Memoranda of Agreements
Specific Information to help you in Developing an MOA
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The following items are the minimum specifications that must appear in the text of a Memorandum of Agreement:
Students:
If undergraduate and/or graduate student admission to Texas A&M University is proposed, the agreement should state that prospective students will be subject to admission requirements of all students engaged in similar programs. If necessary, the agreement should address any special conditions for waiving these admission procedures. If the agreement will not follow the standard sample formats, then the document must be routed to the appropriate office for their approval.
MOAs often encourage the exchange and/or enrollment of students. Typical levels of student involvement are as follows:
Degree-seeking programs — When this is specified, students at Texas A&M will be encouraged to enroll in the foreign institution’s degree-seeking academic programs and vice-versa. A&M students will complete their degrees at the host university. All tuition and fees are paid by the student to the host university, and no reciprocity is required.
Non-degree programs — When this is specified, students at Texas A&M will be encouraged to participate in a specially designed program at the foreign institution and vice-versa. Students are typically not enrolled as regular students at the host institution, but instead are registered as “non-degree seeking” students. Any expenses incurred are the responsibility of the student. No reciprocity is required. Credit hours are transferred back to the home institution after the program is completed.
Reciprocal Educational Exchange Programs (REEP) — When this is specified, students at Texas A&M attend classes at the foreign institution and vice versa as non-degree seeking students. The advantage to a REEP is that students enroll and pay tuition and fees at their home university while attending the host university, and credits are transferred back to the home institution. The regulations for this type of program are governed by the State of Texas. Reciprocity is required, and parity must be achieved over a five-year period. For additional information on this type of program contact the Study Abroad Programs Office at 845-0544.
Immigration Information:
If exchanges of faculty or students are proposed, be aware that certain U.S. immigration rules apply to visiting scholars and students. For more information on student immigration concerns contact the International Student Services Office at 845-1825. Information on faculty/scholar immigration issues can be obtained from the International Faculty and Scholar Services at 862-1719.
Financial Responsibility:
If any fiscal commitments are involved, they should be listed specifically in the Supplement, not the MOA. Each Supplement must state the specific department, institute, or University unit that will be responsible for meeting any expenses incurred under the agreement.
Contacts:
The committee, office, position or person designated as the agreement's campus contact at Texas A&M University and at the foreign institution should be noted in the supplementary document as well as in an addendum to the Supplement. The supplement lists either the position title (i.e., Department Head of Electrical Engineering or Academic Advisor for Political Science Department) or an individual’s name (generally used with faculty contacts). The Texas A&M contact person will be responsible for knowing what activities take place under the agreement. He/she may also have specific administrative duties. Any correspondence to the foreign institution should include a reference to the foreign contact person. The addendum includes more information including each of the contacts’ information (i.e. name, title, mailing address, phone, fax, email, website and other).
Areas Involved:
The Supplement must list the department or units involved and, if necessary, the specific field of study or types of projects that will be carried out under the agreement.
Collaborative Research:
If the collaboration may involve proprietary rights over potentially copyrightable or patentable material, then those rights should be planned in consultation with the Office of the Vice President for Research and should be appropriately addressed in the MOA. When specific collaborative research is planned, an intellectual property rights statement must be included as part of the Supplement or as an addendum.
Dates:
An umbrella MOA should include a statement that the agreement will remain in effect for five years and is renewable. It may be renewed through mutual written consent. Additionally the documents should clearly state that the agreement would take effect on the date of the final signing.
