Study on the organisation of doctoral studies in EU neighbouring countries Albania www.technopolis-group.com
General information on the study Framework Contract: N No EAC 19/06 Specific Contract: Order form N 110 Project Director: Isabelle Collins Project Manager: Elisabeth Zaparucha/ Philippe Larrue Tel. Number: +33 1 49 49 09 25 Fax Number: +33 1 49 49 09 29 E-Mail: elisabeth.zaparucha@technopolis-group.com The study was produced by a team of consultants within Technopolis Group (Lars Geschwind, Flora Giarracca, Jakob Hellman, Carlos Hinojosa, Pauline Mattsson) and GHK (Anca Dumitrescu) Valuable comments were received during the Steering Committees from: Claire Morel, Philippe Ruffio, Dimitris Kokkalis, Helene Skikos, Florent Bernard, Vanessa Debiais-Sainton, Marta Touykova, David Crosier. www.technopolis-group.com
Table of Contents 1. Doctoral programmes data 1 2. Doctoral programmes 1 2.1 Doctoral programmes overall organisation 1 2.2 Doctoral programmes structure 1 2.3 Doctoral programmes content 2 2.4 Doctoral programmes process: admission, supervision, monitoring and assessment 3 2.5 After the graduation 3 3. International collaboration, mobility and joint doctoral degrees 4 3.1 International cooperation data 4 3.2 Foreigners as doctoral candidates 4 3.3 National doctoral candidates going abroad 4 4. Challenges and possible future policy actions 4 Figure 1 List of interviewees 9 Study on the organisation of doctoral studies in EU neighbouring countries Albania i
1. Doctoral programmes data At present (2010) the doctoral programmes is in place at 6 universities, in 57 programs with a total of 1371 doctoral candidates enrolled. Three other universities have applied for the right to provide doctoral programmes. - Population: 3,143 m 2. Doctoral programmes 2.1 Doctoral programmes overall organisation Education in Albania comes from a centralised and highly controlled tradition. Prior to 1991, the administration of education at all levels was prescribed nationally in conjunction with economic planning. Although education remains largely centralised, strides are being taken to liberalise the system. At present, the staffing, management, financing, building and upkeep of schools remain to a large extent the domain of central authorities or their district-level branches. The Government and Parliament determine all educational policy and the Ministry of Education and Science is responsible for the administration of the education system at the national level. The Ministry also works with provincial and municipal authorities to ensure that the requirements within the education field are met. Research is done only at universities and academies, mainly at the former. The former research institutes are now integrated in universities and academies. A new Higher Education Law was launched in 2007. - GDP per capita: 2,674 - % of GDP spent on education: 2.8% (2002) - % of GDP spent on research: n/a - Doctoral candidates enrolled: 1,371 2008 data, UNESCO IUS At the national level, the Commission of Scientific Training is responsible to the Council of Ministers, and has selected the institutions which are capable of running the second level programs (master) and doctoral programmes. Accreditation is the responsibility of the National Agency of Accreditation. Each institution and every single 3 rd cycle study program need accreditation. The Science-Teaching/Art-Teaching Council of the faculty is the professional body responsible for creating the scientific research programmes; giving consent to the topics for doctoral dissertations. The Dean is the President of this Council. From 1990, human resources in science and technology have drastically decreased. Various surveys show that during 1990-1999, approximately 40 % of the professors and research scientists of the universities and science institutions in the country have emigrated. There has been a considerable brain-drain. Albania signed the Bologna Declaration during the Berlin conference, in 2003. During 2003 2005 several acts and orders were amended by the Parliament and the Ministry of Education and Science in order to implement the Bologna Declaration, including the study cycles, academic standards in higher education, teaching load, financial autonomy, and university admissions procedures. The implementation of the Bologna principles in the third cycle of studies in Albania is still at the early stages. 2.2 Doctoral programmes structure 2.2.1 Definition of doctoral programmes Postgraduate studies lasting 2-4 semesters after completion of the first stage of higher education lead to the Diplomë e Studimeve te Thelluara pasuniversitare degree (Master). Students must prepare a thesis. Study on the organisation of doctoral studies in EU neighbouring countries Albania 1
