Joint Degrees

What is a Cotutelle?

How to develop and formalize a Cotutelle Agreement (initiated by the Federal University of Bahia)

Cotutelle templates

How to develop and formalize a Cotutelle Agreement (initiated by a partner university)

 

What is a Cotutelle?

The regulations governing graduate degrees leading to the granting of a simultaneous degree at the UFBA and the foreign university permit the concomitant attainment of doctoral or masters degrees at the two universities involved in the Cotutelle Agreement. As such, Cotutelle is defined as the situation whereby a student enrolls at graduate level in two universities simultaneously and, on completion of studies, obtains a double degree. Cotutelle is intended for students of both institutions involved, and conforms to the procedures described below.

In this sense, the prior existence of an International Cooperation Agreement between the two universities is recommended, but is not a necessary condition for the celebration of a Cotutelle Agreement.

The Resolution 01/06 of UFBA's Board of Research and Graduate Studies establishes the provisions for the regulation of graduate studies, including dissertations and theses, with the simultaneous awarding of the degree at the UFBA and institutions in other countries

Students enrolled under a Cotutelle Agreement shall be governed equally by the law and standards of Graduate Studies at their home and partner institutions, stipulated in the Cotutelle Agreement specific to each student, in order that the titles and the simultaneous awarding of the degrees are valid.

At UFBA, Cotutelle is the academic responsibility of the Graduate Programs involved, which are responsible for the registration, monitoring, communication of information and results of the academic performance of the student.

The Graduate Program is also responsible for forwarding information to the SUPAC/UFBA, the sector responsible for the official academic record of the student, the award of the double degree, and sending of relevant information to the convening foreign university, on the termination of the agreement.

 

How to develop and formalize a Cotutelle Agreement (initiated by the Federal University of Bahia)

1) The student (PhD or Master's) submits a formal expression of interest to her/his supervising professor in the relevant Graduate Program;

2) The student´s supervising professor submits formal expression of agreement to the relevant Graduate Program;

3) The interested parties (student and supervisor) contact a researcher at a foreign University (from an area and/or line of research compatible with the research project to be carried out - or which is already in progress), consulting them regarding their interest in sharing the academic supervision of the project in question. The foreign researcher will indicate approval and agreement to receive the student for a predetermined period of study/research at the partner university.

4) Once acceptance has been obtained from the foreign researcher, the interested student must then:

a) Consult the SRI website and familiarize himself/herself with the Resolution 01/2006 and download the template documents of the Cotutelle Agreement (in Portuguese, for Portuguese speaking countries, or in a bilingual version corresponding to the respective  working language of the partner university);

b) Fill in the information relevant to the academic portion of the document: in four copies in Portuguese, for Portuguese speaking countries, or four copies in a bilingual version corresponding to the respective  working language of the partner university;

5) The supervisor and the student formally submit the Cotutelle Agreement document to the Graduate Program at UFBA, for consideration by the Board (it is recommended to attach the correspondence with the foreign professor and other documents which are necessary for analysis and assessment by the Board);

6) The Board of the relevant Graduate Program issues its decision;

7) The Coordination body of the Graduate Program forwards a notification to the SRI, along with signed copies of the Cotuelle Agreement (bearing the signatures of the student, the supervisor and the coordinator of the Graduate Program) in four copies in Portuguese, for Portuguese speaking countries, or four copies in bilingual version corresponding to the respective  working language of the partner university;

8) The SRI initiates the administrative procedures, and conducts an analysis and assessment of the submission;

9) The SRI forwards the documentation to the Sector for Agreements and Contracts (CCCONV), for formal approval;

10) The CCCONV affixes its seal and forwards the submission to the Office of the Rector;

11) The Rector signs the Cotutelle Agreement and sends it to the SRI;

12) The SRI forwards the documents to the partner university (Cotutelle Sector, International Cooperation Office or Supervisor) for consideration and signature by the competent authorities;

13). The partner university returns the original documents to the SRI/UFBA, and the SRI forwards them to the relevant sectors.

 

Cotutelle Templates

Portuguese

English

French

Spanish

Italian

 

How to develop and formalize a Cotutelle Agreement (initiated by a partner university)

For foreign students interested in conducting joint supervision with UFBA, the procedures are the same, and the process begins at their home university. We recommend early submission of the template of the Cotutelle Agreement, for consideration by the International Affairs Office (SRI) at the Federal University of Bahia. Once the template document is approved, the interested party must provide a translation of the document into Portuguese (a sworn translation is not required).

NOTE: The partner university and/or foreign student may, if they wish, request UFBA's Cotutelle Agreement template (see above)

The procedure requires four copies in Portuguese, for Portuguese speaking countries, or four copies of equal content in bilingual version corresponding to the respective working language of the partner university. They must be duly signed by the interested student and by the appropriate authorities of his/her university (Supervisor, Director of the graduate studies program, and the President/Rector of the university).

The competent authorities of the home university may officially forward the Cotutelle document directly to UFBA's supervisor or to the coordination sector of the graduate program at UFBA. These, in turn, after due internal procedures (submission and approval by the Board, signing by the Supervisor and the Program Coordinator) forward the document, by way of official memorandum, to the SRI, which assesses the document and initiates the administrative procedures leading up to the signing of the document by the Rector (see step 7 in the above item).