Research in Europe

This section of the Europlata website aims to give you a brief overview of the main similarities and differences between educational structures in Europe. This will help you make a deliberate decision on where to study and what to expect.

The process of educational reform has taken a huge flight in Europe after 1999, when the Bologna declaration was signed. Today, 47 countries are committed to the creation of a European Higher Education Area, which envisages to:

  • facilitate mobility of students, graduates and higher education staff;
  • prepare students for their future careers and for life as active citizens in democratic societies, and support their personal development;
  • offer broad access to high-quality higher education, based on democratic principles and academic freedom.

Major reforms have taken place in the following areas:

  • Easily readable and comparable degrees organised in a three-cycle structure (e.g. bachelor-master-doctorate): Countries are currently setting up national qualifications frameworks that are compatible with the overarching framework of qualifications for the European Higher Education Area and define learning outcomes for each of the three cycles.
  • Quality assurance in accordance with the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG).
  • Fair recognition of foreign degrees and other higher education qualifications in accordance with the Council of Europe/UNESCO Recognition Convention.