Academic and Clinical Agreements
UTEP collaborates with many universities around the world for activities that enhance the Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é's educational goals including but not limited to academic partnerships, clinical partnerships, student international experiences, and international research. To formalize these relationships, it is necessary to follow all applicable procedures, policies, and guidelines required by UTEP’s regional accrediting association, The Southern Association of College and Schools (SACSCOC) and the Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é of Texas System (UT System).
Proposal and Approval Process
Contact Vivian Rivas, Program Coordinator at the Office of the Provost, to determine if there are already existing agreements with the proposed institution. institutions with existing agreements may only require a program agreement.
Discuss the initiative with your college/division point of contact to confirm support for the initiative.
Visit the Institutional Contract Management website (/vpba/docusign-clm/) and "follow the prompts to "submit a new contract request", then select the appropriate contract type: Clinical Affiliation Agreement, Agreement of Cooperation (MOU), General Affiliation Agreement, Preceptorship Agreement, Study Abroad Program Agreement, or Study Away Program Agreement.
The DocuSign system will provide UT System pre-approved agreement templates to expedite the approval process. On occasion, the partnering institution may provide the initial agreement draft, which can be uploaded into DocuSign.
For Academic Agreements, send inquiries and contract requests to academicagreements@utep.edu.
The DocuSign system will route agreements to all reviewers and signatories until a final version is agreed upon by all parties involved.
Visit the Institutional Contract Management website (/vpba/docusign-clm/Resources/points_of_contact.html) to view a listing of college/division points of contact.
Types of Agreements and Definitions
Agreement of Cooperation (Memorandum of Understanding)
This type of agreement may also be called a Memorandum of Understanding, Memorandum of Agreement or General Agreement of Collaboration. This is usually the first step toward establishing a more detailed and formal relationship between the parties, which will be formalized in future agreements.
An Agreement of Cooperation establishes an understanding between parties with a mutual desire to work together in the future and collaborate on an agreed-upon goal
Affiliation agreements often serve as a foundation for future specific program or project agreements between UTEP partner institutions. Affiliation agreements often include details about collaborative research projects, student exchange, academic programs, collaborative academic development, student clinical/practicum rotations,
This type of agreement establishes the details regarding a Study Abroad program, such as the number of students participating, tuition arrangements, housing, student learning activities, academic credit, and point of contact for the study abroad coordinator for both universities
Establishes the details of the
Agreements that allow a
Agreement to establish and detail a relationship between two institutions to award degrees from both UTEP and partner institutions upon completion of the established coursework and other terms and conditions of the agreement. These programs may require additional accrediting agency approvals
An agreement between The Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é of Texas at El Paso and a foreign country to establish the requirements and amount of funds available to offer student scholarships. To initiate this type of agreement, contact the Assistant Vice President for International Relations at the Office of the President.
Translation Services
Academic units should be sensitive about providing an opportunity for the partnering institution to obtain a native language translation of the English language version. It is the responsibility of the initiating academic and/or administrative unit to provide appropriate translations of draft agreements. For information regarding translation services on campus please visit the Translation Services Office.
Templates and Forms
Required Forms
Academic Agreement Approval Form (must be attached to all submissions)
UT System Pre-Approved Templates:
Agreement of Cooperation (English)
Agreement of Cooperation (English/Spanish)
International Affiliation Agreement
Study Abroad Program Agreement
Visiting Faculty Agreement (Outgoing)
Visiting Faculty Agreement (Incoming)
Frequently Asked Questions
If your agreement is urgent, please contact your college/division point of contact to alert them of the urgency at the beginning of the process. Explain the situation and the expected timeframe suggested. We will help to expedite the request as quickly as possible.
The process and communication between all institutions involved can be finalized within one to three months; however, in some situations finalizing agreements can take as many as six months.
Continue to follow the process in DocuSign. The system will allow the requestor to upload the partnering institution's template.
It depends on the collaboration and agreement, there is not a standard time.
To renew or terminate an agreement, contact Vivian Rivas or academicagreements@utep.edu.
It is the responsibility of the requesting college and/or department to cover expenses related to the processing of an academic agreement. This includes but is not limited to postage, travel, translation fees
It is the responsibility of the academic agreement requestor to send a fully-executed copy of the agreement to the partnering institution.
Agreements may be translated into a foreign language for
Translation services are available through the Department of Languages and Linguistics. Click here for more information.