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Types of Partnerships

Northwestern University engages with institutions around the world through the following types of partnerships:

Student Exchanges

In a student exchange, Northwestern students study abroad for a quarter, a semester or a full year at one of Northwestern's international partners. Students enroll directly into the partner university and take classes with local and other international students. These exchanges are reciprocal, and partner universities usually send the same amount of exchange students to study at Northwestern.

Example: Bocconi University Exchange

Customized Study Abroad Programs

Northwestern and partner faculty develop and deliver study abroad programs at one of our partner institutions, typically organized around a topic or theme.

Example: Public Health in China Program

Dual Degree Programs

Students complete requirements for two degrees from two institutions, with efficiencies in course taking. Each institution awards its own degree.

Example: Northwestern’s Dual Master’s of Science programs in Mechanical Engineering and in Materials Science Engineering with Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

Joint Degree Programs

The Kellogg School of Management is the only Northwestern school with joint degree programs. These are co-taught programs that result in one degree granted by both institutions.

Example: Kellogg / Schulich Program with the Schulich School of Business at York University in Canada

Executive Education Programs

These are Kellogg School of Management programs designed to offer professional growth and functional development for individuals and teams.

Example: Executive Education Program with Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile

Research

These are institutional research agreements, approved by the Office for Research, that commit Northwestern faculty or centers to ongoing research with a partner institution.

Example: Northwestern's Center for Water Research agreement with Ben Gurion University in Israel

Cooperative Agreements

These are agreements set-up at the institutional level. Usually, this signifies partnership interest on multiple levels. 

Example: Universität Hamburg 

Faculty Exchanges

Faculty teach and/or conduct research for a term or full academic year at one of our partner institutions. Faculty exchanges are reciprocal and bring international scholars from our partner institutions to Northwestern.

Example: French Interdisciplinary Group (FIG) Faculty Exchanges

Visiting Scholars

Lecturers, fellows, researchers, and faculty from a partner institution stay at Northwestern for a specified amount of time and either teach or conduct research.

Comprehensive Partnerships

Some relationships evolve over time and become comprehensive partnerships.

Example: Northwestern University’s partnership with Sciences Po in Paris, France, includes a student exchange program, two customized study abroad programs, a graduate research program, a faculty exchange, a dual PhD humanities program, and a joint degree PhD/Master law program.