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Curriculum Integration through Partner Collaboration: 
A US/ UK Bachelor’s towards Master’s Initiative 

 
Jenifer Cushman 

Ohio University Zanesville, USA 
 

Tom Kyle 
University of Leeds, UK 

 
Abstract 

Global learning is an emerging imperative for the higher education in the 
twenty-first century.  In the context of the work of Jane Knight, Susan Buck 
Sutton, and Daniel Obst towards internationalization, strategic 
partnerships, and collaborative degree programs, a UK and US institution 
are working through challenges to create a new kind of partner degree 
that could be a model for liberal arts colleges in particular.  With the 
standpoint that, as institutions of higher education work together to 
enhance global learning, they can be most effective by adopting a 
collaborative rather than competitive approach, international officers at the 
partner institutions are engaging faculty and departments across the 
institutions to formalize and streamline the bachelor towards master’s 
degree across a number of disciplines.  Already in 2013, a pilot student 
who studied abroad in the UK while working on her undergraduate degree 
at a liberal arts college has returned to the study abroad site to complete 
her master’s degree in museum studies.  It is hoped that the fruit of such 
efforts will attract domestic students interested in global learning as well 
as international students unfamiliar with the concept of a liberal arts 
college, and will form the basis of future collaborations towards curriculum 
integration, perhaps through technologically-facilitated learning. 

Introduction 

Global learning is an emerging imperative for the higher education in the twenty-first 
century.  Peter Stearns (2009) notes that a substantial majority of students seeking 
colleges “claim that global education opportunities…  [are a] significant factor in choice 
of college” (p. 40), even as organizations such as the Association of American Colleges 
and Universities (AAC&U) encourage institutions to re-envision the academic program 
for the twenty-first century.  At the recent AAC&U “Global Learning in College:  Asking 
Big Questions, Engaging Urgent Challenges” conference, David Paris (2013), AAC&U’s 
Vice President of the Office of Integrative Liberal Learning and the Global Commons 
spoke to the need for new curricular pathways.  Echoing the spirit of “Dancing with 
Robots” by Frank Levy and Richard Murnane (2013), who emphasize that “teaching 
today’s foundational skills requires changing how core subjects are taught” (p. 25), Paris 
advocated for shaping the curriculum around the global themes facing our world today, 
connecting courses that touch problems from several angles.   

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In her important work on the internationalization of higher education, Jane Knight (2008) 
addressed some of the twenty-first century forces that shape higher education and 
internationalization, listing the Bologna process as an example of major reform (p. 7).  
The spirit of collaboration present in the Bologna process is central to 
internationalization.  As institutions across the globe work together to enhance global 
learning, they can only be effective by adopting a collaborative rather than competitive 
approach.  As David Kirp (2003) recognizes, the competitive business model is not 
adequate for higher education.  “Analogies between higher education and the private 
sector or government shouldn’t be pushed too far” (p. 113), he acknowledges, 
wondering:  “Can a university maintain the intellectual world that Thomas Jefferson 
sought to represent… if learning becomes just another consumer good?” (p. 145).   

Of course, collaboration between institutions of higher education must begin with 
strategic priorities.  Susan Buck Sutton and Daniel Obst (2011) introduce their 
Developing Strategic International Partnerships by emphasizing the importance of 
approaching partnerships strategically, arguing “unequivocally for greater and more 
creative use of international partnerships by institutions of higher learning” (p. xiv).  
Partnerships, they say, are being asked to engage in curriculum building and course 
enhancement (p. xv).  Naturally, curriculum integration of global learning is only 
achieved through collaboration, specifically collaboration between academic 
departments and faculty members.   

One possible outcome of faculty collaboration is collaborative degree programs, which 
Knight (2008) lists as one of a number of internationalization strategies that have 
become landmarks since the 1990s (p. 3).  In Joint and Double Degree Programs, 
Daniel Obst and Matthias Kuder (2009) highlight the “emergence of collaborative 
degree programs, such as dual diplomas, joint degrees, consortia, and other forms of 
curriculum cooperation” (p. xiii).  In this same volume, Christi Degen and Carsten 
Klenner (2009) outline a double Master in Business Administration with partners of the 
University of Cologne (p. 135).  Degen and Klenner’s example is typical for collaborative 
degree programs, which are often in the area of business and management.   

