• Section 1 - Purpose
• Section 2 - Glossary
• Section 3 - Policy
• Category A: A Charles Sturt University Award
• Category B: A Charles Sturt University Award Offered Through Another Body and/or in Cooperation with Another Body (where Cooperation means that Significant Intellectual Content is Provided by Another Body)
• Category C: A Joint Award of Charles Sturt University and Another University or other Body
• Category D: An Award Conferred by Charles Sturt University as part of an Integrated Program with Another Award-Conferring Institution
• Category E: An Award Conferred by Another Body and in which Charles Sturt University has an Academic Involvement in the Course
• Summary of program types
• Section 4 - Procedure
• Section 5 - Guidelines

November 2021 – This document is rescinded and replaced by the Conferral and Graduation Policy.

Section 1 - Purpose

(1) This Policy describes the arrangements for the academic quality assurance of degrees or awards that Charles Sturt University (the University) undertakes in conjunction with a third party.

Section 2 - Glossary

(2) Nil.

Section 3 - Policy

(3) Charles Sturt University (the University) has a direct interest in a variety of arrangements through which students gain awards either from the University or from another accredited body. Awards and testamurs in which the University has a direct interest include the following categories:

1. a course leading to an award of the University that is either delivered completely by the University or delivered wholly or in part by another body but where the role of the other body is not acknowledged. This includes a double degree program. (Charles Sturt University program, Licensed program);
2. a course leading to an award of the University that is delivered wholly or in part by another body and/or in collaboration with another body (where collaboration means that the body has made a significant contribution to the intellectual content to the course leading to the award) and the role of the other body is acknowledged. (Charles Sturt University program, Licensed program, Collaborative program);
3. a joint award of the University and another university or equivalent award-conferring educational institution which is based on a program accredited by both the University and the other body. (Joint program);
4. a program in which the University and another award-conferring educational institution each contribute and deliver part of the content of the program from their own award course and which leads to both of the awards from which the content of the program is drawn. (Integrated program);
5. an award that is conferred by another body under its authority to offer such awards and in which the University contributes to the intellectual content of the course or has a role in delivering the program leading to that award.

(4) All awards in categories detailed below are conferred by the University Council under the authority vested in it by the Charles Sturt University Act 1989. Guidelines for the content and design of testamurs that show the role of the University in all of the above categories of award are set out in this Policy.

(5) A Register of Courses for which the Role of Another Body will be Acknowledged on the University Testamur will be maintained by the University Secretary or their delegate. This will specify those courses that are identified by the relevant Faculty and approved by the Academic Senate as coming under Categories detailed below.

Category A: A Charles Sturt University Award

(6) This is a Charles Sturt University award in all respects, including being a course, or based on a course, accredited by the University through its normal processes. The quality assurance processes which apply for such an award are summarised in Table A below.

(7) Included in this category are all courses offered through partnerships where the other body is responsible for teaching some or all of the subject material but where it has not sought acknowledgment of its role on the testamur.

Table A: Responsibilities for Quality Assurance Processes for Charles Sturt University Awards

Category B: A Charles Sturt University Award Offered Through Another Body and/or in Cooperation with Another Body (where Cooperation means that Significant Intellectual Content is Provided by Another Body)

(8) This is a Charles Sturt University award in all respects, including being based on a course accredited by the University through its normal processes and meeting the other quality assurance processes listed in Table A above.

(9) This type of award will normally apply only where:

1. another body delivers a Charles Sturt University course and where the other body takes responsibility for the teaching of some or all of the program;
2. another body cooperates with the University (where cooperation means that the other body provides significant intellectual property to the curriculum of a Charles Sturt University course) and may also take responsibility for the teaching of some or all of the course; or
3. the University delivers an award course to employees of the other body, or member of an association under contract to that body; and

(10) In this category of award, the testamur will clearly identify the award as an award of Charles Sturt University, and the name and role of the other body will be acknowledged.

