Learning and Teaching Committee

Subject: Bologna Process

Origin: D L Wolfe

It cannot be emphasised too strongly that the Bologna Process is not an EU programme. The driving force is the European Universities’ Association (EUA). The only way in which any of its content could be imposed on British Universities is through legislation by the UK government.

The recent flurry of interest in the Bologna Process stems in part from the initial publicity for the forthcoming ministerial summit in London in May 2007. The UK HE Europe Unit has published (November 2006) a Guide to the Bologna Process emphasising that the summit gives the UK an invaluable opportunity to further influence future developments. Detailed analysis of the Guide suggests that in fact little has changed since earlier similar publications and the briefing papers written by Sally McKinley and myself in early 2005. This paper borrows freely from those papers, and from the new Guide.

The Bologna Process is not an EU initiative; indeed there are now 45 participating countries. The Process evolves through the biennial ministerial summits and is working towards developing a coherent European HE system to encourage employability and mobility in Europe. Some countries have legislated to enforce some aspects of Bologna but the UK has not. However the UK HE sector, through Universities UK, supports the objectives of the Bologna Process and its initial ten ‘action lines’ which seek to create a European Higher Education Area (EHEA) by 2010, viz:-

1. Adoption of a system of easily readable and comparable degrees

2. Adoption of a system essentially based on two cycles

3. Establishment of a system of credits

4. Promotion of mobility

5. Promotion of European co-operation in quality assurance

6. Promotion of the European dimension in higher education

7. Focus on lifelong learning

8. Inclusion of higher education institutions and students

9. Promotion of the attractiveness of the European Higher Education Area

10. Doctoral studies and the synergy between the European Higher Education Area and the European Research Area.

Issues identified by Universities UK as being of particular interest to the UK are:-

Quality assurance

Qualifications framework

Credit

UK Qualifications and the Bologna Process

Diploma Supplement

Doctoral level qualifications

Of these, those of particular concern to colleagues at Loughborough appear to be the status of MEng and similar programmes within the Qualifications Framework, and the implication of the three cycles for PhD admissions.

Quality Assurance

Standards and guidelines have been produced by the European Association for Quality Assurance (ENQA), whose Vice-Chair is Peter Williams of the QAA. There are seven standards which, in the view of Universities UK, are compatible with UK quality assurance arrangements. All the standards/guidelines are currently implemented at Loughborough, managed by the PDQ team.

Qualifications Framework

The primary features are:-

· Three cycles (Bachelor, Masters, Doctoral)

· Generic Descriptors based on learning outcomes (Tuning Project)

· ECTS credits: 180 – 240 first tier
90 – 120 second tier, including at least 60 at second cycle level

(One ECTS credit = Two LU credits)

All Loughborough Masters’ programmes comprise 180 LU credits

It is essential that Loughborough continues to allocate at least 60 ECTS (120 LU) credits at Masters level in all its Masters programmes to ensure their continued recognition in the EHEA. The UK sector is continuing to emphasise the importance of an approach based on learning outcomes. This is discussed further below under the heading “UK Qualifications and the Bologna Process”.

Credit

One of the Bologna Process action lines is the establishment of a system of credit across the EHEA, based on the European Credit Transfer Scheme (ECTS). Loughborough has been at the forefront in the development of ECTS, through its initial involvement in the pilot scheme, then in the Tuning Project, and most recently in the Mechanical Engineering Tempus Project.

The UK Guide identifies issues to be resolved concerning the practical implications of ECTS developing into a credit accumulation system for Europe. The UK favours the use of credit to take account of the learning outcomes of periods of study alongside notional workload. This is important in the debate on whether to incorporate credit into the European Commission’s proposals for a European Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning. The UK has concerns about the European Commission’s User Guide for ECTS which states that one calendar year can only be allocated 75 ECTS credits as this is incompatible with one year Masters’ programmes, and continues to lobby on this. The UK welcomes the typical credit ranges and qualifications descriptors included in the Framework for Qualifications of the EHEA which accommodates the range of modes of learning and teaching in Europe and allows for 90 ECTS credits to be allocated to one calendar year.

UK Qualifications and the Bologna Process

The first two action lines of the Bologna Process are the adoption of a system of easily readable and comparable degrees and the adoption of a system essentially based on two cycles. In 2003, doctoral level qualifications were incorporated into the Process resulting in a three cycle system (Bachelor, Masters and Doctoral level). The first cycle should last a minimum of three years while no length is specified for the second (Masters) or third (Doctoral level) cycles. Unlike many Bologna countries at the signing of the Bologna Declaration in 1999, the UK already had a two-cycle system in place. In many other European countries a comprehensive restructuring of HE systems has been necessary.

