Co-Sponsorship of Executive Education

Executive (Non-Credit) Education at Columbia University
Co-Sponsorship by an Outside Entity

Executive Education (i.e., non-credit) programs may on occasion be co-sponsored by organizations outside of Columbia.   Co-sponsored programs should abide by the following guidelines.    These guidelines assume that  Columbia faculty are the principal developers and instructors in the Executive Education program; if this is not the case, please contact the Office of the Vice Provost for Academic Programs ([email protected]) to set up an appointment.

Note that the information below pertains exclusively to non-credit programs. If you wish to learn more about credit-bearing programs (e.g., statutory Certificate programs or Certifications of Professional Achievement), please see: http://dp.vpaa.columbia.edu/.  

If a program is to be co-developed, funded (partially or completely), or co-taught by an outside entity, the first step in the process is for the host (the school, center, or institute within Columbia that is offering the program) to work with the Office of the Vice Provost for Academic Programs to develop a formal educational agreement with the terms of the collaboration.  The Office of the Vice Provost works with the Office of General Counsel and, if appropriate, other central university resources in reviewing the planned agreement.  Full details on the process for submitting and approving an educational agreement can be found on this website: http://academicprograms.columbia.edu/educational-agreements. Please note that co-sponsored programs may proceed only after the educational agreement has been developed and approved by the Office of the Vice Provost for Academic Programs. 

 Special conditions apply to the Certificates of Participation for co-sponsored programs. These conditions vary, depending on whether the partner is an academic institution (non-profit), a non-profit organization (non-academic), or a commercial/for-profit entity.

If the partner is a non-profit academic institution or other non-profit organization:

  • All rules on Certificates of Participation provided here must be followed.
  • In addition, the Certificate of Participation may include the logo of the partner at the top of the document, in addition to the logo of the relevant school, center, or institute at Columbia.
  • Neither Columbia nor the partner may use the name or logo of the other without explicit permission, as described in the agreement governing the partnership.

If the partner is a for-profit entity:

  • All rules on Certificates of Participation provided here must be followed.
  • In general, the name/logo of the partner may NOT be included in the Certificate of Participation. However, if the partner is providing funding or other significant resources in support of the program, the Certificate of Participation may include an “acknowledgement” of the partner (using name and/or logo) at the bottom (centered or in the right- or left-hand corner), covering no more than about 10% of the area of the document, stating: “HOST gratefully acknowledges the contributions of PARTNER in the development and offering of this Executive Education program.”  Variations from this formulation must be approved by the Provost.
  • The name/logo of the partner may be included more prominently at the top of the Certificate of Participation for the special circumstance in which the Executive Education program has been offered exclusively to employees of the partner entity.
  • Neither Columbia nor the partner may use the name or logo of the other without explicit permission, as described in the agreement governing the collaboration.

To see a sample Certificate of Participation, click here.

Please contact the Office of the Vice Provost for Academic Programs ([email protected]) with any questions.