Bologna Agreement

What is the Bologna Agreement?

The Bologna Declaration is the result of the meeting of June 19, 1999 between the European Ministers of Education. This agreement aims to harmonize European higher education. Today, 45 European countries, including Switzerland, adhere to the agreement. [-Bologna Declaration]

The main objective of the Bologna agreement is to create a European area of higher education. It enhances the mobility of students and researchers, increasing the attractiveness of studying in Europe, and facilitating the recognition of diplomas.

The main principles:

The Bachelor and access to the Masters

  • Education in two steps, consisting of a Bachelor and Master
  • Recognition of diplomas by the signatory countries
  • The introduction of a credit transfer system, ECTS (European Credit Transfer System)
  • The "Diploma Supplement"
  • Collaboration between universities to promote mobility, Bachelors, and Masters.

The Bachelor degree is obtained at the end of undergraduate studies. The student must obtain at least 180 credits, which corresponds to an average of 3 years full-time study.

The Master degree is the second cycle of higher education. The student must obtain between 90 and 120 credits. Theoretically, according to the Bologna Agreement, a student with a Bachelor's degree can obtain their Masters in other colleges or universities in Switzerland or abroad. However, depending on the institution and especially if the field of study of the Master is different from the Bachelor, additional training may be required.

ECTS credits

ECTS stands for "European Credit Transfer System.

The ECTS :

  • is a system of credit accumulation. The credits represent a quantitative value of the volume of work provided by the student.
  • defines the volume of work that the typical student should provide as part of his education.
  • ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of 25 to 30 hours. A year of studies is equivalent, on average, to 60 ECTS credits, or 1,800 hours.
  • ECTS credits demonstrate the quantity of work performed, and not on the quality of the work. A grading scale (A to F) provides an assessment of the quality of the work.

Diploma Supplement

The diploma supplement is a file attached to the degree. Its purpose is to improve international transparency and describe the skills acquired by the student during their education. The nature, level, context, content and status of their studies performed are the main sources of information provided by the document.

The Copenhagen Declaration

In parallel to the Bologna Declaration, the Copenhagen Declaration (November 2002) aims to promote closer European cooperation in teaching and vocational training. This results in the establishment of common principles of quality in vocational training, and of appreciation of informal learning apprenticeships.