Bologna Country Update: Belgium

By Nick Clark, Assistant Editor, WENR

Legislative Framework

Flemish Community

Since the constitutional reforms of 1989, education is no longer organized or subsidized by the state, but is administered by the education ministries of each of the three linguistic communities. Prior to the Bologna Declaration ^[1], the Flemish higher education system was governed by the Act on Universities (1991) and the Hogescholen Act (1994), both of which upheld the traditional ternary structure of Flemish education. The Act on the Structure of Higher Education in the Flemish Community, which was passed in April 2003, was the first piece of legislation to introduce Bologna-related reforms. Central to the new act is the implementation of a two-tiered structure starting in 2004/05, with the gradual phasing out of the old structure by 2011. The new system will be binary, consisting of professional bachelor’s and master’s degrees to be awarded at non-university higher education institutions, and two-tiered bachelor’s and master’s degrees offered at universities. It includes provisions for reforming quality assurance through the establishment of a joint accreditation body in cooperation with the Netherlands. The new legislation calls for greater cooperation between institutions of higher education by establishing ‘associations’, or links between the hogescholen and universities. It also gives non-traditional institutions of higher education the opportunity to offer officially recognized bachelor’s and master’s programs alongside the traditional hogescholen and universities.

French-Speaking Community

In the French-speaking community of Belgium, the structure of university education is governed by a September 1994 decree and the structure of non-university higher education by an August 1995 decree. A new law was adopted at the end of March this year that re-organizes the higher education system to make it compatible with the European Higher Education Area. The full details are still unclear, however, the Bergen-Bologna Web site ^[2] states that many Bologna guidelines are included in the new law.

1. Easily Readable and Comparable Degrees

• Universities and hogescholen introduced the diploma supplement ^[3] in 1991 and 1994 respectively. The new higher education act endorses the concept of a Flemish diploma supplement and the administrative authorities for higher education are currently negotiating to adapt the existing supplement to the European/UNESCO model. It is envisaged that only slight changes will be necessary.
• The French community has created a common university version of the supplement and the universities have in principle been delivering diploma supplement from academic year 2001-2002. The “Hautes Ecoles” (higher education institutions other than universities) are also in the process of introducing the supplement. The implementation of the diploma supplement is made on a voluntary basis, no specific law has been taken to make it compulsory.
• The Flemish NARIC body works through the Ministry of Education ^[4]. The French speaking NARIC works through their Ministry of Education ^[5].
• Belgium has neither signed nor ratified the Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education in the European Region ^[6] (as of November 2003).

2. Degree Structure

• Traditionally, the Flemish education system has offered three types of programs: hogescholen programs lasting one cycle (typically three years), hogescholen programs lasting two cycles (minimum 2+2) at an academic (i.e. university) level, and the two-tiered academic programs (Kandidaat + Licentiaat, or 2/3+2/3) at the universities.
• The new structural Act opts for a purely binary system and removes the distinction between programs of an academic level (two-cycle hogescholen programs) and the academic programs. Plans call for the integration of more application-oriented research at hogescholen with more fundamental research at the universities.

The New Structure:

Stage I: Under the new legislation (approved but not yet operational) bachelor’s degrees will require the successful completion of three years of study, or 180 ECTS (European Credit Transfer System credits). Two different types of bachelor’s degrees will be awarded: professional and academic. The professional degrees are more practically oriented and will include work placement requirements. They will be awarded by the hogescholen only. Universities as well as hogescholen, however, will be able to award academic degrees. Hogescholen will be able to confer academic degrees in ‘association’ with a university. Holders of an academically oriented bachelor’s degree are eligible to go on to a master’s program, or enter the labor market.

Stage II: The ministry outline for master’s programs suggests that they will be designed to meet the needs of future employers, and open to both graduates from the academic and professional bachelor’s fields. The master’s degree program will require at least one year of full-time study, or the completion of 60 ECTS-credits. A master’s thesis (worth 15-30 ECTS credits) is also required. These programs will be offered at universities, hogescholen, and at postgraduate training institutions.

Stage III: Admission to a doctoral degree program requires a minimum of two years of study after obtaining a final university degree (e.g. licentiaat) or, in some cases, a specific final hogescholen degree of academic level (e.g. handelsingenieur). The writing and defense of a dissertation is also required.

• The new Higher Education Act calls for a gradual introduction of the new degree structure, while simultaneously dismantling the existing structure. New bachelor programs will gradually be introduced starting in 2004/05, and the new master’s programs in 2007/08. The act also stipulates that graduates of the former system can use the title of bachelor and master.
• The Act makes a distinction between professionally oriented and academically oriented bachelor’s programs. In terms of educational outcome, both the academic and the professionally oriented programs are designed to prepare students for the labor market, or as preparation for master’s programs. Holders of academically oriented bachelor’s programs gain automatic entry to master’s programs if desired. Graduates from selected professionally oriented bachelor’s programs can also matriculate into a master’s program under ‘strict conditions,’ and possibly a bridging course, which are aimed at safeguarding the quality of the study programs.
• The two-cycle structure is being evaluated in the French community of Belgium. In university education the structure is moving towards a 3+1 or 3+2 model depending on the discipline concerned. The first cycle will essentially be an intermediate cycle. In the case of non-university higher education of the long type, the first cycle will last three years and be followed by another cycle of one year (two years for commercial engineering, architecture and certain artistic studies). Short-cycle non-university education will consist of a single cycle of three (or in some cases four) years, leading directly to a professional qualification. The reform should be implemented from academic year 2004/05.

