Master's Endorsement Application Process

From this Endorsement Application Process web-page you will find details on the eligibility criteria for endorsement; duration of endorsement period; applying for endorsement; process overview; renewal of endorsement; the terms and conditions of endorsement; as well as a downloadable copy of the Master's Endorsement Application Form.
 
Full endorsement details are also available in the UArctic Master's Endorsement Handbook.

Should you have any questions or require assistance, please contact:

John Eichelberger
Dead of UArctic Graduate Studies 

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Programmes Qualifying for Endorsement

The UArctic Master’s endorsement is open to all programmes that:

1. Are developed and delivered jointly by at least two partner institutions / organisations that are UArctic members.
 
2. Consist of Master’s level studies that are recognised as contributing towards the completion of a Master’s degree.
 
3. Encompass disciplinary or multidisciplinary fields of study, where the subject(s), area(s) of professional practice, and / or research foci are northern relevant;
 
4. Contain an integrated mobility component, and that
 
5. Have a knowledge generation / research base as part of the study curriculum.

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Eligibility Criteria for Endorsement

The following eligibility requirements need to be met for consideration for Master’s endorsement. Each of the five sections of the eligibility requirements is a pre-condition that relates to the appropriate guidelines and criteria by which applications are evaluated.
 
1. Partner Institutions / Organisations:
 
1.1. A minimum of two UArctic member institutions from two different countries (cross-border collaboration) must be involved in the development and delivery of the proposed joint programme;

1.2. Non-member institutions or organisations may also be involved as programme partners, but the majority, including the co-ordinating institution, must be UArctic members.

2. Programme Recognition:
 
2.1. Endorsement applies to programmes that are either:
 
2.1.1. Operational and already in the process of recruiting or enrolling students; or
 
2.1.2. At advanced stages of development, where either the programme curriculum has been officially approved by the co-ordinating institution, or each curriculum component has been officially approved by the institution(s) delivering the component.
 
2.2. Eligible programmes must consist of studies that are at the Master’s level, and that correspond to:
 
2.2.1. A minimum equivalence of 60 ECTS credits, which is equal to a full-time student’s workload for a full academic year; and

2.2.2. Are recognised as leading towards the completion of a Master’s degree.

Note: a “Master’s Degree” corresponds to a one-year or two-year academic degree programme (of 60 to 120 ECTS credits), that is undertaken after at least three years of undergraduate studies.

2.3. Programmes applying for endorsement must have the proposed study curriculum officially recognised or approved by one or more of the partner institutions involved in the delivery of the programme.

3. Focus and Relevance:
 
3.1. Encompass either disciplinary or multidisciplinary fields of study, where the subject(s) or area(s) of professional practice, and / or research foci are of northern relevance. With the term “Northern Relevance” defines as being:
 
3.1.1. An area, issue, or problem of particular relevance to the North and for its peoples; or
 
3.1.2. That provides exposure to and / or insights into the perspectives of traditional indigenous forms of knowledge in the North.

4. Mobility:
 
4.1. The curriculum of an endorsed programme must contain or provide for an integrated mobility component, for example, student mobility, teacher mobility, community elder mobility.
 
5. Research base:
 
5.1. The curriculum of an endorsed programme must contain or provide for a knowledge generation (research) base, serving to provide students with the ability to plan and conduct independent research in their chosen field(s) of study.

5.2. Any thesis or dissertation component cannot account for more than 50% of the total number of credits of a programme.

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Duration of Endorsement Period

Depending at which stage a programme is in when endorsement is granted (see eligibility criteria 2.1), the period of endorsement can be either:

i. Two (2) full academic years for those programmes that are at advanced stages of development. With the period of endorsement beginning on the day that the official selection results are announced, and ending after the second full academic year has ended. Together with programme partners, a brief review to assess the status of a programme would be carried out at the end of each academic year.
 
ii. Four (4) full academic years for those programmes that are operational and recruiting or enrolling students. With the period of endorsement beginning on the day that the official selection results are announced, and ending after the forth full academic year has ended. Together with programme partners, a brief review to assess the status of a programme would be carried out at the end of every second academic year.

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Applying for Master's Endorsement

The Master's Endorsement application form is available for download here.
 
When applying, the following details and supporting documents are to be provided:

• A completed and signed Application for Master’s Endorsement.
• All the key information and confirmation details indicated in the “Programme Partners” and “Programme Details” sections of the application form.
• A document with a timeline / schedule summarising the overall development and / or delivery of the programme; with details arranged by academic year and (if possible) by semesters / terms.
• Documentation showing that the programme curriculum has been officially approved by the co-ordinating institution or that each curriculum component of a programme has been officially approved by the institution(s) delivering the components. Such documentation is entirely based on the internal authorisation or recognition processes of an institution. Note: Should you require a template document for this purpose, then a "UArctic Matser's Statement of Curriculum Approval" template is availalble here. 

UArctic member institutions are welcome to submit and / or participate in more than one programme.

Note: The Application for Master’s Endorsement is to be completed in English, and any required supporting documents are to be submitted in their original language, which if in any other language then English, must also include a copy of its official English translation.