UK response on:

One-year Masters degrees

Second cycle programmes in many other European countries last two years. It has been suggested that the UK’s one-year Masters programme is ‘lightweight’ in terms of hours studied and is therefore incompatible with Bologna requirements. The UK approach however focuses on the outcomes of study programmes in terms of notional learning, rather than rigid measures of hours studied. The one-year Masters supports the Bologna objective of promoting flexible learning paths in an era of lifelong learning and provides a quick entry to the employment market. The one-year Masters has also been successful among European and international students and employers alike. Most taught Masters degrees in the UK achieve between 75 and 90 ECTS credits (with 90 for full year Masters). It is important that UK Masters programmes meet the Masters level qualification descriptors and include a minimum of 60 Masters level credits in line with the Framework for Qualifications of the EHEA.

Integrated Masters degrees

The compatibility of four-year integrated Masters degrees (for example, MEng, MMath) with the Bologna Process has also been questioned. Integrated Masters degrees meet the second cycle (Masters level) qualification descriptor in the Framework for Qualifications of the EHEA. The UK HE Europe Unit is working with Universities UK, the Quality Assurance Agency and professional statutory and/or regulatory bodies to promote integrated Masters degrees. There is a need to ensure that such programmes have appropriate credit allocation at the second cycle (Masters level)in line with the typical credit range in the Framework for Qualifications of the EHEA (90-120 ECTS, with a minimum of 60 credits at the level of the second cycle). This is a concern not only for Loughborough, but for the whole of British Higher Education, and is an issue on which the UK will lobby strongly.

Universities UK has published advice on the Integrated Masters degrees as follows:-

Following discussions with the QAA, UUK and a range of professional, regulatory and statutory bodies, the UK HE Europe Unit recommended that UK HEIs, particularly those in England, Wales and Northern Ireland review their integrated Masters programmes and ensure they have taken the following actions to maintain the compatibility of these programmes with Bologna process reforms:

· The credit values typically associated with the end of the second cycle level in the Framework for Qualifications of the EHEA are 90-120 ECTS credits (generally accredited to 180-240 credits as defined in UK HE), with the minimum requirement of 60 ECTS credits at second cycle level. Only UK integrated Masters programmes with adequate ECTS credits allocated at M level (i.e. a minimum of 60) will meet the second cycle descriptors in the Framework for Qualifications of the EHEA.

· UK HEIs that do not already do so are strongly urged to consider awarding both a Bachelor and Masters qualification to students on integrated Masters programmes, following discussions as appropriate, with accrediting professional bodies. The Bachelor qualification could perhaps be awarded at the end of the third year, or at the end of the final qualification, to indicate that students have completed both first and second cycles, albeit within an integrated programme.

· For funding purposes, integrated Masters programmes are referred to as “undergraduate Masters”. The word “undergraduate” suggests to European counterparts that integrated Masters qualifications are not second cycle qualifications, even though they are placed at masters level within the UK’s qualification frameworks. UK HEIs and HE sector representatives should rather refer to integrated Masters programmes as integrated programmes in their correspondence with institutions elsewhere in Europe. Whilse stressing that this does not represent a new classification or redefinition of such programmes at postgraduate level for funding purposes, the Department of Education and Skills supports this recommendation.

· The Diploma Supplement now being issued by many HEIs increases the transparency of qualifications gained by graduates by providing additional information about the specific orientation, content and profile of a given qualification. Introduction to the Diploma Supplement in UK HEIs has the potential to facilitate recognition of integrated Masters qualifications by employers and for progression to further studies – in both the UK and the rest of Europe – by demonstrating the integrity and outcomes of such programmes. UK HEIs who are not already issuing the Diploma Supplement should do so as soon as possible to support the acceptance of integrated Masters programmes.

· HEIs are urged to consider teaching during the summer vacation, extending the timescale for submission of the dissertation and incorporating industrial placements with assessed learning outcomes into such programmes. Whilst measures would clearly have implications for HEI resources and administration, the credit rating of such activity would bring the duration of such qualifications closer in line with continental equivalents and so facilitate their acceptance in the EHEA.

Diploma Supplement

Introduction of the Diploma Supplement – an enhanced transcript – is a technical rather than policy issue, and should be implemented soon as part of the LUSI Project. It is a requirement of the University’s bid to participate in the EU’s new Lifelong Learning Programme that the Diploma Supplement be introduced.

Doctoral Level Qualifications

The EUA is proposing as follows:-

“In a fast-changing environment, it is essential to maintain flexibility in admission to doctoral programmes, and full institutional autonomy: diversity of institutional missions and context, and the growing importance of lifelong learning, mean that there are good reasons for different entry requirements in institutions and programmes provided fairness, transparency and objectivity is ensured;

The Bologna commitment that the second cycle gives access(= right to be considered for admission) to the third cycle should be maintained, but access to the third cycle should not be restricted to this route.”

Accordingly, there do not appear to be any major issues for Loughborough at this stage.

Bologna Promoters

Given the difficulty of assessing the significance of the Bologna Process, and the associated danger of unnecessary work or worry, the University might wish to invite one of the official “Bologna Promoters” to visit within the next few months.