The Bologna Process

Students and researchers are more mobile, more flexible and more international than ever before. Knowledge knows no national frontiers. Internationalization is a pacemaker for reform and for the development and modernization of the higher education system. The institutions of higher education must assert themselves in the international competition for the best brains. At their meeting in Bologna in 1999, Germany and its European neighbours set themselves the goal of establishing a common European higher education area by the year 2010. The Bologna Process is probably the most far-reaching university reform in recent times.

---

Through the Bologna Process Europe is growing closer together in the field of higher education and is thus enabling better use of the knowledge available. The central element of the planned common European Higher Education Area is the introduction of a two-cycle study system consisting of bachelor's and master's degrees with comparable qualifications throughout Europe.

Information on the Bologna Process:

• its background
• its contents
• and the current position in Germany.

The beginning

Sorbonne Declaration

The mobility of students and research staff and the comparability and mutual recognition of qualifications are important preconditions for making better use of the enormous potential at and in the European institutions of higher education. In the so-called Sorbonne Declaration at the celebrations to mark the 800th anniversary of the University of Paris on 25 May 1998, the Education Ministers of Germany, France, Italy and the United Kingdom declared their will to remove existing barriers and to establish the basis for improved European cooperation in developing their universities.

The Bologna Declaration

The initiative of the signatory states to the Sorbonne Declaration met with a positive response from other European states. On 19 June 1999, 29 European states signed the so-called Bologna Declaration and declared their aim of establishing a common European Higher Education Area by 2010. The Federal Government and the Länder signed jointly on behalf of Germany, thus declaring their support for the reform of the German higher education system in the European context.

The follow-up conferences in Prague (2001), Berlin (2003) and Bergen (2005)

In order to determine whether the partner states were actually achieving the six objectives originally agreed upon, it was decided to meet at special conferences every two years to assess progress. The first Bologna follow-up conference took place in Prague on 19 May 2001 with 33 European signatory states. More than 40 European states took part in the second follow-up conference, which took place in Berlin on 18/19 September 2003. The third follow-up conference was held in Bergen (Norway) on 19/20 May 2005.

The contents

Bologna (1999)

In the Bologna Declaration, 29 European Education Ministers manifested their intention

• to introduce a system of comprehensible and comparable degrees and
• a two-cycle system of university qualifications (undergraduate/graduate),
• to introduce a credit transfer system (based on the ECTS model),
• to promote mobility by reducing obstacles to mobility and
• to promote European cooperation in the field of quality assurance and
• to promote the European dimension in university training in all EU countries.

Prague (2001)

The Prague Communiqué endorsed the six original objectives of the Bologna Process, specified the work areas and added a further three objectives:

• promoting lifelong learning,
• promoting the participation of students in shaping the European Higher Education Area,
• promoting the attractiveness of the European Higher Education Area.

Berlin (2003)

In the Berlin Communiqué, the European Education Ministers agreed to extend the catalogue of objectives and named concrete projects for implementation by 2005.

The set of objectives now includes the following:

• the promotion of quality assurance at institutional, national and European level
• the introduction of the bachelor's/master's study structure
• the elaboration of a framework of comparable and compatible qualifications for their higher education systems at national and European level (qualifications framework)
• the promotion of mobility
• the establishment of a system of credits (ECTS)
• improved recognition of degrees
• participation by students in the Bologna Process
• the promotion of the European dimension in higher education
• promoting the attractiveness of the European Higher Education Area on a global level
• incorporation in the concept of lifelong learning
• the inclusion of doctoral training in the Bologna Process.

In order to achieve these aims by 2010, the following priorities were agreed upon and progress was to be evaluated at the follow-up conference in Bergen (2005):

• two-cycle study system
• recognition of degrees and periods of studies
• quality assurance.

Bergen (2005)

A stocktaking report on the progress which the Bologna Process as a whole and each of the 40 participating countries have achieved was presented at the Conference in Bergen on 19/20 May 2005. Furthermore, priorities were set for the "second half" up to 2010. The conference welcomed Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine as new member states. The Bologna Process thus now includes 45 states. EI (Education International), as representative of the trade unions, the employers' association UNICE and the ENQA (European Association of Quality Assurance) also joined the Bologna Process as consultative members.

