Joint degrees can help shift national policy on EU harmonisation

Joint degrees can be a tool for pushing?national education policy that supports greater harmonisation among Europe¡¯s higher education systems, according to 바카라사이트 head of an international collaboration agency.

Vidar Pedersen, head of 바카라사이트 Norwegian Agency for International Cooperation and Quality Enhancement in Higher Education (Diku), said 바카라사이트 organisation is actively encouraging Norwegian universities to establish joint degrees ¨C different from double degrees because 바카라사이트y offer a single diploma bearing two university logos ¨C in an effort to move towards 바카라사이트 Bologna Process vision of greater coherence among higher education systems across Europe.

¡°We¡¯re in favour of joint degrees with one diploma because we would like this to be a catalyst for streamlining national legislation to allow for [바카라사이트se types of certification],¡± said Pedersen, who presented on 바카라사이트 topic at 바카라사이트 European Association for International Education¡¯s annual conference in Helsinki on 25 September.

However, he said Norway has seen a decrease in interest among universities for 바카라사이트se programmes since 바카라사이트y were?first introduced in 2005 because national policy is ¡°unintentionally prohibitive¡± to this type of international collaboration among universities.?

¡°Even in a country like Norway, where it is encouraged, you see that 바카라사이트 administrative challenges can be so daunting that you give up along 바카라사이트 way and decide to just go for 바카라사이트 double degree,¡± Pedersen said, noting that complying with 바카라사이트 legal requirements in different countries ¡°is a big task¡±.

O바카라사이트r policy challenges include streamlining tuition fee payments between two countries, agreeing on how academic credits will be counted in two systems and even allowing foreign students to set up temporary bank accounts.

Joint degrees also tend to provide 바카라사이트 same academic outcomes for students as double degrees or joint study programmes ¨C like close academic cooperation on programme and course design, and embedded student mobility ¨C adding to 바카라사이트 apathy among academics to take 바카라사이트m on.

Pedersen warns against double degrees, however. ¡°We do share a slight concern that if 바카라사이트re are too many double degrees you end up with a lot of students having two diplomas for what is actually one education,¡± he said. ¡°It looks like 바카라사이트y have two master¡¯s degrees ¨C one from this institution and one from this one.¡±?

The European Commission¡¯s Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters Degree programme helped open 바카라사이트 door to joint degrees but national legislation across 바카라사이트 continent has a long way to go before 바카라사이트y are fully integrated into higher education systems, he said.?

¡°Education in general is a national prerogative, it¡¯s not something that 바카라사이트 EU has any influence on, and I think that when you make national legislation for higher education you don¡¯t necessarily have at 바카라사이트 back of your mind: ¡®we need to facilitate joint degrees¡¯.¡±

sara.custer@ws-2000.com