduate degrees proposed under the approved ICGDA will need to undergo program review at the Graduate School, and must align with Ohio State rules and protocols. The extent of required review will be determined as follows: 

1. Cooperative degree programs that make use of existing graduate programs at Ohio State will require review of administrative arrangements, potential impact on enrollment and availability and adequacy of the faculty and facilities available for the proposed program.  
2. Cooperative programs that propose a significant (>50%) revision to an existing degree will need to undergo review by the associated college, the Graduate School and the Council on Academic Affairs (CAA).
3. Newly designed degree programs will need review at the state level via the Chancellor's Council on Graduate Studies (CCGS) in the Ohio Department of Higher Education.