Registrars, administrators and others involved in graduate education programs in Europe, Australia and the United States met Saturday in Washington, D.C. to discuss current European legislation that would move European nations to a standardized three-year undergraduate program.
The conference was hosted by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers.
The program, known as the "Bologna Process," is a European agreement signed by 45 nations to create a uniform higher education system by 2010, according to the agreement's Web site.
One of the main goals of the Bologna Process is to create a more fluid education system on the Continent, said Lisa Rosenberg, assistant director for consulting services at AACRAO.
"The [European Union] ... is trying to standardize its system so that people can operate in any one of the EU countries and be able to transfer those skills elsewhere," she said, noting that European students "can rely on a certain set of standards and understandings."
One of the main objectives of the conference was to discuss the effects the new system would have on graduate admissions in the U.S., Rosenberg said.
"It's not just the EU that's affected," she said. "Students there go to other countries like the U.S. whether as students or as professionals and their credentials are going to have to be understood more clearly."
Rosenberg said in many countries, three-year programs were put in place prior to the creation of the Bologna Process. Graduates of those programs have traveled to the U.S. for further education.
She said students should be evaluated -- and will continue to be evaluated -- on a case-by-case basis.
"It's a common misconception that the three-year degree is something new," she said. "It always depends on the purpose of the degree, [whether they are] research degrees or practical degrees."
At the University it is still too early to tell how the new system will affect graduate education said Aaron Mills, assistant dean of arts and sciences for graduate programs.
"The Council of Graduates Schools is beginning to look at this with an eye toward helping American institutions determine what the effects will be," Mills said. "At this point we don't really know what a three-year education is leaving out compared with a four-year education."
Read More
U.Va. loses over $60 million in federal research cuts
By Bertie Azqueta | 14 hours agoThe impacted grants include three from the NIH, seven from the NEH, one from the United States Agency for International Development and four from the State Department.
Department of Education reverses course, awards Federal Executive Institute to U.Va.
By Ford McCracken | 3 days agoThe ED had previously awarded the institute to Charlottesville City Schools.
Students reflect on the life and legacy of Pope Francis
By Bertie Azqueta | 4 days agoAt the University, students shared a range of perspectives on his legacy of reform, inclusivity and his impact on the global Catholic community.
