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Today higher education in the USA is faced with rising enrollment demands. As a means of efficiently and creatively meeting graduate education needs, universities are collaborating on doctoral programs. In California, although the sole authority for granting doctorates in the public sector belongs to the University of California (UC), joint doctoral programs may be developed between UC and the California State University (CSU), and between CSU and independent private universities. Currently there are 16 joint doctoral programs in existence in California. Development and implementation of these joint programs frequently involve lengthy, complex collaborations between universities. In order to gain an understanding of the challenges and factors that influence universities’ collaborations on joint doctoral programs, a study was conducted in spring 2000 using interviews with 14 university leaders. The article discusses several critical issues and factors that were found to influence effective collaborative planning and implementation of joint doctoral programs.