The Bologna Process
What is the BOLOGNA PROCESS?
The Bologna Declaration is an initiative to reform the European university system, which was subscribed by 29 European countries in June 1999 in this Italian city, and that at present includes 46 countries. This reform aims to increase the global quality of higher education by improving teaching and learning methodologies in order to develop a society of excellence and knowledge.
The main aim of the Bologna Process is to carry out a deep reform of the university system in Europe, by creating what is called the European Space for Higher Education (EEES), taking into account the principles of quality, mobility, diversity, equality and competitiveness.
- Bologna is going to introduce a common system of degrees recognition in the European Union (UE).
- Bologna establishes a three- cycle system: Grade, Master and Doctorate.
- With Bologna, the UE will count on a system that assures common requirements in the quality of education and an equivalent structure of contents through the ECTS credit system.
- Thanks to Bologna, international mobility of students, researchers and teachers will be encouraged.
- Bologna promotes the implementation of new learning methodologies.
- The Bologna Process broadens and improves career opportunities.
¿What are ECTS credits and how are they obtained?
The credit is the academic measurement unit in official university teaching, which facilitates the academic and professional recognition of the obtained marks.
The novelty in comparison with the commonly known credit is that, from now on, not only on-site lectures will be taken into account, but also the work carried out by each student (essays, seminars, study time...). This will allow a new design of the subjects, which should consider this effort in coordination with the rest of subjects that have to be studied.
In general terms, students should obtain more practice and have a more active role.
Each ECTS credit (European Credit Transference System) corresponds to 25 hours of dedication, from which only 10 would correspond to on-site teaching.
Credits are coupled with the degree, thus describing the completed studies. With this, and from the experience obtained from the current Erasmus Programme, the aim is to promote work and study mobility, encouraging the exchange and the knowledge of other social and cultural realities.
What will the STRUCTURE of the NEW UNIVERSITY TEACHINGS be?
University teachings that lead to the achievement of official degrees in the whole national territory are divided in three cycles: Grade, Master and Doctorate.
The completion of each cycle will mean the acquisition of the corresponding degree.
Planning of University Teaching in the European Space for Higher Education (EEES)
What are GRADE STUDIES?
They are first cycle university teachings and replace the current degrees of Bachelor, Architect, Engineer and Graduate, whose first courses will cease to be offered in September 2010. From that date, all degrees will have Grade format.
The objective pursued by the Grades is to achieve the academic and professional education of students, qualifying them to enter the European work field, as well as enabling them to continue their formation with the degrees of Master or Doctorate. The degree of Grade implies professional qualification in the national and European job market. In general, all studies will have 240 credits, which in Spain correspond to four years. With this level of studies, the degree of Graduate will be obtained.
Nevertheless, the grades corresponding to regulated professions (architecture, technical architecture, medical studies, teacher, vet, teacher of Obligatory Secondary Education and high school, professional training and language teaching) may have a duration and number of ECTS established by their specific regulation.
What are MASTERS and DOCTORATES?
After the completion of the Grade degree, university teachings include two cycles that lead to the Master and Doctorate degrees.
Master studies imply an advanced qualification, oriented firstly towards academic and professional specialization, and also to promote the beginning of research activities.
- To obtain the degree of Master, the completion of 60 to 120 ECTS credits will be necessary.
- The duration of the Master will be between 1 and 2 years.
- The official degree obtained will be of “Master”.
The studies of doctorate aim at the advanced training of students on research methods.
- To be admitted to the doctorate studies, it is necessary to have completed at least 300 ECTS credits.
- To obtain the degree of doctorate, it will be necessary to have completed a number of credits determined by the specific studies and to present a doctoral thesis.
- The obtained degree will be of “Doctor”.
Important documents:
- Lisbon.Convention for the recognition of higher education qualifications in Europe. Lisbon, 11th April 1997.
- Sorbonne Declaration. Joint declaration for the harmonization of the European Higher Education System by Ministers from France, Germany, Italy and United Kingdom. Paris, The Sorbonne, 25th May 1993.
- Bologne- European Space for Higher Education. Joint declaration by education ministers, from the Bologna meeting in 19th June 1999.
- Message from Salamanca. Outlining the European Space for Higher Education. More than three hundred European institutions of higher education with their main representative organizations, met in Salamanca on 29th and 30th March 2001, with the aim of preparing their contribution to the Conference of Ministers in charge of Higher Education from the countries who signed The Bologna Declaration, which will take place in Prague.
- Prague statement. Towards the EEES. Statement from the Meeting of European Ministers in charge of Higher Education, which took place in Prague on 19th May 2001.
- Declaration of Graz. After Berlin: The role of universities. July 2003.
- Berlin-Building up the EEES. Statement from the Conference of Ministers with authority in Higher Education, held in Berlin on 19th September 2003.
- Declaration of Glasgow. April 2005.
- Bergen- Statement from the Conference of Ministers with authority in Higher Education. 19th-20th May 2005.
- Progression report presented after the Minister’s meeting in Bergen, 14th June 2005.
