Key outcomes

The seminar agreed on ten conclusions and recommendations fully documented in the publication "Joint Degrees – A Hallmark of the European Higher Education Area Conference Report and Relevant Documents." The main items are, inter alia:

• Joint programmes are a step forward to a truly bottom-up process in the EHEA. They combine international experience, enhanced linguistic, cultural and social competence. If these contributions to the coherence of a EHEA are in fact considered as valuable and appreciated, specific funding for them on national and/or European level is needed for enhanced marketing.
• A survey and reliable statistics/databases describing existing double, multiple and joint degree programmes at national and European level are needed.
• A list of “good criteria” that can be derived from the Stockholm, Mantova and Berlin seminars and other relevant documents should be set up as a Bologna document of reference and relevance.
• Countries, where legal provisions do not allow joint degrees, are asked to incorporate in their national legislation on higher education at least the written option for the awarding of joint degrees and to make sure that they are quality-assured according to national standards and European principles. To ensure quality assurance, the use of the E4 Standards and Guidelines has to be implemented and specific criteria assessing the added value of joint degrees as opposed to national degrees needs to be developed.
• Ministers are asked to make sure that the procedures for obtaining visas and other necessary documents will not produce obstacles to the realisation of joint study programmes.

Andrea Herdegen, Germany

Source: Bergen to London 2007 - Secretariat Report on the Bologna Work Programme 2005-2007
Bologna Process between Bergen and London

Related documents

Programme
Conclusions of the seminar
Final report of the seminar
Results of the survey on joint degrees
Results of the questionnaire sent to BFUG members
Conference reader