University level third stage: Doktor I Shkencave (Doctor of Sciences): Studies lasting for 6 to 10 semesters after the Master consist of individual study and research. The title of Doktor I Shkencave is conferred. Admission prerequisites include research and scientific activities and publications. The candidate, under the supervision of a scientific researcher, must prepare and defend a dissertation thesis. There is a grading system. The rank of professor requires the degree of Doctor of Sciences and a background of extensive research, teaching and publishing. A docent is an experienced researcher and instructor holding the Candidate of Sciences degree. There are also two types of teaching positions at higher education institutions that do not require a scientific degree: pedagog and assistant, who must hold a Diploma with excellent grades. 2.2.2 Duration Doctoral degrees take between 3 and 5 years to complete. Full time students usually complete doctoral programmes within three years of time. 2.2.3 Funding The doctoral programmes at the public universities are funded by the state budget, by fees from doctoral candidates, by projects or by different donors. The Government offers scholarships through the Fund of Excellence, by which some 500 doctoral candidates have been supported until now, in order to undertake doctoral programmes at foreign universities. According to the Albanian Ministry of Education and Science, the Government anticipates an increase of candidates supported by these programs. 2.2.4 Doctoral candidate status The doctoral candidates have the status of students. 2.2.5 Doctoral candidates right The rights of the doctoral candidate are stated in the Doctorate Rules, which have been formulated by the universities. The rights include the free use of the infrastructure, in relation to the doctoral thesis theme. It also includes free use of the library and the archive, the right of mobility to other universities inside and outside the country, and the right to make remarks concerning improvements of the doctoral programmes. 2.2.6 Organisation of doctoral programmes The organisation of the doctoral programmes is defined in the regulations of each university, such as opening, closing and reorganisation of the studies; admission criteria, terms and limits for engagement of the doctorate candidates as tutors for first and second cycle students, as well as in the activities to support their tutors in teaching, modalities to provide mobility, at least three months, for the doctoral candidates to various foreign universities or research institutions and modalities for annual assessment of the results. 2.3 Doctoral programmes content 2.3.1 Research Research and individual creative activity are the basic contents and the basis for elaboration of the doctoral thesis. In a few cases there are courses for the candidates to take, but generally doctoral programmes are much more dedicated to individual research, finalised with a PhD thesis. 2.3.2 Training during doctoral programmes besides research Programs of the doctoral programmes include the necessary research related training. 2 Study on the organisation of doctoral studies in EU neighbouring countries Albania
2.3.3 Teaching during doctoral programmes besides research Programs of the doctoral programmes contain didactic activities. By law, doctoral programmes include 60 ECTS points of teaching activities. 2.4 Doctoral programmes process: admission, supervision, monitoring and assessment 2.4.1 Admission/recruitment Candidates with a Masters degree or any other degree equivalent to the Masters obtained at home or abroad, are eligible to be admitted to doctorate studies. The assessment of foreign degrees and qualifications equivalent to the domestic ones is taken care of by the institution responsible for the doctoral programmes. 2.4.2 Supervision system The system of doctoral programmes supervision includes several components. The department is responsible for the organisation. Scientific coordinators at the doctoral program, the Faculty Professors Council and the thesis tutors, supervise. The preparation phase of the thesis is guided by one or two thesis leaders who have the Professor or Associate Professor title, and such a phase is to be overseen, on the basis of an individual program by the Department of the University, where the candidate is registered. 2.4.3 Doctoral thesis and defence The doctoral thesis should include individual research and present original results of contemporary scientific standard. In order to qualify for a diploma, the candidate must meet certain criteria: publication of at least three papers or scientific issues (poster), of which one of them should be to an international conference; edition, as the first author of at least three scientific articles in journals, one of them to be international and with an editorial board; presentation of a dissertation and its synopsis, (approved by the scientific tutor) to the Council of professors. The doctoral thesis, as a rule, is to be defended in front of a jury, which has been sanctioned in the Regulation of the University doctorate. 2.4.4 Quality assurance mechanisms The Ministry of Education and Science and HEIs supervise doctoral programmes. The quality of the doctoral programmes is reviewed by the Council of Higher Education and Science. Regular evaluations are made by the Agency and Council of the Higher Education. Periodical evaluation of the doctoral programmes progress is conducted by the scientific tutor, by the department or the research group. This could also be done by the Faculty Professors Council as the body for management and organisation of the scientific qualification. Doctoral programmes are also part of the Albanian Qualification Framework, where Dublin descriptors as well as learning and skills outcomes are drafted in. 2.5 After the graduation After successfully passing the doctoral thesis, the author delivers a copy of it to the National Library, to the Scientific Library of the University and to the faculty. The doctoral candidate will eventually be awarded the doctor degree, signed by the Rector of the university and the Dean of respective faculty. If the thesis turns out to have been falsified, the degree will be annulled, through procedures sanctioned in the Doctorate Regulation. Study on the organisation of doctoral studies in EU neighbouring countries Albania 3
