Process of Bologna

The process of Bologna is an engagement to build a European space of higher education before 2010. It is not a question to set up a single university system but to place well the national systems diversified within a common framework founded on three key points:

installation of a structure in two cycles of the higher learning:

a first academic cycle of at least three years leading to a first rank - called according to the countries license, Baccalaureat, Candidature, etc… correspondent with a qualification level appropriate for insertion on the European job market
then a driving cycle with a rank of the type university control (short cycle) and/or to the Doctorate (long cycle);

installation of a common system of appropriations to describe the programs of studies - the European System of transfer and accumulation of appropriations - to promote student mobility most largely possible;
installation of the Supplement at the diploma in order to make more easily readable and comparable the diplomas, to thus support the integration of the European citizens on the job market and to improve competitiveness of the system of European higher education at the world level;

Division in two cycles, inspired by the Anglo-Saxon model with its course undergraduate and its course postgraduate (or graduate in the USA) seems little by little to leave room to a division in three cycles closer to the system LMD French for example.

History

The May 25th 1998, the four ministers in charge for the higher education of Germany, of France, Great Britain and Italy are found at the time of a conference to the Sorbonne, at the time of the celebration of the 800e birthday of the Université of Paris, to launch a call to the construction of a European space of higher education.

Launched on the initiative of the French Minister for the Minister of education main road (Claude Allègre), the process aims to support the university exchanges (student, teaching and enquiring) and to make converge the university systems towards common reference levels.

The initiative is gradually taken again and developed by the majority of the governments and the universities Europeans.

To note that each university system is integrated in the process according to methods which it freely chooses.

1999: The ministerial conference of Bologna

At the time of the conference of Bologna in June 1999, 29 countries sign a common text. The declaration of Bologna of June 19th, 1999 which initiates the process éponyme, identifies six actions to be carried out:

To set up an easily comprehensible and comparable system to allow a good legibility and to facilitate the international recognition of the diplomas and qualifications.
To organize the formations on a first cycle intended for the job market (at least 3 years) and a second cycle requiring the completion of the first.
To validate the formations by a system of accumulation of transferable appropriations between establishments.
To facilitate student mobility, of the teachers and the researchers.
To cooperate as regards quality assurance of the lesson.
To give a truly European dimension to higher education.

2001: The ministerial conference of Prague

Following the meeting of the universities of Salamanque in March 2001 and with the conference of Prague in May 2001, 34 countries engage. The ministers adopted the Official statement of Prague

2003: The ministerial conference of Berlin

With Berlin, September 16th and 17th 2003, the ministers decide to accelerate the process and to extend it to the doctoral cycle in order to deepen the bonds between the European space of higher education and that of research.

Three imperative objectives are laid down for 2005 within the Official statement of Berlin:

installation of a system in two cycles,
free and automatic delivery of a Supplement to the diploma,
starting of the installation of a system of quality assurance.

2005: The ministerial conference of Bergen

With Bergen was signed a new official statement in May 2005:

2007: The ministerial conference of London

The last ministerial conference took place in May 2007 with London, in the United Kingdom. It led to the following official statement: .

The official statement reaffirms the integration of the doctorate like third academic cycle.

2009: The ministerial conference of Leuwen

The next ministerial conference will take place the April 28th and 29th 2009 with Leuwen.

Country signatories

45 States are currently engaged in the process:

Albania - Germany - Andorra - Arménie - Australia - Azerbaïdjan - Belgium - Bosnia-Herzégovine - Bulgaria - Cyprus - Croatia - Denmark - Spain - Estonia - France - Finland - Georgia - Greece - Hungary - Ireland - Iceland - Italy - Latvia - Lithuania - Luxembourg - Macedonia - Malta - Moldavie - Norway - Netherlands - Poland - Portugal - Czech Republic - Romania - the United Kingdom - Russia - the Holy See - Serbia - Montenegro - Slovakia - Slovenia - Sweden - Swiss - Turkey - Ukraine

The following organizations are also committed in the installation of the process: ESIB, EUA, EURASHE, I.E.(internal excitation), ENQA, UNICE like of course the the Council of Europe, the European commission and UNESCO.

National applications

Germany

The new ranks are Bachelor/Bakkalaureus (vat + 3 or 4) and Master/Magister (vat + 5) in the federal law Hochschulrahmengesetz in 1998. Since the laws of Länder concerning the superiors establishment the formations were modified and of many Bachelor and Master are proposed by the universities and the Fachhochschulen . The can also decree these diplomas, not as a university Grade but only like national diploma).

The doctorate, regulated by the laws of Länder and the university in question ( Promotionsordnung ), is not affected by the reform and continuous to exist. Duration ago prescribed in the laws. Until now the effective duration of a doctorate strongly depended on the discipline and the doctorand. One tries from now on to limit this duration to 3 years.