Aware of the need for models in the humanities and for liberal arts colleges, Juniata 
College in central Pennsylvania, USA and University of Leeds, England, UK are 
enhancing global learning through international collaboration by exploring innovations 
that are possible as a result of their thriving direct exchange relationship.  These 
targeted efforts have resulted in a partner Bachelor’s degree for Leeds students 
studying at Juniata, and more recently a partner Master’s degree for Juniata graduates 
at Leeds.  Certainly both partners have faced challenges along the way, but the lessons 
learned and, more importantly, the resulting model can be useful for others in the field. 

 

Global Learning at Juniata 

At Juniata, study abroad is purposefully integrated into student courses of study.  
Inspired by the institutional promise to provide Juniata graduates with experiential 
learning opportunities related to each student's course of study, faculty and staff work 

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with counterparts abroad to cultivate global learning opportunities with international 
partners, including partner degrees and technologically-facilitated learning.  Specifically, 
faculty members collaborate on curricular initiatives that also yield research 
partnerships and sabbatical sites, for example.  Since courses and grades transfer from 
partner sites, Juniata has developed POE (major) study abroad advising guides and 
course equivalency lists that match to partner institutions.  One result of faculty 
engagement in international efforts is that international exchange students at Juniata 
are eligible to participate in a partner bachelor’s degree if they study two semesters at 
Juniata.  A number of these agreements are reciprocal, for example “The Juniata-
Bocholt Transatlantic Double Degree in International Management” outlined by 
Cushman (2009) in Obst and Kuder’s anthology. 

More recently, Juniata faculty are looking to the promise of technologically-facilitated 
instruction for global learning opportunities.  Although Juniata’s institutional commitment 
to online learning is not yet articulated, a number of faculty members are learning from 
the SUNY Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) model to engage with 
international partners.  As Sarah Guth (2013) explains in the final report for the NEH-
funded Globally Networked Learning in the Humanities project, “COIL (also referred to 
as globally networked learning or virtual exchange) is not a technology, but rather a new 
approach to teaching and learning that brings together geographically distant instructors 

and students from different lingua‐cultural backgrounds to communicate and collaborate 
through the use of online communication tools” (p. 2).  From older “distance learning” 
and iTV technologies to more recent video conferencing platforms, Juniata globally-
networked learning initiatives have included student engagement in Intercultural 
Communication with a Russian partner, Spanish with Mexican partners, computer 
science with a German partner, and Digital Video Media with British and Irish partners.  
It is envisioned that faculty members will increasingly interact with international partners 
through technology to cultivate shared student projects, team-taught courses, and, 
ultimately partner degrees. 

Internationalism at Leeds 

As one of the largest universities in the UK, The University of Leeds’ journey towards 
internationalization has developed in a variety of ways.  The range of benefits (including 
but not exclusively financial) of receiving students from overseas has meant 
international recruitment has been a long established tenant of Leeds’ strategy.  As a 
research intensive university there has also been a great deal of international 
collaboration at the research level – as membership of the Worldwide Universities 
Network suggests.  In recent years, increased attention has been placed on 
internationalization at home by trying to broaden the opportunities for all Leeds students 
to infuse their studies with a global perspective – whether by building international 
dimensions into curricular materials or encouraging students to participate in some form 
of overseas activity. 

Although comparative data is scarce, it is believed that Leeds has one of the most 
active undergraduate exchange programs in the UK.  Students also have the 
opportunity to participate in language assistant placements (usually at European 
schools assisting in teaching English as a foreign language) or work placements 

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overseas.  A recurring challenge at an institution the size of the University of Leeds is 
simply being aware of the huge range of international activities that may be going on at 
any given time – although a summary of research and industry links and a list of current 
exchange partners are useful in this regard. 

The Juniata-Leeds Partnership 

Juniata first began its relationship with Leeds in the 1990s through an exchange 
partnership with an affiliated institution Ripon College, now York St. John University.  
Initially conceived as an honors study abroad site for Juniata students, Leeds eventually 
began sending students to Juniata after the first of a number of Juniata delegations 
visited Leeds in 2008.  As official international partners, Leeds students were eligible to 
participate in the Juniata Partner Bachelor’s Degree, a program whereby students from 
direct exchange partners who meet the criteria and successfully complete two 
semesters of specific courses at Juniata may receive a Bachelor’s degree.   