3. Credit Transfer

• A Flemish credit system based entirely on the ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) has been applied to university qualifications since 1991 and to non-university qualifications since 1994. The new Higher Education Act endorses the compatibility of the existing credit system with ECTS.
• ECTS has been fully implemented as a tool for credit transfer, and the allocation of credits to courses is now commonplace. The use of the ECTS grading scale does, however, vary according to individual institutions.
• In the French community, a national credit system has never been used, so institutions have begun to express their courses in terms of ECTS credits. This reform will be progressively introduced and generally adopted from the 2004/05 academic year. ECTS has so far been used only as a transfer system.

4. Mobility

• The SOCRATES/ERASMUS ^[7] Program is open to all types of higher education institutions, and includes all disciplines and educational levels including the doctorate. The program covers the following activities which are mutually correlated:

1. 1. 1. Within the framework of the LEONARDO DA VINCI Program ^[8], post-secondary school students can receive grants for on-the-job training in another member country for a period of three to 12 months.
      2. As of 1994, the Flemish government has been financing international inter-university cooperation projects. These efforts are mainly focused on newly democratic countries that are trying to improve their higher education systems.
      3. Since 1989, Flanders has had the authority to enter into international agreements. The present minister of education has continued to pursue educational exchanges with Russia, a policy that had been initiated by her predecessor. Flanders has also concluded educational agreements with South Africa and Morocco. The other communities of Belgium, the Netherlands, and other neighboring countries of course remain priority partners for the Flemish education policy.

5. Quality Assurance

• In 1991, the Flemish authorities introduced a quality assurance system of internal and external assessment in exchange for increased institutional autonomy for both universities and hogescholen. External reviews are coordinated by the Flemish Interuniversity Council ^[9] and/or the Flemish Council for Higher Non-University Education ^[10].
• With the introduction of accreditation, the Flemish government aims to extend the existing system of quality assurance and strengthen it by developing the independence and transparency of institutional operation.
• Since September 2003, and for a certain period extending beyond 2010, a special accreditation body known as the Nederlands-Vlaams Accreditatie Orgaan ^[11] has been established in close cooperation with the Netherlands.
• Providers of higher education other than the traditional hogescholen and universities have the opportunity to provide and award recognized bachelor and master’s programs. With the mechanism of accreditation, the new Higher Education Act guarantees that these programs of study comply with the same requirements as regards quality and standards as the programs offered by universities and hogescholen.
• A registration system has been introduced to give students a guarantee as to the legitimacy and longevity of a particular institution. Some institutions that are not officially recognized by the ministry of education are already awarding bachelor and master’s degrees in Flanders. Through the registration and accreditation process, these providers have the opportunity to gain official recognition of their programs, provided they have concluded a cooperation agreement with a recognized hogescholen or university.
• Both the higher education department of the ministry of education and several quality assurance agencies represent Flanders as members of the European Network for Quality Assurance in Higher Education ^[12] (ENQA)

6. Promotion of European Dimensions in Higher Education

• In 2001, the University of Maastricht ^[13] and the Limburg University Centre ^[14] in Flanders signed an agreement to offer programs at the Transnational University of Limburg ^[15] (TUL). Students enrolled at TUL will be eligible for financial assistance from the Dutch government or the Flemish Community. Students graduating from the TUL will be awarded both a Dutch doctoraal and a Flemish licentiaat degree.
• In the decrees on the universities (12 June 1991) and the colleges of higher education (hogescholen) (13 July 1994), courses attended at foreign educational institutions in the framework of European action programs are recognized as equivalent to the Flemish courses.

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References

• Survey on Master Degrees and Joint Degrees in Europe, Christian Tauch and Andrejs Rauhvargers, Sept. 2002
• The State of Implementation of ECTS in Europe, European University Association, Oct. 2002
• Diploma Supplement — State of Implementation, European Commission, last update June 2003
• Lisbon Convention Status Reports, Council of Europe, status as of August 29, 2003
• The Information Network on Education in Europe — Eurydice ^[16], European Union
• Recent Legislative Reforms in Implementation of the Bologna Declaration, Ministry of Education, July 23, 2003
• Erasmus Mobility by Country 2001/2002 — ECTS Workshop, Feb. 20-21, 2003, UK Socrates Erasmus Council ^[17]
• The Information Network on Education in Europe — Eurydice ^[16], European Union
• Focus on the structure of higher education in Europe — 2003/04; Eurydice ^[16], European Union
• Higher Education in Flanders, O. van Heffen and A. Lub, University of Twente’s Centre for Higher Education Policy Studies (CHEPS), 2003