The French Community of Belgium

In the French Community of Belgium, the introduction of the first elements of the reform of Bologna is the result of the decree of March 31st, 2004 whose title returns explicitly to the adaptation of Belgian higher education to the process of Bologna. The decree constitutes, in fact, an in-depth reform of the higher education which largely exceeds the adaptation to the process of Bologna. This very broad field of application of the decree caused besides the opposition of the Fédération of the French-speaking students (which denounced the instrumentalisation of the process of Bologna to fine internal policies) and, to a lesser extent, Union of the Students of the French Community.

The greatest change introduced by the reform holds, as in many of other countries, with the modification of the structure of the studies which one finds a summary below (new structure = table of left).

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In Belgium, the first rank, the baccalaureat, is obtained in 3 years. The masters, replacing the licenses, can be delivered after 1 or 2 years of additional studies: it is about a concession of the political world granted under the pressure of the student representatives who refused a systematic lengthening of the duration of the studies from 4 to 5 years. Old the graduats professionnalisants in 3 years is replaced by baccalaureats in 3 years. The old ones OF and DEC either are removed, or replaced by complementary masters or masters.

The reform also envisages the creation of Académies , associations of universities intended to make it possible the Belgian university institutions to better face international competition. The creation of the academies caused strong criticisms of the student representatives who refuse the not very democratic operation of the academies and fear a rationalization of the offer of teaching to the detriment of the quality of this one.

Since March 2004, other decrees or decrees continued to adapt higher education to the process of Bologna in particular as regards supplements with the diploma, of diplomas united with the international level or with regard to artistic teaching.

The adaptation of higher education in the French Community to the principles of the reform of Bologna is carried out, according to its promoters, with an aim of improving quality of teaching, of supporting mobility coed and of better placing the establishments of higher education in international competition.

According to its detractors, the introduction of the reform of Bologna in Belgium is translated, on the contrary, by a marchandisation of teaching, a retreat of social justice and a loss of intellectual autonomy in the establishments of higher education. Among the principal detractors of reforms in progress, one counts the Fédération of the French-speaking students, Aped and, to a lesser extent, the Union of the Students of the French Community.

Estonia

Since 2002, in Estonia, all the licenses are done in 3 years (against 4 before 2001). The masters are done in 2 years and the doctorates into 4.

France

The United Kingdom

With the the United Kingdom the bachelor is generally obtained in 3 years and the master is obtained in one year (sometimes two) after the bachelor . The preparation of the doctorate can sometimes be done directly after the bachelor.

Switzerland

|} In 2006, the majority of the Swiss universities still delivered the license in 4 years of studies, as it was the case in Right or Psychology. The real statute of this academic qualification in 4 years is in general rather fuzzy. Owing to the fact that a master (according to the new reform) can be made in 1 year or 2 years after the bachelor, and because it acts in both cases of a title of second cycle, it is generally accepted that the license in 4 years is the equivalent of a current master. Moreover, the former holders of a license in right or psychology can request an equivalence of master from their university and prevail themselves of the title of master.

If the students want to prolong their one year studies, they obtain a diploma post-rank, often called " master off advanced studies" (FARMHOUSE). This title replaces the old ones (Diploma of specialized higher learning) or DEA (Diploma of thorough studies).

The reform of Bologna touches the high Swiss schools, namely the three pillars of the teaching of university level: cantonal universities, federal Polytechnic schools (EPF) and High specialized schools (HES).

The cantonal universities and the federal polytechnic schools use the three levels of title: bachelor, master and doctorate.

The High specialized schools (HES) offer for the moment only formations leading to the title of bachelor (situation in 2006). Dies leading under master should appear in the future. Moreover, solutions of passage to a university master starting from a bachelor of HES are being prepared.

References

fundamental Texts, documents and comments on the site of the the Council of Europe: to see this page.
Convention of Lisbon: to see are this page
Emmanuel Davidenkoff and Sylvain Kahn, the universities soluble in universalization? , editions Hatchet-Literatures, Paris, 2006 (in particular: chapters 4,5 and 6).

External bonds

the Structure LMD (License Master Doctorate) & higher education European. Bibliographical study, European reports/ratios
Effects of the declaration of Bologna on vocational musical training in Europe - European Association of academies (AEC)
the long way towards the mutual recognition of the diplomas in Europe, article of Fabrice Serodes, Monthly of the University , October 2007, on the concrete stages of cotutelle Franco-British of thesis.
Pourquoi is it so easy “to harmonize”? , article of François Schreuer on the application of the process of Bologna in French-speaking Belgium, published in the number of October 2004 of the review “Space of freedom”

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