Six university alliances came together to realise the transformative power of the European Degree label
Six university alliances - Una Europa, 4EU+, CHARM-EU, EC2U, EU-CONEXUS and Unite! - bringing together 51 universities from 22 countries will work together to improve the process of creating joint degree courses.
This newly-formed large European consortium will test the European Degree label and has been awarded Erasmus+ funding for the joint proposal called ED-AFFICHE which has received the support of the European Commission. The project is actively supported by 18 national and regional ministries, together with other key players in the field of higher education, accreditation and quality assurance. The aim is to capitalise on the extraordinary potential of European degree certification for the future of the European Higher Education Area.
All the universities involved are deeply rooted in their local contexts, have a rich tradition of collaboration in the international field and a solid track record in the development of joint degree programmes. Altogether, they represent almost 2 million people, including students and academic staff, who will form a large and rich community that will be directly involved in the project activities.
Over the coming year, the consortium will examine the topic of joint degree programmes in detail, carrying out an in-depth mapping of the many examples within the consortium. Various strategic activities will then be organised - both at national and European level - with the aim of fostering an open dialogue between universities and national and regional legislators.
The six university alliances involved will work to explore the most relevant challenges in the development of joint degree courses and to initiate the exchange of good practices at European level to find the solutions needed to overcome challenges and thus give rise to truly European Degrees.
The European Degree label can thus become a fundamental tool for further expanding international cooperation between higher education institutions in Europe, which is a key goal for enhancing the attractiveness and competitiveness of the European Higher Education Area on a global level.