Towards a European Degree

Uh-oh! The day we’ve been waiting for is here!

We couldn’t be prouder to announce that the College has adopted today a blueprint for a #EuropeanDegree.

A passport to opportunity, opening doors all over Europe to study and train, to embrace the 🇪🇺 identity.

— Erasmus+ (@EUErasmusPlus) March 27, 2024

Commission presents a blueprint for a European degree

The European Commission has adopted a package of ambitious proposals for Europe’s higher education sector, with the aim of working towards a European degree. The package contains a blueprint for this new and universally recognised qualification, as a result of deeper and wider transnational cooperation between higher education institutions – a key component of the European Education Area.

The blueprint proposes a concrete cooperation path and outlines support measures for European Union (EU) countries and their higher education systems towards the creation of a European degree.

As part of the package, the Commission has also adopted 2 proposals for Council recommendations on

• a European quality assurance and recognition system in higher education
• attractive and sustainable careers in higher education

Both proposals go beyond the pure ambition of developing a European degree and are advantageous for the wide and diverse higher education sector.

On this pageThe blueprint for a European degreeThe path towards a European quality assurance and recognition systemAttractive and sustainable careers in higher education

Blueprint for a European degree

This blueprint builds on the results of 6 Erasmus+ pilot projects that have involved more than 140 higher education institutions from all EU countries.

What is a European degree?

• A new type of degree awarded after transnational Bachelor, Master, or Doctoral programmes delivered at national, regional, or institutional level
• Automatically recognised everywhere in the EU
• Awarded jointly and on a voluntary basis by a group of universities across Europe
• Based on a common set of criteria agreed at European level

Objectives

• Contribute to Europe’s competitiveness by equipping graduates with future-proof skills to master the green and digital transitions
• Provide a strong symbol of our common European identity and strong sense of European belonging, reinforcing our common academic values and bringing people and universities together

What is the added value of a European degree?

For students, it will offer more opportunities to study at various universities in different EU countries and to graduate with one universally recognised diploma. It will give access to innovative and transdisciplinary learning opportunities across campuses to acquire the future-proof skills that Europe needs. 

For higher education institutions, it will make it simpler to set up a joint degree programme with several universities across Europe, by removing unnecessary barriers. It will also help those universities to increase their competitiveness and attractiveness.

For employers, it will ease the recruitment of highly skilled qualified graduates who are ready to face the challenges of a rapidly changing world.

Next steps

In view of the diversity of the European higher education systems across Europe, the Commission proposes a gradual approach for EU countries towards a European degree, with 2 possible entry points:

• A preparatory European label – given to joint degree programmes that meet the European criteria; this means students receive a European degree label certificate together with their joint degree
• A European degree – a new type of qualification awarded either jointly by several universities from different countries or possibly by a European legal entity established by such universities; this means students receive a ‘European degree’

How the Commission will support EU countries and the higher education sector

• A European degree policy lab to develop detailed guidelines and action plans for the implementation of a European degree with national experts, higher education institutions, quality assurance/accreditation agencies, students, and economic and social partners
• A new annual European degree forum that monitors progress and provides guidance, gathering high-level representatives from EU countries, key organisations in quality assurance and recognition, and representatives from economic and social partners
• New Erasmus+ support for European degree Pathway Projects enabling EU countries, together with their accreditation and quality assurance agencies, universities, students, economic and social partners, to navigate the pathway towards a European degree; and for European degree Design Measures to enable higher education institutions to adapt existing joint programmes or to create new ones leading to a European degree

Why do we need joint degree programmes?

Transnational education is no longer a ‘nice-to-have’ option but a necessity, as

• the key challenges of our time are becoming increasingly global, and Europe’s open strategic autonomy increasingly urgent
• future generations must be equipped with the competences and skills that European societies will need to thrive in an ever more interconnected world

For this, we need to facilitate and accelerate the development of future-proof joint degree programmes, especially a universally recognised, European degree.