The conference called for progress reports on the following additional priorities at the next conference in London in May 2007:

• Implementation of the standards and guidelines for quality assurance agreed in Bergen
• Implementation of national frameworks for qualifications;
• The awarding and recognition of joint degrees, including at the doctorate level;
• Creating opportunities for flexible learning paths in higher education, including procedures for the recognition of prior learning;

More attention should be paid to the social interests of students, particularly of those from socially disadvantaged groups. As far as the recognition of study periods and qualifications is concerned, the Communiqué suggests national action plans to achieve improvements. The doctoral phase should include structured doctoral programmes which make up a (small) part of training and impart interdisciplinary training and skills which meet the needs of the employment market.

The current position in Germany.

The most striking result of the Bologna reform is the adaptation of study courses to the two-cycle bachelor's /master's study system. With the 5th Amendment to the Framework Act for Higher Education in 2002, Germany had already fulfilled the demands of the 2003 Berlin Communiqué, namely to begin with the introduction of the two-cycle study system by 2005 and introduce bachelor's and masters courses as standard degree courses at universities. The Länder implemented this federal legal requirement by incorporating bachelor's and master's study courses in their respective legislation on higher education. In 2003, the Science Ministers of the Länder approved a fundamental decision on education policy in favour of the nation-wide introduction of the two-cycle system by 2010.

Bachelor und Master

The bachelor's/master's system offers students new opportunities for a combination of attractive qualifications as well as for a flexible mixture of learning, vocational activities and individual life planning. The introduction of the bachelor's system marks the establishment of a degree system which qualifies graduates for a profession after three to four years, thus making it possible to enter a career earlier than has been the case to date. First and foremost, however, this study system is internationally compatible and thus forms the basis for more mobility world-wide during studies.

Nevertheless, the introduction of the two-cycle study system does not mean a break with academic tradition. The high quality of academic training in Germany will be maintained within the two-cycle study and degree structure. It is not sufficient, however, to simply relabel existing study courses. It is decisive that study courses should be reformed and curricula consolidated and better structured. Only thus can one achieve the aim of shortening study periods in Germany, which are long by international comparison, and reducing the average age of graduates and the high rate of students who discontinue their studies.

The 2,934 bachelor's and master's courses currently offered (summer semester 2005) account for about 27% of the overall range of studies available in Germany. According to BMBF surveys, more than half of the bachelor's and master's study courses in Germany have been completely newly developed, the others have resulted from the reform of existing study courses with regard to both content and structure. The new study courses are offered in modules. More than 70% of these courses include a credit point system and examinations which accompany courses.

The German Rectors' Conference is currently setting up a Bologna Competence Centre to support the universities in introducing the new study system. The project provides experts who support the institutions of higher education with the concrete implementation of the Bologna objectives from both an organizational and conceptual point of view. Over the next two and a half years, the BMBF will be providing funds totalling more than 4.4 million euro to the German Rectors' Conference project.

Improving the procedure for recognizing qualifications

The introduction of the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) and of course modules has significantly improved the flexibility and transparency of study courses. ECTS is a purely quantitative measure of the student's overall work load resulting from the study modules and examinations necessary for the successful completion of his or her course of study. Between 2001 and 2004, the Federal Government made a total of 3.824 million euro available within the framework of a Bund-Länder pilot programme to support the institutions of higher education in introducing the ECTS.

With effect from 2005, all students will receive the Diploma Supplement free of charge and without having to make a special application. The Diploma Supplement contains standard information on the description of university degrees and the respective qualifications. The Diploma Supplement will be appended to the official documents on university qualifications as supplementary information.

Quality assurance: Evaluation and accreditation

Evaluation was incorporated as a general task of the institutions of higher education in the Federal Framework Act for Higher Education in 1998 and has since been included in all Länder Higher Education Laws. Evaluations highlight the strengths and the weaknesses of an institution and/or its study programmes. Systematic and regular evaluations contribute towards improving the quality of teaching and research at the institutions of higher education as well as study and working conditions.