3. International collaboration, mobility and joint doctoral degrees 3.1 International cooperation data The Albanian universities cooperate with universities from other regions including the U.S. and Europe. This cooperation includes the programs for doctoral programmes. There are joint programs in the technical, agricultural and environmental spheres. Albanian doctorate candidates are also invited by professors from foreign prestigious universities. 3.2 Foreigners as doctoral candidates According to the Ministry of Education and Science, the Albanian universities welcome doctoral candidates from other countries. During the academic year 2009-2010, about 150 candidates from the countries in the Balkan region have applied to enter the programs of the doctoral programmes. 3.3 National doctoral candidates going abroad The Albanian doctoral candidates have a number of possibilities of studying abroad: Individual direct application at foreign universities. Countries with tens of Albanian doctorate candidates include: Italy, France, Germany, Great Britain, USA, and Russia. Foreign universities can offer applications to the Albanian candidates to enter the programs of doctoral programmes. The Government offers scholarships from the Excellence Fund. This is topical for a few hundred candidates. An offer by the Government to all their doctorate candidates is a package of at least a three months period of mobility to a foreign university or research institute. 4. Challenges and possible future policy actions Restrictive visa regulations hinder scientific exchange and temporary employment abroad. Other challenges include the difficulty of making doctoral education a part of institutional policies and strategies and to include wider generic skills training or cross-disciplinary training in doctoral training, linked to further career prospects. There is also a great need of improvement when it comes to new models of supervision as well as further training of supervisors. According to the Ministry of Education and Science, the Albanian Government intends to further improve the doctoral programmes in a number of ways. It is crucial in order to establish a better adoption to the contemporary orientations of science and technology development, as well as to the needs of the national, regional, European and global markets. Efforts to develop new, as well as to increase the existing, programs for doctoral studies will be prioritised. The Ministry mentions: Information technology and the related spheres, by integrating Informatics, Telecommunication, Media, Relations to Business etc. Stable Tourism, by integrating interdisciplinary studies (Albanian, environmental, historical, bio-geographical, ethnographical, economic studies, etc), in response to the developing tourist market, as a priority sector in the National Plan of Development. Biotechnology, in relation to the successes of the molecular biology and of genetics, in the medicine, pharmaceutics, waters and waste treatment, etc. 4 Study on the organisation of doctoral studies in EU neighbouring countries Albania
Other interdisciplinary programs, like in Albanian studies, management engineering, environment engineering, etc. Future law amendments will take place in relation to the expected quality increase, through quality listing of the doctoral studies programs, as a result of their accreditation by a foreign prestigious accrediting agency. The National Agency of Research and Innovation of Albania will provide financial support to the doctoral studies integrated in the national research and developing programs, etc. In conformity with the Albanian efforts of moving towards a European integration, the future reforms of the higher education system will be driven by the following issues: increase the mobility of the Albanian doctorate candidates, establishing joint programs of the doctorial studies on regional and European issues. Integrating the doctorial candidates with research programs targeted on the collaboration between national and foreign universities. Study on the organisation of doctoral studies in EU neighbouring countries Albania 5
Appendix A - Bibliography BOLOGNA PROCESS TEMPLATE FOR NATIONAL REPORTS: 2007-2009. http://www.ond.vlaanderen.be/hogeronderwijs/bologna/links/national-reports- 2009/National_Report_Albania_2009.pdf HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE REPUBLIC OF ALBANIA. NTO in Albania, September 2005. http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/tempus/participating_countries/higher/albania.pdf International Association of Universities. IAU Online Databases. http://123.202.171.126:2101/iau/onlinedatabases/index.html Learning structures and higher education systems in Central, Eastern and South Eastern Europe, Cyprus, Malta and Switzerland. http://ec.europa.eu/education/erasmus/doc/publ/trends3.pdf The European Education Directory. http://www.euroeducation.net/prof/albanco.htm UNESCO International Bureau of Education. http://www.ibe.unesco.org UNESCO International Bureau of Education. World Data on Education 6th edition. http://www.ibe.unesco.org/countries/wde/2006/index.html Study on the organisation of doctoral studies in EU neighbouring countries Albania 7
Appendix B - List of interviewees Figure 1 List of interviewees Name Position Organisation Contact details Vaso Qano Director Tempus Office tempus@albaniaonline.n et +355 42 240 435 Miti Koçi Responsible for Doctoral Studies Ministry of Education and Science Tel: +355 68 21 63 210 E-mail: mkoci@mash.gov.al Study on the organisation of doctoral studies in EU neighbouring countries Albania 9
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