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Overview of Application Process

Here is an overview of the evaluation and approval procedures:

Period: The application period is open, with application forms and supporting documents sent to the UArctic International Secretariat during any time of the year.

Collection: Once your application is received, it will be reviewed to make sure that all the necessary information and supporting documents are included. You will receive confirmation of this, with details of the next steps.
 
Evaluation: All applications will be evaluated by the Leadership Team of UArctic’s Graduate Studies strategic area, with the assessment based on qualifications for each of the eligibility criteria. If any qualifications are not met, the programme’s co-ordinating institution will receive an explanation with detailed recommendations on how to address the concerns identified.
 
Results: From the date that confirmation of receipt is sent to the contact person from the co-ordinating institution, a decision on evaluation results could be expected within six to eight weeks (with possible delays over holiday periods).

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Renewal of Endorsement

The renewal of endorsement is possible following the successful completion of a status review undertaken at the end of an endorsement period. The review will be jointly conducted by the Leadership Team of UArctic’s Graduate Studies strategic area, and a programme’s partner institutions.

To assist in this process, a programme’s partners are encouraged to perform a self-study or self-review to examine institutional or programme practices in reference to the endorsements eligibility criteria. In this respect, a programme’s   self-study is regarded as the most significant part of the review process. With the benefits to the programme / partners proportional to the scope of the study undertaken; for example, by providing important stakeholder feedback, a well-conducted self-study should result in a renewed common effort within the institutions / programme to consolidate and improve the whole.

Subsequently, if at the time of review an endorsed programme is found to no longer meet the eligibility criteria upon which the endorsement was based, then the renewal would not be granted. In which case, the partners in a programme would be given a period of time to address the concerns identified, and upon doing so may apply to have the endorsement reinstated.

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Terms and Conditions of Endorsement

Joint programmes are probably the deepest, and therefore the most difficult – and rewarding – form of international education co-operation there is. Therefore the effectiveness of such an undertaking depends upon an institution / programme’s acceptance of certain responsibilities, including involvement in and commitment to the endorsement process.

1. Recognition

1.1. In order for any programme to receive endorsement, along with the endorsement application form, official documentation must be provided which shows that the programme’s study curriculum has received official recognition or approval by one or more of the partner institutions involved in the delivery of the programme. Such documentation is entirely based on the internal authorisation or recognition processes of an institution.
 
1.2. Upon receiving endorsement recognition, UArctic will provide all programme partners with a “Recognition of Endorsement” certificate, stating the name of the partner institution or organisation, the title of the endorsed programme, and the period of endorsement. This certification will be renewed if and when a programme’s endorsement has been renewed.
 
1.3. UArctic will issue a “Confirmation of Achievement” award to all students successfully completing the studies of an endorsed programme. This award is simply an acknowledgement by UArctic that the student has successfully completed a UArctic endorsed programme. It is not a replacement for any academic certificate, diploma, or degree to be issued by one or more of the higher education institutions involved in the delivery of an endorsed programme.
 
1.4. Once receiving endorsement recognition, partners of an endorsed programme shall use the designated “UArctic” logo and identity; provided its use conforms to UArctic procedures and guidelines. The right of use ends either when the period of endorsement has expired (without renewal) or when an endorsed programme ceases to exist.

2. Reporting
 
It is the responsibility of the co-ordinating institution of an endorsed programme to provide the following to the Lead of UArctic’s Master’s Studies program:

2.1. An annual report with details of the programme’s deliverables, including number of students enrolled, and the names of all students successfully completing the endorsed programme.
 
2.2. Report on any major change to the details indicated in the “Programme Partners” and “Programme Details” sections of the initial application for Master’s endorsement.

Here, major change is defined as representing a significant change or update to any name, title or description that corresponds directly to any of the five sections in the eligibility criteria. For example, any change or update to: a name or title of a programme or its partners; the total number of credits; a programme’s official recognition status; or to a programme’s focus and relevance.

2.3. Details of any programme related fundraising effort that is associated to the UArctic name.

3. Review / Renewal

Near the end of an endorsement period, a review is jointly conducted by the Leadership Team of UArctic’s Graduate Studies strategic area and a programme’s partner institutions. To assist in this process, a programme’s partners are encouraged to perform a self-study / self-review to examine institutional or programme practices in reference to the endorsements eligibility criteria.

4. Withdrawal
 
4.1. UArctic reserves the right to withdraw endorsement status of a programme if any of the following situations arise:
 
4.1.1. The terms and conditions listed above are not followed.
 
4.1.2. Actions undertaken troughs a programme are found to be in contradiction with UArctic’s Values and Mission, or its bylaws and operational guidelines.
 
4.1.3. Any misleading claims about the endorsement are made.
 
4.1.4. The programme is found to no longer meet the eligibility criteria upon which the endorsement was based.
 
4.2. If UArctic decides that endorsement should be withdrawn, then all the programme’s partners will be notified in writing, with the reason(s) for the withdrawal clearly outlined.
 
4.3. If the programme partners address the concerns identified and can supply evidence of this, the endorsement may, at UArctic’s discretion, be reinstated.
 
4.4. If endorsement is withdrawn, the programme and its partners must immediately remove all promotional references of endorsement.

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