Areas of Potential Impact on U.S. International Educators

by NAFSA's Bologna Task Force, 2004

It is impossible to predict the full impact of the Bologna Process on U.S. international educators. Experts are monitoring a variety of areas. Click on the links below to find out more about some of the questions U.S. international educators are asking.

• Will the mobility of students into and out of the United States be affected?
• Will the mobility of faculty and researchers into and out of the United States be affected?
• How will credit transfer and degree recognition change?
• What will be the impact of joint and dual degrees?
• Will quality assurance and accreditation efforts affect U.S. international educators?

Will the Mobility of Students Into and Out of the United States be Affected?

No one is sure what the effects of the Bologna Process will be on transatlantic student mobility. However, given the large number of countries that have signed onto the agreement—many of them now European Union (EU) members—and the fact that western Europe is the primary study abroad destination for U.S. students, the impact may be significant. In addition, considering the close economic, political, and social ties between Europe, the United States and the rest of the world, the Bologna Process may well affect student mobility worldwide. International education professionals in the United States have already seen several changes, but the full extent of the impact may be yet to come as universities in Europe move closer to completion of the process by the 2010 deadline.

With respect to short-term mobility, the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) has already standardized and simplified credit recognition at many U.S. institutions of higher education. Perhaps U.S. students wanting to study in Europe will find the approval process for credit transfer facilitated by Europe’s movement to ECTS. And it may be that European students applying to study in the United States will discover that their credentials are more easily recognized by U.S. institutions, as European universities move toward using ECTS and creating diploma supplements. The potential impact of moving toward two-cycle degree programs on foreign student exchange between Europe and the United States is less clear.

The three-year bachelor’s degree may reduce the number of European undergraduate students studying abroad short-term in the United States. The reduced length of their programs is likely to require students to focus on international experiences that are highly integrated into their programs of study. Joint degrees being developed in Europe may be more likely to meet curricular requirements. U.S. international educators may mitigate this possible consequence of the Bologna Process by working closely with European colleagues in developing compatible courses and by exploring joint or dual degree offerings.

The Bologna Process has led to the development of more classes taught in English in Europe, which has expanded the access to classes for U.S. students, increasing the possibility that they will become more integrated with the local academic environment rather than participating in specialized programs for U.S. students. These new courses also mean that opportunities for U.S. students to direct-enroll at European universities have increased. And as European countries move toward the new bachelor’s/master’s degree structure, U.S. graduate students may find it easier to spend time abroad as part of their master’s degree.

Increased funding for short-term mobility in the EU may lead to an increase in the number of European students who come to the United States outside of traditional exchange agreements. On the other hand, this increased mobility may cause greater competition for study abroad placements for U.S. students. European students are beginning to view studying abroad within the EU as not so “international” and are searching for more “exotic” destinations that may or may not include the United States.

Perhaps the greatest area of concern for U.S. international educators is the focus on increasing the attractiveness of a European study or degree destination for non-U.S. students. Experts are discussing the possible effects on flow of students from outside Europe into Europe and whether the new structure will draw students away from North America and Australia, where the numbers of international students have been very high for many years. It is very likely that there will be more competition between the United States and the EU in recruiting international degree-seeking students.

Will the Mobility of Faculty and Researchers Into and Out of the United States be Affected?

As European educational systems move toward two-degree cycles, and as ECTS is implemented at European universities, U.S. faculty and researchers are likely to better understand those systems. U.S. faculty wanting to teach in Europe, either for a short-term period or as a career move, may be able to teach classes in English, reducing the level of fluency in the local language required. Such change will greatly increase the opportunities for U.S. faculty to participate in faculty exchanges and other short-term teaching assignments in Europe.

If the new two-cycle degree in Europe facilitates the transatlantic mobility of EU and U.S. graduate students, U.S. faculty and researchers may benefit as the graduate students they advise and who complete research for them may become more mobile. If graduate students become more mobile, researchers’ mobility may increase as well, since they may want to supervise their students abroad, evaluate the site where their students will be conducting research, and connect with the host universities’ researchers with whom their students will work. In addition, this increased mobility of graduate students and faculty will have the potential to increase the networking and collaboration among researchers from the EU and the United States on joint research projects.

How Will Credit Transfer and Degree Recognition Change?

Increasing numbers of European universities are using ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) when reporting credits and grades. Standardization in credit definition and use will likely simplify credit conversion and facilitate transfer of credit decisions; standardization of grading based on rank may improve the ability to compare students’ achievements.

And as European countries move toward two-cycle degree systems and implement the Diploma Supplement, U.S. admissions staff may notice an impact on their work. The uniform and objective presentation of information in the diploma supplement may simplify and streamline aspects of the credential evaluation process. A uniform degree structure may simplify credential evaluation, although thoughtful credential evaluators will approach the new degree structures with many questions as to how the new degrees meet their institution’s admission requirements.

What Will be the Impact of Joint and Dual Degrees?

The development of joint and dual degrees between U.S. and EU universities may well be facilitated by the implementation of the two-cycle degrees in Europe, which could constitute a better match in degree programs. One of the challenges is that the first-cycle degree in Europe is generally a three-year degree, whereas the U.S. bachelor’s degree is generally a four-year degree. At the graduate level, the degree structures will probably be most similar, enhancing the development of joint and dual degrees at this level.

The evaluation of joint and dual degrees will depend on how the programs are designed and implemented. Until legal issues surrounding joint degrees are resolved, it may be difficult to determine official recognition.

Will Quality Assurance and Accreditation Efforts Affect U.S. International Educators?

New quality assurance authorities add another dimension to determining institutional recognition and degree-granting authority.


Thanks to members of NAFSA's Bologa Task Force 2004-2005, who prepared this information:  Margit Schatzman (ECE), co-chair; Valerie Woolston (University of Maryland), co-chair; Wedigo de Vivanco (Freie Universität Berlin); Nina Rinehart (ISEP); Linda Tobash (IIE); and John Yopp (ETS).