Joint PhD's can be a very worthwhile undertaking for students and institutions alike. This undertaking is not without its challenges, however, and many institutions struggle with understanding how PhD systems and curriculums work in different countries and contexts in order to develop and implement these types of transnational education programs that benefit students, professors and strengthen institutional partnerships. 

These programs allow candidates to gain international and cultural experiences, exposure to different academic environments, and access to international supervisors, equipment and facilities, international networking opportunities, and enhanced future employment opportunities. 

Joint PhDs are internationally recognised as a means of establishing and enhancing strong and enduring relationships with international research universities and researchers. They can establish and enhance international research collaborations, provide opportunities for joint publications, provide access to new funding schemes and make the university a more attractive destination for both domestic and international PhD candidates. 

Establishing these types of programs can be challenging but very rewarding. Therefore, this workshop seeks to present case studies on what model PhDs look like in Australia, Brazil and beyond, as well as how different countries overcome different PhD requirements from partner institutions and how they develop programs that support sandwich PhDs/cotutelle agreements and other programs.