1 / 19

Joint Masters for Europe Input for UNICA Joint Masters

Joint Masters for Europe Input for UNICA Joint Masters. UNICA Bologna Lab Coordinators University of Vienna 11 December David Crosier, EUA. PRESENTATION OVERVIEW. Background to EUA’s Joint Masters project Project overview – methodology Project outcomes – benefits and challenges

jessicajjones
Download Presentation

Joint Masters for Europe Input for UNICA Joint Masters

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Joint Masters for Europe Input for UNICA Joint Masters UNICA Bologna Lab CoordinatorsUniversity of Vienna 11 December David Crosier, EUA

  2. PRESENTATION OVERVIEW • Background to EUA’s Joint Masters project • Project overview – methodology • Project outcomes – benefits and challenges • Key issues for new programmes • Questions for UNICA joint masters

  3. Project background: EUA interest in Joint Masters • To learn about “European dimension” in action • To improve inter-university cooperation since JM require: • transparency and agreement on degree structures • student and professor mobility • joint curriculum development • proper use of ECTS • Language policy

  4. Background • Before 2002, little research into actual joint programmes & masters degrees in Europe • EUA Survey on Master Degrees and Joint Degrees in Europe, Christian Tauch and Andrejs Rauhvargers (Sept 2002) diversity of Master degree structures legal recognition difficulties for joint degrees Bilateral programmes more frequent than joint programmes Joint programmes more common at Master and Doctoral levels

  5. EUA Joint Masters Project • 11 existing programmes selected by independent panel (July 2002) • Programmes demonstrate innovation, cover a wide geographical spread, offer disciplinary variety • Over 100 universities involved • Networks vary from 4 - 31 institutions

  6. 11 Selected Networks • European Urban Culture • European Construction Engineering • International Trade/ European Integration • Euroculture • International Humanitarian Assistance • International management • Interdisciplinary Law and Economics • Labour Studies • International Health/ Tropical Medicine • Water and Coastal Management • Comparative European Social Studies

  7. Goals of the Project • Demonstrate and disseminate good practice to all interested universities • Formulate recommendations for future joint programmes, and to help ensure sustainability of existing programmes • Indicate structural changes needed in Europe/institutions to make Joint Masters a permanent feature of the EHEA

  8. Project Themes • Quality Assurance and Recognition • Student Experience and Mobility • Course Integration and Sustainability

  9. Project Methodology • Self – evaluation within programmes • Qualitative Research Project • Inter-Network Meeting • EUA Cluj Conference, October 2003 (first presentation of findings)

  10. Project Outcomes: Who benefits? • Students: expansion of minds & opportunities • Academics: development of research & teaching networks • Institutions: enhance reputation & institutional cooperation • Europe: respond to professional development needs; European citizenship & inter-cultural understanding; global recognition of European strengths

  11. Challenges for Europe: definitions and structures • Variety of course structures – linked to subject/student numbers/research/institutional capacity/priorities etc - & no desire for standardisation / European model • Length of Master degrees (tendency in this group 60-75 ECTS) • Purpose of Master degrees (self-standing vs integrated; academic vs professional) • On-going recognition barriers – progress in European legislation, but national legislation barriers remain • Quality assurance for trans-national programmes

  12. Challenges for Europe II: funding and compatibility • Incompatible national funding frameworks – tuition fees, portability of grants/loans; social security and pension transferability etc • Distribution of limited resources across institutions in differing socio-economic contexts • Programme sustainability and development in a competitive environment

  13. Challenges for Europe III: academic coherence • Decentralised admission – variable entrance criteria • Articulation with Bachelor and PhD programmes • Impact on research? (No assessment) • Language of instruction: is one language sufficient? • Common standards - ECTS not used consistently • Grading & assessment: difficult to coordinate • Diploma Supplement – not yet used

  14. Challenges for Europe IV: access & elitism • Programmes tend to attract élite affluent students • Lack of support for non-traditional students – funding, child-care, needs of disabled etc • geographical exclusion : especially South East and Central and Eastern Europe • How to mainstream joint programmes – need for institutional anchoring • Would it be more effective to promote other forms of mobility in an era of mass higher education, such as taking master degree in foreign institution

  15. Cluj Conference Outcomes • Greater funding incentives for institutions are required (EM not sufficient) • Interest from CEE in joint degrees with Western European universities for curriculum development/modernisation - but particular funding support needed • Need for targeted funding for students with low socio-economic status within Europe (especially CEE) • Institutional policy/strategy – crucial dimension for long-term success • Recommendation to EUA to work upon trans-national quality assurance / recognition

  16. Issues for new Joint Master Programmes(Golden rules) • Know why you are setting up the programme • Choose partners carefully • Develop programme goals & desired learning outcomes with all partners • Ensure that institutions (not just academic colleagues) fully support programme • Ensure sufficient academic & administrative staff resources are involved

  17. Issues for new Joint Master Programmes 6 Ensure that there is a sustainable funding strategy for network as a whole • Make sure information is easily accessible and reliable to all potential students • Organise sufficient planning meetings (cost in) • Agree upon language policy, & encourage local language learning • Allocate responsibilities across the network in a clear & transparent manner

  18. 10 Questions for UNICA Joint Masters • Who is the driver of the concept? (academics, international relations, external pressures/opportunities?) • What are the needs that the programmes aim to address? • What are the criteria for partners? • How are the programmes to be funded and sustained? • Who is going to award the degrees? • Are the key academics fully committed? • Are the institutions fully committed? • How much mobility? How long? • How will quality be enhanced? • How will the programmes promote multilinguilism?

  19. Further information • Joint Masters Project report: publication available (downloadable free of charge from EUA website – www.eua.be) • EUA Contacts David Crosier & Kate Geddie david.crosier@eua.be kate.geddie@eua.be

More Related