Office of International Programs

International Agreements and Collaborations

The University of Texas at Tyler seeks to develop strategic partnerships that are institutionally-based, long-standing, mutually-beneficial to both institutions, and advance UT Tyler's mission. International partnerships allow UT Tyler to increase opportunities for global studies, faculty and student exchange, and international academic and research collaborations. UT Tyler Collaborating Universities.

Institutional partnerships at UT Tyler are based on a two part model:

1. A General Agreement of Cooperation/Memorandum of Understanding provides a broad framework for collaborative activities between the partnering institutions, usually promoting student and/or faculty mobility, research, training, and similar activities. It is agreed upon and signed by the President or Provost of the University of Texas at Tyler and the appropriate institutional counterpart. This type of agreement serves as a parent document for additional, more specific agreements, and is processed through the Office of International Programs (OIP).
2. Supplementary Agreements detail specific activities, including the commitment of resources and acceptance of obligations by the partner units. These agreements can come in the form of Reciprocal Exchange Agreements used for study abroad exchange programs or Specific Program Agreements for Research and Scholarly Exchange. These agreements can be flexible in design, length and commitment, and are vetted through the Office of International Programs and the Office of General Counsel to assure there is no violation of university policy.

Additional Supplementary Agreements may be signed as new departments become interested in collaborating with an established partner institution. Supplementary Agreements are also signed by the President or Provost of the University of Texas at Tyler and the appropriate institutional counterpart.

NOTE:  Dual Degree Programs or Memorandums of Understanding which include negotiated financial arrangements outside the standard UT Tyler tuition process must be processed through the Office of Academic Affairs. Contact the Vice Provost for more information. 

Proposing a Reciprocal Exchange Agreement

Faculty, departments or colleges/schools may request a new Reciprocal Exchange Agreement by completing the documents and steps listed below. The Office of International Programs will facilitate the process working with the appropriate departments on campus.

All new exchange partnerships include a statement that the University of Texas at Tyler must send students first to the foreign country before any foreign students may be received by UT Tyler. This practice has been instituted to ensure that departments, colleges and schools have a plan for sustaining recruitment for the partnership and to ensure that UT Tyler can maintain balanced mobility.

New partnerships must be fully executed/dually signed by December 1 of each year in order to send and receive students for the following fall/year term and August 1 of each year for the following spring term.

Proposing an Affiliation Agreement

Faculty, departments or colleges/schools may initiate an Affiliation Agreement. Affiliation Agreements differ from Reciprocal Exchange Agreements in that they only pertain to the enrollment of UT students in credit-bearing third party programs abroad. Contact the Office of International Programs for more information.

Course Equivalency Worksheet

New exchanges and affiliations require the completion of a Course Equivalency Worksheet. This worksheet provides a means for equating the courses taught at the foreign location to the UT Tyler course inventory. This worksheet is a critical element that helps ensure academic compatibility.

Agreement Types

The Office of International Programs is responsible for assisting academic units with establishing and maintaining agreements and contracts that directly support student mobility for academic credit. Contact oip@uttyler.edu for more information.

Exchange Type	Purpose	Links and Documents	For More Information:
Student Exchange	Exchange of students for the purpose of earning credit towards a degree	Please read above	Study Abroad | Office of International Programs (OIP) contact: studyabroad@uttyler.edu
Faculty Exchange (teaching/research) Student Exchange (teaching/research)	Exchange of faculty for the purpose of lecturing or teaching	Fulbright Scholarship Programs	Contact the Vice Provost for more information.
Faculty Exchange - J Visa  (non-teaching; Research or combination of research and scholarly activity)	Exchange of faculty for the purpose of engaging in research activity (teaching or other scholarly activities are incidental)	Please read above	Visiting Scholars | OIP International Student Services (ISS) contact:  oip@uttyler.edu
Research/Materials Exchange J-Visa	Faculty or student research, collaborative research projects, access to archives or museums, conferences, joint publications	Visiting Researchers and Scholars	Visiting Scholars | OIP International Student Services (ISS) contact:  oip@uttyler.edu

Note: The University of Texas at Tyler does not enter into contractual relationships for the purpose of facilitating a single student's academic initiative. Individual students in need of University support should work with their department chair and dean. Some needs may require review by UT Legal Affairs.