In the meantime, a number of regional evaluation agencies and inter-regional networks have been established in Germany which conduct evaluations of teaching according to international standards.

In 1998 the Federal Government together with the Länder brought Project Q into being at the German Rectors' Conference. Among other things, the project serves the further development of different quality assurance procedures and coordinates the German position in the European framework. The Federal Government will make more than half a million euro available annually up to 2006 so that Project Q can be continued.

Accreditation examines whether the universities have observed minimum standards when designing their study courses and fulfil course structure requirements. This is intended to give students and employers reliable points of reference regarding the quality of study programmes and higher education institutions. Following a decision by the Standing Conference of Länder Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs, a National Accreditation Council was set up which is responsible for the implementation of comparable quality standards. The Accreditation Council accredits and supervises agencies which conduct course accreditation.

However, there is currently a considerable backlog with respect to the accreditation of new study courses as the higher education institutions lack the capacity for filing applications and the accreditation agencies the capacity for processing them. The result is that so far only 24.5% of the new study courses have been accredited. In view of the responsibility of the Länder for funding universities, the Federal Government can do no more than to provide assistance in this area.

National Qualifications Framework

A working group made up of representatives of the German Rectors' Conference, the Länder and the BMBF has drawn up a National Qualifications Framework for the higher education area which takes into account the interfaces between vocational training and lifelong learning. This sets out to define qualifications with regard to work load, standards, learning results, competencies and profiles. Apart from increasing the transparency and comparability of the training courses, it establishes points of reference and targets for the design, evaluation and accreditation of study courses, thereby supporting quality assurance at the institutions of higher education. When drafting the National Qualifications Framework, the working group attached particular value to making it compatible with the overarching Qualifications Framework of the European Higher Education Area which was approved at the Bergen Conference and essentially provides for a three-cycle structure (bachelor, master and doctorate).

Mobility

With the Training Assistance Reform Act (AföRG), the Federal Government has improved opportunities for studies abroad and thus further extended the portability of training assistance demanded in the Berlin Communiqué, thus enhancing the mobility of students and researchers in Europe. Among other things this means that, following a two-semester orientation phase in Germany, students may continue, or even complete, their studies in another EU country and continue to receive Federal Training Assistance (BAföG) abroad. There has been an enormous increase in the number of trainees and students receiving BAföG abroad since the introduction of the reform. In 2003 a total of 15,832 trainees and students received assistance towards training and studies abroad. This is 16% more than in 2002 and 69.1% more than in the year 2000. Approximately 14% of German students are currently spending part of their period of study abroad. The aim is to increase this rate to over 20%.

Doctoral training

In September 2003, the European Education Ministers declared doctoral training the so-called third cycle of the Bologna Process – in addition to bachelor's and master's courses. The aim behind this decision is to interlink the European Higher Education Area and the European Research Area. Doctorates play an important role here as the connecting link between the two areas. As the right to confer doctorates lies solely in the hands of the universities, the BMBF attaches particular importance to the involvement of the institutions of higher education and their representations. The Bologna Follow-up Group shares this view. It has therefore asked the European University Association and other interested parties to draft a report, under the direction of the Follow-up Group, on the further development of basic principles for doctoral programmes. At the same time, it has emphasized the importance of avoiding an overregulation of doctoral training.

In February 2005, the BMBF together with the Austrian Ministry of Education, Science and Culture and the European University Association organized an international conference in Salzburg on the topic of doctoral training.

Lifelong Learning

The Federal Government and the Länder approved a joint strategy for Lifelong Learning in the Federal Republic of Germany at the meeting of the Bund-Länder Commission for Educational Planning and Research Promotion on 5 July 2004. This consensus on the topic of Lifelong Learning demonstrates Germany's willingness and ability to make our education system fit for the future and to contribute towards ensuring that Europe becomes one of the world's most competitive knowledge societies (Details on Lifelong Learning here).

---

top