Connecting faculty members is central to the successful partnership, and Juniata and 
Leeds regularly engage in interactive visits on both sides.  Connecting academic 
departments more deliberately and encouraging faculty discourse concerning curricular 
matching thus empowers faculty members to integrate the study abroad experiences 
more intentionally into student courses of study.  With increasing student and staff 
mobility on each end, conversations about possible joint initiatives became increasingly 
concrete, and have culminated in the most recent manifestation, a Bachelor towards 
international Master’s degree. 

Under this Master’s initiative, a Juniata graduate enrolls in a Master’s program in a 
department at Leeds they encountered already as an undergraduate exchange student.  
In the final form of the program, Juniata students would be admitted to Juniata and, by 
fall sophomore year, as part of the study abroad application process, students would 
declare their intention to pursue an international Master’s degree program.  Students 
would preliminarily apply to the Leeds department’s Master’s degree program as part of 
the Juniata study abroad application process.  Approved students would spend their 
junior year at Leeds undertaking the fundamentals of the partner department’s Master’s 
degree.  Students would return to Juniata for the senior year, graduate with a Bachelor’s 
degree from Juniata, and then return to Leeds to complete the Master’s degree.  There 
are inherent advantages to the student with this model:  Juniata students are well 
supported in their first year at Leeds as undergraduates on an existing exchange, so 
that they return after Juniata graduation to an international site with which they are 
already familiar.  Very few resources and little structural and curricular change are 
needed, and nothing is imposed from above; only interested departments participate.   

The US bachelor-toward-UK master’s initiative recently entered the applied stage.  In 
2013, a pilot student who studied abroad at Leeds during spring 2012 while working on 
her undergraduate degree at Juniata has returned to Leeds to complete her master’s 
degree in museum studies.  The student took three classes in the University of Leeds 
school of Fine Art, History of Art and Museum Studies in her junior year, before 
returning to Juniata for senior.  Upon graduating from Juniata spring 2013, the student 

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returned to Leeds and is currently studying towards an MA in Art Gallery and Museum 
Studies, which should be completed by August 2014.   

One factor that contributes to the viability of a partner Master’s degree is the fact that (in 
common with many UK institutions) the entry requirements to Leeds Masters programs 
are intentionally broad in scope, entailing the equivalent of an upper second class UK 
degree in any ‘related’ subject.  The focus of the entry requirements is on the 
classification and quality of bachelor degree awarded rather than the specific program 
and course content of the degree.  This means the need for intensive curriculum 
‘matching’ is not particularly pressing, which reduces the complexity of the arrangement 
and does not place additional burdens on the student to take the ‘right’ courses.  In the 
case of the pilot, the student’s familiarity with the faculty, university, city and pedagogic 
culture were the key factors in facilitating a smooth transition through the joint program 
rather than the need to follow a narrowly-defined program of study.  Similarly the 
successful completion of the Juniata bachelor degree to the required standard was the 
critical factor in confirming suitability for the master’s program at Leeds rather than the 
specific course content on the study abroad semester or the Juniata bachelor degree as 
a whole.   

Despite a certain amount of flexibility in the academic content, a sustained period of 
discussion and negotiation was required to ensure the international Masters concept 
was sound.  Crucially, faculty and staff from both Leeds and Juniata with the 
appropriate knowledge of their university programs were involved in site visits to 
facilitate face-to-face discussion.   

With this pilot student, the program promises to broaden global learning opportunities 
and enhance institutional collaboration. International officers at both institutions are 
engaging faculty and departments across the institutions to formalize and streamline the 
bachelor towards master’s degree across a number of disciplines.  It is hoped that the 
fruit of such efforts will attract domestic students interested in global learning as well as 
international students unfamiliar with the concept of a liberal arts college. 

