Considering Three Year Degrees: Strategies and Process

Transcription

1 Considering Three Year Degrees: Strategies and Process SEM Conference November 2006 Mary Baxton Chris Foley Eddie West

2 Considering Three Year Degrees: Strategies and Process 1. Understand the issues 2. Ask the right questions 3. Make the best decisions

3 Understand the Bologna Process - Background of the Bologna Three Year Degree Process As 2010 approaches, European and U.S. educators are united in their concern about the Bologna Process. Europeans are concerned about making it work, and educators in the US are asking themselves what they are going to do about accepting the three-year degrees. It is now being discussed on most university campuses. Moreover, you cannot look at the threeyear degrees through the Bologna Process without considering three-year degrees from some other areas of the world. Thus much of the discussion has focused on the challenges that now face college and university admissions offices and professional credential evaluation services in finding a fair and balanced process for best practices for three-year degrees.

4 Understand the Bologna Process - Background of the Bologna Three Year Degree Process The Bologna Process is a fundamental restructuring of higher education in Europe, of which the development of three tiers (cycles) bachelor, master, and doctoral in lieu of the traditional long program is one of the more important features. Originally signed in 1999, the Bologna Declaration is an agreement now covering 45 countries to create a European Higher Education Area (EHEA). In addition to a fundamental restructuring of degree systems, signators to Bologna have agreed to promote quality assurance systems, remove obstacles to the mobility of students, implement a system of easily readable and comparable degrees, and establish a common credit system.

5 US BACHELOR DEGREE FEATURES In the US, institutions set degree requirements in terms of credits that are typically distributed over a period of four years. Each year is divided into semesters or quarters. Most bachelor's degree programs require the completion of a minimum of 120 semester credits including general education, the major, and electives. General education is more unique to the US system of undergraduate education. Most undergraduates take these courses during their freshman and sophomore years before they begin to concentrate on a major.

6 US BACHELOR DEGREE FEATURES Because of Bologna, these issues are now being addressed by credential evaluators and by graduate admission deans. And, there is the issue of the US wanting to remain competitive in recruiting international students, and thus the willingness to discuss what constitutes sufficient academic preparation for graduate study.

7 THREE-YEAR BACHELOR DEGREE ISSUES The center of the debate is whether or not the three-year bachelor degree model is comparable to a US degree, at least for major content, and constitutes adequate preparation for graduate studies at institutions in the US. Two main questions: Is the student prepared for graduate study? Is the degree equivalent to the U.S. bachelor s? Three Year Degrees from Europe, the United Kingdom, and Australia are being considered. And there are three year degrees from other countries to consider, such as India.

8 THREE-YEAR BACHELOR DEGREE ISSUES To those who believe the number of years is the most prominent consideration when judging a degree, a three-year degree cannot be compared to the US degree, which requires a minimum of 120 semester credits and is typically completed in four (or more) years, following completion of 12 years of primary/secondary education. Meanwhile, others believe that the amount and strength of the major coursework is more important to consider for graduate admission.

9 Conference on the Impact of Bologna and Three-Year Degrees on U.S. Admissions AACRAO hosted a symposium/conference on this topic Nov 2 4 in Washington, D.C. The purpose of the event was to discuss issues of three-year bachelor degrees and to consider if and how these degrees might be considered as adequate preparation for admission to a US graduate school program. The expected outcome was that those responsible for graduate admission would better understand issues of the three year degree process as they establish best practices for their graduate admission programs.

