Mobility and Admission of Graduate Students Across the Atlantic: New Challenges with the Bologna Process

By Giancarlo Spinelli

In Europe the “Bologna Process” is promoting the creation of the European Higher Education Area. Some countries already implemented the process by signing into law new higher education systems. Others are discussing on how and when to introduce reforms. Some convergence seems to emerge. The possible effects on student mobility across the Atlantic are considered, focusing on the important issue of admissions of graduate students moving in both directions.

Student mobility has developed
in very different ways on the two sides of the Atlantic. In Europe the Erasmus Program boosted the so-called ‘horizontal mobility’ whereby students spend a substantial time (from three to twelve months) at another European institution of higher education, having all the academic credits recognized by and transferred to the home institution. The program started in 1987 and has already moved more than 1.3 million students. The goal of the European Commission is to reach 3 million students by the year 2010. Considering the sheer number of students exchange, not only has the Erasmus program a great value in opening the minds of graduates but also a considerable impact in diffusing and establishing the European awareness.

In the U.S. higher education system, on the other hand, students practice ‘vertical mobility,’ i.e. many students pursue a graduate degree at a different institution from where they have received their undergraduate degree. Sojourns abroad do occur, but, in the great majority of cases, for very short periods only.

The Bologna process deals with the harmonization of the architecture of the European Higher Education System and the creation of the European Higher Education Area. The various declarations and communiqués that have been issued are not laws, but rather recommendations and commitments of the ministers to work in toward agreed-upon directions and goals. In each of the signatory countries, long discussions are going on and, in some cases, the educational systems have already been changed (like in Italy).

One has to take into account that before the Bologna process, the higher education system of continental European countries generally had one integrated tier only (without any intermediate degree) leading to the title necessary for entering Ph.D. courses. For regulated professions like engineering, shorter tiers existed in many countries – but in parallel to the integrated tier (students had to chose one of them). Generally those shorter tiers were (or still are in some cases) designed for immediate entrance into the job market and not as a first cycle of a longer education.

Mobility Across the Atlantic
The Bologna process thus has become a pivotal moment in time, as far as the issues associated with the exchange of students across the Atlantic are concerned. Let us briefly analyze the situation of the student mobility across the Atlantic.

United States to Europe mobility before the Bologna Process implementation
The “horizontal (exchange) mobility” faced difficulties in matching study plans and transferring academic credits. The “vertical mobility” was almost impossible, mainly due to the lack of a well-defined entrance points before the completion of the first integrated cycle (which lead to the level of a Masters without anything similar to a Bachelor degree).

Europe to United States mobility before the Bologna Process implementation.
The “horizontal (exchange) mobility” has mainly occurred between long-term partner institutions where a relationship of great mutual confidence has been established. In that case, even top-level double degrees (at the Masters Degree level) have been established, but involve only a very limited number of students.

As to a correct “vertical mobility” there have been many difficulties for the U.S. administrators to understand the level of European students who still have not completed their European degree. There were problems even for students who graduated from a five-year integrated course. Just to mention personal experiences in the field of engineering, I saw some students applying on their own for a graduate course to a U.S. university. Generally U.S. administrators offered admission to a Masters course since they were holding one degree only. I always suggested to those students not to accept the offer and to remain in Europe since their title was already equivalent to a Masters (unless they applied for a graduate course in a different subject area). Here too the mutual confidence between partner institutions across the Atlantic was (and is) the key to enrolling the candidate at the correct level (Ph.D.).

Two of the goals that were established as part of the Bologna process are very relevant to transatlantic mobility:

“Adoption of a system essentially based on two main cycles, undergraduate and graduate. Access to the second cycle shall require successful completion of first cycle studies, lasting a minimum of three years. The degree awarded after the first cycle shall also be relevant to the European labor market as an appropriate level of qualification. The second cycle should lead to the master and/or doctorate degree as in many European countries.”

“Establishment of a system of credits - such as in the ECTS system – as a proper means of promoting the most widespread student mobility. Credits could also be acquired in non-higher education contexts, including lifelong learning, provided they are recognized by receiving Universities concerned.”

Some countries have already implemented the process by signing into law new higher education systems. For example, Italy changed its system by a law of 1999, introducing a two-tiered higher education system: A three-year tier leading to the title “Laurea,” followed by a two-year tier leading to the title “Laurea specialistica.” Students who wish to enter doctoral studies will have to complete the “Laurea specialistica.” This system is also referred to as “3+2” or “3,5” system (people who include the doctoral studies and speaks of “3+2+3” or “3,5,8” system).

Other European countries are still discussing the architecture of the new curricula to be introduced; some are doing experiments limited to some specific subject areas. In many countries there had been discussions about going toward a 4+1 system. At the moment, it seems that these tendencies are disappearing, with the exception of Spain. However, in Spain, due to political changes, the new government has not had the time to give any official directive yet. Even in countries like Sweden and Norway no definitive law has been signed, but it seems that they are moving toward the “3+2” system, with the exception of those degrees that are linked to regulated professions, like engineering. In those cases the idea is that of maintaining the old integrated system without any intermediate degree (Bachelor).

What is the Impact of the Implementation of a 3+2 system on Transatlantic Mobility?
Once the European countries have fully implemented the 3+2 system of higher education, mobility between Europe and the United States will be impacted and both horizontal and vertical mobility will have a clearer reference frame. In the case of vertical mobility, issues are still looming: for example, the first tier (or undergraduate tier) seems different on the two sides of the Atlantic: In the United States, the Bachelor’s degree is a four-year degree. In Europe, the new first tier degree will be only three years.

To make the problem even more complex, one has to consider the educational system before entering University. While in the United States there are 12 years, subdivided in various grades, the situation in Europe is very varied. We go from Island, with 14 years, to countries like Germany and Italy with 13 years, to many countries like France and Spain with 12, to Russia with 11. Some countries are currently in the process of modifying the duration of primary and secondary education.

This does not necessarily mean that one has to simply add years of studies. In my view, one can try to solve the problem of different durations before entering the University system together with the different durations of the University courses only by carefully considering the actual content of the curricula and, even more important, the learning outcomes at the different stages of education in different countries.

A first, an important step could be that of selecting a set of parameters to look at in the full curricula followed before the application. Just to give one of the many possible examples, let me mention the percentage of cultural courses (not directly linked to the subject area of the degree). Such content, in other systems, could be found in the curricula preceding University courses. Even preliminary to that, a useful exercise should be considering which kind of questions one would like to have answers to, when selecting those parameters.

It seems that, at least in the short and medium term, this careful study may be done with some success almost only between partners who have built up a mutual confidence. This does not mean at all renouncing to or postponing a more general study that is absolutely necessary for a long-term strategy. On the contrary the latter should take advantage from and capitalize on the results established by transatlantic partners, who are building examples of good practice.

The road ahead is very long and far from easy but absolutely necessary if we want to establish guidelines for significant “vertical mobility” of graduates across the Atlantic in both directions without renouncing to the existing very good but limited exchanges between universities. A framework of transparent practices for admissions (mainly to graduate courses) across the Atlantic would be the best tool to promote mobility between United States and Europe with self-evident advantages both for graduates and the two education areas.

Giancarlo Spinelli is President of the Centre for International Relations at Politecnico di Milano, Italy.

Published previously in the print version of the Spring 2005 IIENetworker Magazine.