(11) In addition, where the other body is:

1. a university or a similar body that is accredited to confer degrees at Bachelor level or higher; or
2. a professional association or similar body whose primary role is the maintenance of the standing of a profession;

(12) Acknowledgement of the name, role and (where appropriate) logo of another body will normally only be made to one other body on each testamur.

(13) The content and design of the testamur will be adapted from that stipulated in the University's Brand Governance Policy and will be approved by the University Secretary (Uni Sec).

Category C: A Joint Award of Charles Sturt University and Another University or other Body

(14) Joint awards can only be offered with another university or other body when that other body has authority to make the particular award in its own right.

(15) The course leading to a joint award will be accredited by the University through its normal accreditation processes, and the responsibilities for quality assurance processes within the University will be as in Table B below.

Table B: Responsibilities within Charles Sturt University for Quality Assurance Processes for Charles Sturt University Awards

(16) It would be anticipated that the course leading to a joint award would also need to meet the accreditation and other quality assurance processes of the other body.

(17) With the approval of the University Secretary, the standard form of testamur may be amended appropriately, but will include the University's symbol, name, seal and at least two signatures, viz. the Chancellor or Vice-Chancellor, and the University Secretary. The statutory or other legal requirements of the other body will also need to be included on the testamur.

Category D: An Award Conferred by Charles Sturt University as part of an Integrated Program with Another Award-Conferring Institution

(18) This category of award is a Charles Sturt University award in all respects, including being a course accredited by the University through its normal processes. The quality assurance processes which apply for such an award are summarised in Table A (see also table C below). It is delivered as part of an integrated program in which the University and another award-conferring body each contribute and deliver part of the content of the program from their own award course and which leads to both of the awards from which the content of the program is drawn on the basis that the course requirements for both awards are met in the integrated program. Students in an integrated program enrol concurrently in both award courses.

(19) In some programs with overseas universities, the Integrated Program Agreements which lead on successful completion to the awarding of both the Charles Sturt University award and the overseas university's award, are referred to as "Dual Degree Agreements".

Table C: Responsibilities within Charles Sturt University for Quality Assurance Processes for Charles Sturt University Awards

(20) It would be anticipated that the content of the integrated program would also need to meet the accreditation and other quality assurance processes of the other body.

(21) The standard Charles Sturt University testamur will be awarded for the Charles Sturt University course in the program.

Category E: An Award Conferred by Another Body and in which Charles Sturt University has an Academic Involvement in the Course

(22) This category of award is one that will be conferred by the other body under its authority to offer such awards but where the University contributes to the intellectual content of the course or has a role in delivering the program of study leading to the award.

(23) This would include an award conferred by another university or an accredited private provider or an award within the Australian Qualifications Framework conferred by a body under its authority to offer such awards (e.g., Vocational Education and Training (VET) awards offered by a body which has Registered Training Organisation (RTO) status).

(24) An example of this last category of award would be a VET Certificate awarded by an organisation or association under its RTO status, where that organisation was a client of Charles Sturt University and the University brokered the program leading to the award.

(25) The quality assurance processes of the awarding body will have primary place, with the University being responsible for those of its quality assurance processes that are relevant to its acknowledged role in the course.

(26) Where the University wishes to have its role acknowledged on the testamur for the award, it would be bound by the other body's policy on acknowledgment of another institution on its testamurs. Where the body seeks the University's input on testamur layout, the layout and wording for award category B should be proposed.

Summary of program types

(27) The various types of programs described in this Policy are summarised in the following table. Where a Faculty and/or partner wish to use terminology for any of these categories that differs from the terms used below, for example where for cultural reasons an approved term is inappropriate, they shall submit a request and rationale for the alternative terminology to the Academic Senate for approval.

(28) The table below shows the various types of programs, with a suggested term for each, whose award the program is and the nature and content of the testamur in each instance:

Section 4 - Procedure

(29) Nil.

Section 5 - Guidelines

(30) Nil.