10 The Impact of Bologna and Three Year Degrees Stanley O. Ikenberry, former president of the American Council on Education and the University of Illinois, moderated the sessions, and introduced the discussion by asking his American colleagues to imagine the world with an academic Euro, in which European diplomas matched the clout that has increasingly come to the common European currency

11 Conference on the Impact of Bologna and Three-Year Degrees on U.S. Admissions Trying something new, the event was structured to include presentations by higher education leaders from Germany, Australia, and the U.K.; U.S. graduate school deans; a presentation of recent survey results from the Council of Graduate Schools; and panel discussion by U.S. accreditors, U.S. credential evaluators, and U.S. admissions officers

12 Questions asked at the Conference Should American graduate schools recognize threeyear degrees and admit such students to graduate programs? If they don t want to consider three-year degrees as automatically equivalent to the standard four, how do they decide how to handle such applicants? If American graduate schools are seen as treating European applicants unfairly, will the best European talent stay on the other side of the Atlantic? Will accepting three year degrees affect a U.S. institution s accreditation?

13 Ask the Right Questions If American graduate programs start admitting threeyear degree holders from Europe, do they have any basis for turning down American students who have finished three years of bachelor s work and feel ready to move on? Will it affect programs such as Engineering or Health Science where students may go on for licensing? And will answers to these questions challenge the traditional norms of graduate admissions in the United States, in which departments rather than central offices make the key decisions?

14 Notes from the Conference These were among the thorny questions that brought a number of academic leaders from the United States and Europe together on Saturday in Washington, at a meeting organized by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers. The outcome of these deliberations is also seen as likely to affect students and institutions in many other countries

15 Conference Highlights Stan Ikenberry stressed that American educators couldn t assume that the issue wouldn t hit them. The Bologna Process goes far beyond just ensuring comparable degrees to encouraging European students to move about. Mobility in and of itself is being valued, What are American universities doing? Many appear to be shifting rapidly away from systems that have been widespread in the past, in which threeyear degrees were automatically rejected or in which graduates of three-year programs were granted provisional admission, on condition that they take certain courses or perform at certain academic levels.

16 Conference Highlights How American universities will respond remains an open question, with people here describing movements in any number of directions. Victoria Rodriguez, vice provost and dean of graduate studies at the University of Texas at Austin, said her institution has a general policy against accepting three-year degrees and we also admit these students all the time. Ultimately, she said, we trust departments to make the right decisions.

17 Conference Highlights Daniel D. Denecke, director of best practices for the Council of Graduate Schools, presented data from a recent survey showing that more institutions are shifting to policies in which degrees are evaluated for comparability or applicants are evaluated for whether they can do the work.

18 Graduate School Policies on 3-Year Degrees Policy Do not accept 29% 18% Provisional acceptance 9% 4% Evaluate degree for equivalency 40% 49% Evaluate candidate for competence 22% 29%

19 Conference Highlights A repeated request throughout the day was for some national guidelines to be developed. Denecke of the Council of Graduate Schools said that he didn t see his group trying to legislate on the issue, but that he hoped to see the development of best practices. Jerome H. Sullivan, executive director of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, said he also hoped to see best practices developed. He also said that the discussion Saturday indicated the need for much more discussion and for a similar gathering he hopes to organize to focus specifically on India.

20 Make the best decisions Make sure admission decisions are in tune with the mission and goals of the university, the department graduate programs, and international student enrollment goals. Base admission of students on consistent standards. Remember that graduate admission processes should promote applicants who indicate the potential to succeed when you match the applicants knowledge and bachelor s degree curriculum with the graduate admission requirements to the program.

21 Make the best decisions Practices of US admission professionals in evaluating three year degree: Option A - Accept four year degrees only. Option B - Exceptional admission of three year degrees with the condition of additional courses. Option C - Determine competency to succeed in the graduate program based on assessment of major courses rather than strict equivalency.

22 You may want to take your message to a number of departments on campus Student Services International Dean of Faculties Enrollment Services Academic Departments Administration Budget & Planning Research

23 Sample presentation for your college or university No matter what you decide, it may be helpful to present the issues to officials at your institution. We have provided a sample handout.

24 Sample minimum graduate eligibility requirement If you are changing your admission requirements to adapt to the three year degrees, you should prepare a statement. See sample handout.

25 Questions?