Benefits, Challenges, and Lessons Learned 

It is important to note that this initial foray has come only after much back-and-forth 
travel and conversation over the course of a number of years.  While some resource 
investment, specifically in the form of travel funding, is necessary for such initiatives to 
be successful, the benefits to both institutions are substantial.  When faculty members 
and departments develop solid relationships with specific international partners, faculty 
collaboration, sabbatical sharing, and student exchange increases.  Possibilities for 
creative collaborations grow; for example, the departmental connections resulting from 
the international Master’s program could also be used to develop international distance 
education courses, either by technologically linking courses taught at Juniata and 
Leeds, or by exploring models for online courses such as those developed by SUNY 
COIL. 

In the area of enrollment and retention, benefits exist for both domestic and international 
students with the international Master’s program.  The program could prove to be a 

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particularly appealing recruiting tool for Juniata, which is primarily an undergraduate 
institution, as it highlights the advantages of a US liberal arts education to students 
perhaps unfamiliar with the model, as excellent preparation for graduate school.  For 
some international populations, the specific combination of US Bachelor’s and UK 
Master’s is especially desirable.  Finally, possibilities for degree cohorts could aid 
recruitment and retention.   

For Leeds, the program is, in effect, a graduate recruiting strategy.  Specific partner 
departments can develop solid relationships with departments at Juniata, which can 
increase faculty collaboration and exchange, as well as numbers of exchange students 
from Juniata.  Recruiting students from the US to UK Masters programs is a difficult but 
rewarding activity – Master’s students from the US are typically quite successful at 
Leeds, but can be hard to attract.  Leeds is likely to be a less well known city to most 
American undergraduates than (for example) London, Cambridge or Edinburgh, so the 
opportunity to recruit from a pool of students who already have familiarity with the city is 
a valuable one.  The relationship with Juniata (exchange agreements and the joint 
Masters model) in particular is a key element of Leeds’ wider internationalization activity 
where the University is looking to build wide-ranging and deep collaborations with a 
relatively small number of high quality institutions around the world.  The obvious 
differences in size and academic profile between the institutions heighten the 
complementary nature of the relationship. 

Certainly as with any intercultural, distance partnership, challenges exist in the Juniata/ 
Leeds model.  Since the most important aspect of the partnership appears to be the 
face-to-face conversations, funding and faculty motivation are first and foremost.  The 
most pressing need in establishing five-year international master’s degrees in multiple 
academic areas is funds for faculty members in interested departments to travel to 
compare and coordinate curricula.  It was the early involvement of academic staff in a 
specific field that enabled the partner Master’s concept to take flight so swiftly.  Because 
of the decentralized structure of many European universities, US institutions do well to 
focus initially on only one or two academic areas when establishing a double degree 
with a European partner.  The “bottom-up” approach will reap the quickest rewards, as 
disparate academic divisions in European institutions tend to function relatively 
autonomously, and sometimes even run their own international offices independently of 
the larger institution. 

Other difficulties exist, of course, primarily the financial concerns of students, but also 
the logistical intricacies of enrolling in an institution abroad.  Ultimately, it is still daunting 
for a US student to consider graduate study abroad.  For this reason, it could be 
desirable to establish a number of short-term scholarships as a developing partnership 
takes shape, to generate interest in the program and encourage students to iron out 
potential stumbling blocks.  It is also important for departments on both sides to be 
flexible regarding required courses, including timing of course offerings and acceptance 
of courses and credits from the partner institution.  This flexibility may be more difficult 
with Science and Engineering subjects which may have more stringent pre-requisites at 
the Master’s degree level than their counterparts in the Arts and Humanities.  Finally, it 
is unfortunately the case that institutional change seldom comes quickly.  Such an 

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initiative, dependent as it is upon multiple conversations and constituencies may get 
relegated to the back burner during its development.  Moreover, with staff turnover what 
it is, the momentum may be easily lost if those committed to the project move away 
from one of the institutions. 

Future Possibilities 

With a Leeds delegation to Juniata autumn 2013, and a follow-up from Juniata to Leeds 
summer 2014, it is expected that new efforts will emerge.  With further and closer 
collaboration between faculty members and courses, as well as departments and 
programs, perhaps facilitated through technology, joint degree collaborations become 
more likely.  Knight (2008) acknowledges the importance of communication 
technologies to partner collaboration, as they “are enabling a far larger percent of 
students to have international contacts and access to information. Distance and time 
are no longer barriers” (p. 7). 

