Joint degree

A joint degree is a program two schools design together so the student earns a combined credential rather than bolting two separate degrees after the fact. In the MBA market the phrase is messy. Some registrars use it for what this glossary calls a dual-degree MBA. Others reserve it for one diploma issued in both names.

Ask what paper comes at the end. That question ends most of the confusion.

How it works

True joint design shares governance: a joint academic committee, a shared set of required courses, and a rule for which school is the degree-granting unit for aid, visas, and alumni status. Dual programs can look similar on a brochure and still be two faculties who agreed to count a few electives.

Partner MBAs across countries sometimes issue two diplomas (a double degree) and sometimes one. AMBA will look at the MBA portfolio, including partner delivery, when a school puts that portfolio up for accreditation. A joint badge does not automatically export AMBA or AACSB to the partner campus.

Example: School A in Paris and School B in Shanghai run a 16-month program. Students spend two terms in each city. One diploma carries both seals. Tuition is billed by A; B hosts. Alumni status exists in both networks. Contrast that with an exchange program, where the student spends one term abroad, stays on A’s diploma, and collects no second credential.

How it differs

A dual-degree MBA is two credentials, usually in two fields. A global MBA may rotate campuses under one MBA. An exchange is a visiting term. If only one school can issue a transcript you can show an employer, you do not have two degrees, whatever the brochure says.

Common errors

Collecting logos and assuming two alumni networks with full voting rights. Assuming accreditation travels automatically to the partner. Using “joint” and “dual” as synonyms in a résumé line without naming the diplomas.