Progress towards a European Degree

Why did the UZH become involved in the ED-AFFICHE pilot project?

The UZH wanted to find out more about joint degrees and gain a clear understanding of the current state of discussions and where they could lead. It made sense to do this pioneering work, as Una Europa has already made considerable progress in developing joint degrees compared to other university alliances. We wanted to acquire the same first-hand experience as other universities so that we could establish for ourselves what Swiss universities should look out for and where the opportunities and risks lie. Joint degrees are very appealing to students because the study programmes are pre-structured and ensure that their stays abroad are based on a co-ordinated syllabus. These international, European joint degrees and the European Degree are important developments for us in Switzerland, as they relate not only to EU member states, but to the entire European Higher Education Area.

Could you tell us more about your specific involvement?

Together with the University of Geneva, which participated as a member of the 4EU+ European university alliance, we were able to share our university-specific and national perspectives with fellow ED-AFFICHE participants. To start with, we shared our own insights into where difficulties may arise with joint degrees. We were pleased to find that Swiss higher education institutions enjoy a high degree of autonomy compared to HEIs in other European countries. At the same time, admission is one area where there could be exciting prospects for us in the future. Here higher education institutions in other European countries enjoy greater autonomy and leeway when it comes to selecting students and limiting the number of students admitted to Bachelor's degree level. 

ED-AFFICHE led to specific recommendations to EU member states, the European Commission, quality assurance agencies and higher education institutions. From our vantage point, this project was a good opportunity to share the Swiss perspective.

What advantages and disadvantages do you think a European Degree will have for the Swiss higher education landscape and its students?

At this stage, it is not yet entirely clear which direction the European Degree should take: it could either serve as a standalone qualification or (initially) become a sort of quality label, i.e. an additional certificate attesting that a joint degree has been awarded. In any case, it is clear that the European Degree will always remain a niche product and will not compete with qualifications awarded from national study programmes focussing on specific disciplines. As such, it will in no way affect the independent profile of Swiss higher education institutions. Instead, it will be incorporated in a complementary fashion into existing study programmes for specific, mostly interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary fields of study.

It makes sense to award the European Degree (label) within the specific context of study programmes where students have acquired skills in a highly collaborative international environment. The European Degree would make this competence profile more visible.

What was it like for you to work with partner European universities in this project and in the context of Una Europa?

In our view, the ambitious plan set out in the ED-AFFICHE project was implemented remarkably well, considering that it involved the coordination of 51 participating universities. The Una Europa university alliance is very much about tangible cooperation in the areas of research and teaching. The collaborative work was driven by the idea that we should all learn with and from each other. We are trying to achieve something that no university can manage on its own. In the area of studies and teaching, we are developing innovative international formats that enable the broadest possible student body to study at a 'transnational campus'. 

How interested are Swiss higher education institutions in the European Degree initiative?

We found that our assessments during the project were very much in line with those of the University of Geneva. The University of Lausanne was also involved in a parallel pilot project as part of its alliance. Whether other Swiss higher education institutions will show more interest remains to be seen. I can imagine that their interest will grow as soon as the initiative becomes more concrete and practically relevant, at which point the added value for universities (e.g. in terms of teaching synergies) and students will be clearer.

Where do things go from here?

At the University of Zurich, we are mainly focused on developing the two joint degrees further in the context of Una Europa. The aim is for the corresponding joint degrees to be labelled as European Degrees in the future. At national level, the idea still needs to be explored more thoroughly from a legal standpoint. There are quite a few hurdles in developing and operating such a programme. For example, different national legislation, university-specific rules, different processes and structures. 

At European level, the ED-AFFICHE consortium has called on the European Commission to play a proactive role in coordinating the activities of all key stakeholders in the European Higher Education Area in order to make the European Degree a reality. At EU level, funding options through the Erasmus+ programme have been suggested to support implementation of the European Degree. In Switzerland, we need to find other ways to take part in this process since we are currently not associated with Erasmus+.