The Bologna Process is a series of ministerial meetings and agreements between European countries to ensure comparability in the standards and quality of higher-education qualifications. The process has created the European Higher Education Area under the Lisbon Recognition Convention. It is named after the University of Bologna, where the Bologna declaration was signed by education ministers from 29 European countries in 1999. The process was opened to other countries in the European Cultural Convention of the Council of Europe, and government meetings have been held in Prague (2001), Berlin (2003), Bergen (2005), London (2007), Leuven (2009), Budapest-Vienna (2010), Bucharest (2012), Yerevan (2015), Paris (2018), and Rome (2020).
The European University Association (EUA) represents more than 800 institutions of higher education in 48 countries, providing them with a forum for cooperation and the exchange of information on higher education and research policies. Members of the Association are European universities involved in teaching and research, national associations of rectors, and other organisations active in higher education and research.
The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education is the United Kingdom higher education sector's independent expert quality body. It has a remit to maintain and enhance the quality of teaching and learning in tertiary education in the United Kingdom and beyond. It conducts quality assessment reviews, develops reference points and guidance for providers, and conducts or commissions research on relevant issues.
The European Higher Education Area (EHEA) was launched in March 2010, during the Budapest-Vienna Ministerial Conference, on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Bologna Process.
Eurodoc, the European Council for Doctoral Candidates and Junior Researchers, is an international federation of national associations of doctoral candidates and early career researchers of the European Union and the Council of Europe.
The European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA), formerly the European Network for Quality Assurance in Higher Education, was established to represent quality assurance and accreditation organisations from the European Higher Education Area and internationally.
Education in Armenia is held in particular esteem in Armenian culture. Education developed the fastest out of the social services, while health and welfare services attempted to maintain the basic state-planned structure of the Soviet era, following Armenia's independence in 1991. Today, Armenia is trying to implement a new vision for its higher education system while pursuing the goals of the European Higher Education Area. The Ministry of Education and Science oversees education in the country.
The Hellenic Open University was founded in 1992 in Patras and is the only online/distance learning university in Greece. Modelled on the British Open University, the Hellenic Open University was established to fill a gap for telematic and distance education in the higher education system of the Hellenic Republic in response to the growing demand for continuing education and lifelong learning.
The European School of Economics (ESE) is a private college of higher education. It is accredited by ASIC, validated by Richmond, The American International University in London, and is an officially approved Learning Provider. ESE offers UK bachelor's degree, master's degree, MBA, and specialised short programmes at its centres in London, Rome, Milan, Florence, and Madrid.
The Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders is the independent educational accreditation organisation for higher education institutions in the Netherlands and Flanders. It was established by international treaty by the Dutch government and the Flemish government in Belgium, for the purpose of ensuring the quality of higher education in the Netherlands and Flanders by accrediting study programmes.
The European Union's Erasmus Mundus programme aims to enhance quality in higher education through scholarships and academic co-operation between the EU and the rest of the world. The three main objectives of the programme are linked to the internationalisation of students, staff, curricula and research; ensure an influence on the development of practice in Special Education Needs and inclusive education; and to develop international collaborative networks, projects and research.
Higher education in Poland began in the Middle Ages. In 1364, Casimir III established the first Polish university, the Academy of Krakow. In 1826 the first technical university was established in Warsaw, leading eventually to the establishment of Warsaw University of Technology, the largest technical university in Poland. From 1919-1939 universities were focused primarily on arts, science, and engineering. Education was based solely on Humboldt's model of university combining research and teaching. This model incorporates a strict hierarchy of authority and a considerable degree of autonomy for its governing bodies.
ELIA represents some 300.000 students in all art disciplines.
The Metropolia University of Applied Sciences is a University of Applied Sciences in Finland. The university has four campuses, offering 93 degree programs in business, culture, healthcare and social services, and technology.
Higher education accreditation is a type of quality assurance process under which services and operations of post-secondary educational institutions or programs are evaluated to determine if applicable standards are met. If standards are met, accredited status is granted by the agency.
The European Network for Accreditation of Engineering Education (ENAEE) was established in 2006 as an organization to promote quality in engineering education across Europe and beyond. It is rooted in the Bologna process which aims to build the European Higher Education Area.
Membership of ENAEE is open to all bodies concerned with educational and professional standards in engineering. Such bodies may include accreditation and quality assurance agencies, professional organisations, associations of higher education institutions, employers' associations, and engineering student bodies and their associations.
The Danish Accreditation Institution was established by Danish law as an independent institution in 2007. The institution consists of two entities; the Accreditation Council, which serves as the decision-making authority, and Accreditation Institution, which serves as the accreditation operator. The Council makes decisions on the accreditation of all higher education study programmes in Denmark, both new and existing.
The European Foundation for Quality in eLearning (EFQUEL) was a not-for-profit organisation which was legally established on June 30, 2005, and is based in Brussels, Belgium. It was a worldwide membership network with over 120 member organisations including universities, corporations and national agencies. The purpose of the foundation was to create a European community of users and experts to share experiences of eLearning. Two of the main initiatives of the foundation were the "UNIQUe" accreditation for Quality in e-Learning and the annual EFQUEL Forum.
The Akkrediterungs-, Certifizierungs- und Qualitätssicherungs-Institut (ACQUIN) is a school accreditation system founded in the year 2001 as a consequence of the European Bologna process and the upcoming need for assuring the quality of newly introduced undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in Germany. ACQUIN is a member-based, non-profit organisation located in Bayreuth, Bavaria, Germany. The Institute operates under the licence of the German Accreditation Council and is thus empowered to award its quality seal to study programs which have successfully undergone accreditation. ACQUIN was reaccredited by the German Accreditation Council until 30 September 2011. ACQUIN operates internationally in several key regions, including the German-speaking European region, Middle and Eastern Europe and North Africa - Near and Middle East. Nowadays ACQUIN is an association of over 100 higher education institutions from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Hungary and the United States of America. ACQUIN operates as a non-profit organisation which is financed through membership fees as well as through Higher Education Institutions for accreditation services provided.
