Analytic Quality Glossary A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Home
Citation reference: Harvey, L., 2004-24, Analytic Quality Glossary, Quality Research International, http://www.qualityresearchinternational.com/glossary/
This is a dynamic glossary and the author would welcome any e-mail suggestions for additions or amendments.
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Franchise programmes
Franchise programmes are study units of one higher education institution adopted by and taught at another institution, although the students formally obtain their qualification from the originating institution.
Franchise programmes may be offered within the same country, for example a college of higher education may offer its students a programme from a neighbouring university. Franchise programmes may be offered ‘off-shore’, that is, a university may make arrangements for its programmes to be made available to students in an other country through the intermediary of an overseas based college or university,
In either circumstance, the award gained by the students taking the franchise progrmme is a named award of the originating institution, who has responsibility for ensuring the quality and standard of the education leading to the award.
Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE)’s (2003) definition of franchise implies arrangements that do not cross national borders:
A franchise or indirect-funding arrangement is usually one in which a student is attributed to an HEI for funding purposes but the course is wholly or partly delivered in an FE college. Occasionally, an HEI franchises provision to another HEI (for example, a university to a college of higher education).
The definition in 2011 has changed: thus HEFCE’s (2010) definition of franchise is:
The agreement by one institution (usually an HEI) that another institution may deliver all or part of a programme approved and owned by the first institution. The franchising institution normally retains overall control of the programme's content, delivery, assessment and quality assurance arrangements.
The definition changed again in HEFCE’s (undated):
A franchise is an agreement by a lead HE provider (usually a degree awarding body) that another provider may deliver all or part of a programme approved and owned by the lead provider. The lead provider normally retains overall control of the programme's content, delivery, assessment and quality assurance arrangements, and has overall responsibility for the provision.
Nottingham Trent University (NTU, undated) define a franchise programme as:
A franchise or licensed programme is where the partner delivers all or the greater part of an existing NTU programme to NTU students, usually offsite, and the partner is approved by NTU.
The UK Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) (undated) defines franchising as:
A process by which a degree-awarding body agrees to authorise another organisation to deliver (and sometimes assess) part or all of one (or more) of its own approved programmes. Often, the degree-awarding body retains direct responsibility for the programme content, the teaching and assessment strategy, the assessment regime and the quality assurance. Students normally have a direct contractual relationship with the degree-awarding body.
Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), 2010, About us: Glossary, available at http://www.hefce.ac.uk/aboutus/glossary/glossary.htm, updated 8 November 2010, accessed 14 February 2011, not available 28 August 2012.
Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), undated, Glossary, available at http://www.hefce.ac.uk/glossary/, accessed 31 December 2016, not available 20 June 2019.
Nottingham Trent University (NTU) undated, Question and Answer, available at www.ntu.ac.uk/cadq/quality_assurance/audits/96008.doc, accessed 5 April 2011., not available 28 August 2012.
Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA), undated, Glossary, available at http://www.qaa.ac.uk/about-us/glossary?Category=F, accessed 3 January 2017, not available 20 June 2019.