6 December Olli Oamkilainen 1

6 December 2013

Double and joint degree programmes: windows by definition? - Experiences on Developing Double Degrees

ACA European Policy Seminar

Mobility windows and the internationalisation of the curriculum Brussels, 5 December 2013

Ilkka Mikkonen Head of degree programme Business Information Technology Oulu University of Applied Sciences, Finland

Reasons for developing Double Degrees

– Provide double degree possibilities for the OUAS students – Get good and motivated foreign students to Oulu

– Encourage students for longer and more active exchange periods – Normal Erasmus exchange is sometimes inefficient; less than 30

credits done in a term > ”Erasmus tourism”

– To create optional study paths also for the study contents

– To improve the performance measurements for the internationalisation

Present state at:

School of Business and Information Management

– DD agreement with Neu-Ulm University, Germany, since 2011

– After the completion of the first two years of studies in Oulu, the students of the Degree Programme in Business Economics (Finnish), the Degree Programme in International Business (English), the Degree Programme in Business Information Systems (Finnish) and the Degree Programme in Business Information Technology (English) may apply for a Double Degree Programme carried out in co-operation with the Hochschule Neu-Ulm University in Neu-Ulm, Germany.

– For Business students the Programme is of 18 months' duration, during which a student will study a minimum of 80 ECTS credits. For Information systems/technology students the Programme is of one academic year duration during which a student will study 60 ECTS. The work practice periods are not included in the Double Degree Programmes. In both of the Double Degree Programmes the tuition language is English.

– DD agreement signed with Nortwestern Polytechnic University, starting 2014

– Only for the degree programmes educated in English.

– Some Double Degrees granted to OUAS students in other partner universities without official agreement about double degrees.

Time:

Academic year: September 2014 – July 2015

Places: 5

Other info:

All courses are conducted in English

Erasmus-grant

Application requirements:

 Prior 2 years of studies in OUAS School of Business and Information Management

 List of modules and more detailed information about double degree from Ilkka Mikkonen

[email protected]

Accommodation: Students’ dormitory

Further information:

http://www.hs-neu-ulm.de/e/index.php

DOUBLE DEGREE

GERMANY: Hochschule Neu-Ulm

Time:

18 months: September 2014 – February 2016

Places: 5 Other info:

Studies in English and German - few courses in German language during the last 6 months

Application requirements:

Prior 2 years of studies in OUAS School of Business and Information Management List of modules and more detailed information about double degree from and from Jyrki Holappa [email protected] (DIB, LIK)

Further information:

http://www.hs-neu-ulm.de/e/index.php

DOUBLE DEGREE

GERMANY: Hochschule Neu-Ulm

LIK/DIB

Time:

4 local semester, 1½ years depending on study progress (starting in September 2014)

Places: 5

ONLY FOR degree programmes in International business DIB and business information technology BIT

Studies and language requirements:

Studies mimimum 48 NPU units of studies equaling 80 ECTS (students are subject to NPU regulations)

Double Degree will be granted only after graduation from Oulu UAS first

English language requirement; minimum IELTS score of 5.5 band or TOEFL-iBT score of 65. Other info:

Travel grant 1200 eur

Accommodation: Students’ dormitory (No mixed-sex accommodation, no children) Part-time work in the U.S. is allowed after 2 semesters of studies

Further information from: http://www.npu.edu/

NOTE! Visa fees and other costs than tuition fee paid by a student

DOUBLE DEGREE

USA:

Northwestern Polytechnic

Experiences…

Developing the DD with the Neu-Ulm University

– The importance of the commitment and good personal relations between the key persons

– The sovereignty of the German professors over their study modules – The ”Reward” of the good planning – Fluently running DD studies:

– Positive student experiences of BIT and TIK:

– 12 OUAS students, one discontinued, others have been doing well, two graduated and others to follow shortly

– 9 German students, all passed the exhange period in Oulu, first students graduating shortly

– Intensified other co-operation; staff exchange, R&D

– DD co-operation is helpful in the development of the own curricula

Experiences…

Developing the DD with Nortwestern Polytechnic University

– Quicker and lighter planning period compared to Germany – Proposed on a teacher exhange visit, followed by curricula

comparisons and planning

– Negotiations and agreement done within one week visit in January 2013

– Personal study plan to be created for each student separately (different from the model used by Neu-Ulm)

Recommendations

– Double Degree –programmes should be based on long-lasting, ”tested partnerships” over other co-operation forms:

– Student exchange

– Teacher and staff exhange – Joined course development – R&D projects

– Etc.

– Heads of Degree Programmes committed for the academic co-operation

– Similar but not identical curriculum; some added value coming from the curricula differencies…