Organizational Structure

Organizational Structure of Program

Because the program is jointly constructed and implemented, every aspect of its operation is negotiated collaboratively by the participating universities. A shared organizational structure ensures the smooth joint functioning of the Program:

• The Joint PhD Program Committee is composed of at least one representative from each participating university. The representative is the Associate Dean or Chair of Graduate Studies in the Faculty of Education*. An additional person may sit on the Program Committee as a second representative.
• The Director serves as Chair of the Program Committee. The Director functions as an independent administrator of the program, serving the best interests of the program as a whole.
• The Secretariat office is housed at the Director's home university. The Secretariat office is staffed by an Administrative Assistant.
• The Program and Secretariat office are supported by pooled financing.
• The Program serves identical overall goals at all participating universities.
• The fields of study, course work, and degree requirements are identical across the participating universities.
• Calendar descriptions of the Program are identical across the participating universities.
• Students apply for admission to one of the universities via the Office of the Secretariat.
• Admissions are channeled through the Program Committee to admissions committees at each university. A short list is then referred back to the Program Committee for consideration before files are transferred by the Office of the Secretariat to the Admissions and Graduate Studies offices at each participating university for final admissions decisions.
• Each university identifies qualified core faculty who teach and supervise students in the program, and who serve on committees on behalf of the program.
• The Program Committee administers a centralized system for monitoring each student's progress through the Annual Report Form.
• Each student's doctoral work is supervised by a committee which includes core faculty from at least two of the participating universities.
• Course development and delivery is conducted by teams of instructors from two or more of the participating universities.
• Course evaluations are conducted by the Office of the Secretariat according to union and Senate regulations in place at each university.
• There exists an agreed upon rotation of sites for the Doctoral Seminars at the participating universities.
• There exists an agreed upon structure for staffing all courses in the program utilizing faculty members from participating universities.
• There are agreed upon protocols for procedural decisions, such as student transfers and withdrawals.

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(*) The administrative structure in the Faculty of Education at each participating university is different. Departments of Graduate Studies in Education may be represented by an Associate Dean or Chair.