What is the Bologna Process?
The Bologna Process follows an agreement made by European governments and signed in Bologna in 1999 to create a European Higher Education Area (EHEA) by 2010. The initial agreement was discussed further in Prague in 2001 and Berlin in 2003. Nearly 40 European governments have signed up to the Bologna Process. Under the agreement, European countries will work to harmonise degree structures across Europe and to promote the mobility of staff and students across the EHEA. The Bologna Process requires legislative, administrative and academic changes to many Universities and Higher Education Institutes across Europe. In terms of qualifications, the Bologna Process focuses on the ‘three-cycle’ model of degrees: Bachelor, Masters and Doctoral. Issues of qualification-equivalence, credit-transferability and mutual recognition are key to the Bologna Process and the development of EHEA.