Other possibilities for partnership development also exist.  Leeds students could join 
Juniata faculty-led short-term domestic and international programs, and Leeds could 
look to develop its offerings in this area and open these to Juniata students.  Like most 
UK institutions Leeds has relatively little faculty-led activity and could benefit from 
Juniata’s experience.  Ultimately, the partnership could result in the development of true 
joint degrees at the undergraduate level, such as a 2+2 with online components.  
International partnerships that are connected in this way at the departmental and course 
level are more likely to be vibrant and long-lasting, and are ultimately one of the best 
models for the curriculum integration of global learning in the twenty-first century.  

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References 

Cushman, J. (2009). The Juniata-Bocholt Transatlantic Double Degree in International 
Management. In D. Obst & M. Kuder (Eds), Joint and double degree programs: 
An emerging model for transatlantic exchange (pp. 129-132). New York, NY: 
Institute of International Education. 

Degen, C., & Carsten K. (2009). Elevating existing study programs through the 
integration of double degrees: The double master in Business Administration at 
the University of Cologne. In D. Obst & M. Kuder (Eds), Joint and double degree 
programs: An emerging model for transatlantic exchange (pp. 135-141). New 
York, NY: Institute of International Education. 

Guth, S. (2013). The COIL Institute for Globally Networked Learning in the Humanities:  
Final Report.  Retrieved from 
http://coil.suny.edu/sites/default/files/case_study_report.pdf. 

Kirp, D. L. (2003). Shakespeare, Einstein, and the bottom line: The marketing of higher 
education. Cambridge, MA:  Harvard University Press. 

Knight, J. (2008). Higher education in turmoil: The changing world of 
internationalization. Global Perspectives on Higher Education (Vol. 13). 
Rotterdam, Netherlands: Sense. Retrieved from 
https://www.sensepublishers.com/media/475-higher-education-in-turmoil.pdf. 

Levy, F., & Murnane, R. J. (2013). Dancing with robots: Human skills for computerized 
work.   Retreived from Third Way Next website: 
http://content.thirdway.org/publications/714/Dancing-With-Robots.pdf 

Obst, D. & Kuder, M. (Eds). (2009). Joint and double degree programs: An emerging 
model for transatlantic exchange. New York, NY: Institute of International 
Education. 

Paris, D. (2013, October). Re‐forming liberal education: Remapping and integrating 
general education, the major, and the student experience. Paper presented at 
the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) Global Learning 
in College: Asking Big Questions, Engaging Urgent Challenges conference, 
Providence, RI. 

Stearns, P. N. (2009). Educating global citizens in colleges and universities: Challenges 
and opportunities. New York, NY: Routledge. 

Sutton, S. B., & Obst, D. (Eds). (2011). Developing strategic international partnerships: 
Models for initiating and sustaining innovative international linkages. New York, 
NY: Institute of International Education. 

 
 
 

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http://coil.suny.edu/sites/default/files/case_study_report.pdf
https://www.sensepublishers.com/media/475-higher-education-in-turmoil.pdf
http://content.thirdway.org/publications/714/Dancing-With-Robots.pdf


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About the Author 
 
Dr. Jenifer Cushman is Campus Dean at Ohio University Zanesville.  Formerly 
International Dean and Associate Professor of German at Juniata College, winner of 
the 2012 NAFSA Senator Paul Simon-Award, Cushman earned her PhD in German 
from the Ohio State University.  She engaged in the University of Minnesota study 
abroad curriculum integration effort as a faculty member at UMM. One of the first 
Association of International Education Administrator’s Presidential Fellows, she now 
mentors for the program, chairs the 2014 Simon committee, and is a contributor to 
the recent NAFSA publication "Improving and Assessing Global Learning.” Dr. 
Cushman can be reached at cushmanj@ohio.edu.  
 
Tom Kyle has worked at the University of Leeds since 2007, initially in the Study 
Abroad Office before moving into their International Marketing team in 2010.  Tom 
graduated with a BA (Hons) in Music for the University of Nottingham and is 
currently studying part-time towards an MA in Management of International Higher 
Education at Edge Hill University. He can be reached at T.Kyle@adm.leeds.ac.uk.  

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mailto:cushmanj@ohio.edu
mailto:T.Kyle@adm.leeds.ac.uk

