THE JOINT DOCTORATE: A STUDY OF INTERINSTITUTIONAL COOPERATION IN CALIFORNIA HIGHER EDUCATION, 1960-1985

The joint doctorate resulted from a provision in the 1960 Master Plan for Higher Education in California that enabled the California State University to participate in doctoral level work and associated research by joining with the University of California in the offering of joint doctoral degrees in selected fields. Thus, the right to offer the independent doctorate was reserved for the University of California, which helped preserve the differentiation of functions in California public higher education.; This case history study of the joint doctorate has three main objectives: (1) to explore the circumstances resulting in the inclusion of the joint doctorate in the 1960 Master Plan; (2) to chronicle the twenty-five year history of the joint doctorate by reviewing the separate degree programs, including tracing their development and presenting their current status; and, (3) to assess the joint doctorate by applying to the degree criteria common to academic program reviews as well as criteria for evaluating consortia or interinstitutional arrangements.; The study begins with a brief overview of the consortia movement in American higher education since World War II derived from a review of the literature, followed by background information on the two universities.; Interviews were held with key figures involved in the development of the Master Plan and with people knowledgeable regarding the joint doctorate. These interviews were combined with the results of a survey of the chief academic officers, department heads and faculty involved in joint doctoral programs, and students in one of the programs, to help provide a basis for the assessment of the program and for recommedations for its future.; The study showed the joint doctorate to be a worthy academic endeavor and a successful example of interinstitutional cooperation in spite of some ongoing problems.; However, its continuation is dependent on the way in which the State wishes to use the joint doctorate in connection with the differentiation of functions in California public higher education.