The Bologna Process
The University of Oxford is closely following developments in the implementation of the Bologna Process across Europe and the UK. It is recognised that some possible development could have important implications for present and future students of the University, including the recognition of their award.
Education Committee prepared a Bologna Strategy which was approved by Council in Hilary Term 2007. It was agreed that the Strategy should be a working document subject to regular review in the light of developments affecting the collegiate University. You may find it helpful to read the following background information before referring to the University of Oxford Bologna Strategy.
Background
The Bologna Declaration, signed by 29 European Ministers of Higher Education in June 1999, was a commitment on the part of the signatory countries ‘to establish the European area of higher education and to promote the European system of higher education world-wide’. The initial six objectives, which were to be implemented by 2010, have grown to ten as a result of subsequent ministerial meetings in Prague (2001), Berlin (2003), Bergen (2005), London (2007) and Leuven/Louvain-La-Neuve (2009). 46 countries were now involved, and more may join. The European Higher Education Area (EHEA) was formally launched in Budapest in 2010. Between ministerial meetings the major body is the Bologna Follow-Up Group with a Board.
In the UK, there has only been limited official interest in promoting awareness of the potential implications, not least because it has been assumed that the rest of Europe was moving towards the UK patterns of higher education. In turn individual universities have been cautious about promoting changes unilaterally when these would be closely related to national funding patterns for both undergraduate and graduate degree courses. At the same time there has been growing awareness that in other major European countries wholesale reorganisation of degree courses and patterns of study has been enforced. One significant response was the formation of the UK HE Europe Unit in January 2004 to act as a ‘central observatory of European higher education and major research issues’, and ‘seeks to coordinate UK involvement in European initiatives and policy debates’. It is jointly funded by Universities UK, the funding councils for England, Scotland and Wales, and the QAA.
More information is available in the Europe Units 2005 Guide to the Bologna Process Report and their 2006 Edition 2 of the report.
The University's Response
The University has been monitoring the developing process through its Education Committee and via specific initiatives in divisions and departments, especially where there was close interest on the part of major subject and professional bodies. There is particular awareness of the need to consider the appropriateness of actions which are likely to promote Bologna compliance in relation to other European students and institutions in the light of Oxford’s international perspective and profile.
In the course of collecting the information included in the draft statement, the balancing act required of the University has become very clear. We recognise the importance of the process but our international focus must continue to be worldwide. We are most unlikely to wish to move to a credit transfer system or to adopt a university-wide rigid degree structure. At the same time we wish to support students who may be going from Oxford to a Bologna compliant regime, and we need to be aware that Bologna compliance may become part of the quality assurance framework. These concerns were endorsed by the divisions/Continuing Education in their responses to the draft statement. They have also been set out in the University’s submission to the Parliamentary Education and Skills Committee which conducted an enquiry into the impact of the Bologna Process on UK Higher Education. The submission which especially focused on the concern about the future of integrated master’s courses under the Bologna Process (a particular anxiety in MPLS): Memorandum on the Bologna Process and its impact on UK higher education 
(12kb).
Further discussion between the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Education) and the Divisions was reported to Education Committee in December 2010 in a paper entitled The Bologna Process and the recognition of UK qualifications (82kb).
Two areas continue to occupy the attention of many institutions and professional bodies. The first concerns the position of the UK master’s degrees. Despite clear statements from the Government to the effect that these are not put at risk by the Bologna developments – and that there is no intention to change the current funding arrangements for first and second cycle qualifications – this remains a major area of anxiety especially for professional bodies, particularly in Engineering, Chemistry, Maths and Physics. All the major professional bodies register concern at the existing uncertainties and continue to explore possibly different patterns. The second area relates to doctoral education. There is a general view that the London meeting was highly successful in relation to the UK’s priorities for doctoral education, Flexibility and diversity (including the place of professional doctorates) was endorsed. The idea of attaching credit to doctoral studies was turned down. The importance of institutional autonomy was reinforced.
European Universities Association Report
The European Universities Association ‘Doctoral
Programmes in Europe’s Universities: Achievements and Challenges’
report, published in 2007, identified the latest trends as the
introduction of new organisational structures to manage doctoral
education, the increasing focus on learning ‘transferable skills’ and
the growth in new types of doctoral programmes such as “professional
doctorates”. It suggests that Europe faces a major challenge if it is
serious about attracting and retaining the best young researchers. The
report calls for more work on:
- widening participation,
- improving mechanisms for supervision and assessment,
- promoting international mobility of doctoral candidates,
- ensuring professional skills development is an integral part of all doctoral training.
It argues that national funding policies for doctoral education are too often fragmented, with a lack of coordination between government ministries, research councils and other funders. This fragmentation does not create favourable conditions for Europe to attract and retain the best doctoral candidates, who are often held back by inadequate funding and a lack of career opportunities.