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Changing universities or study programs within Europe, recognition of academic achievements, internationally comparable degrees, or an easier start to a career abroad: this is exactly what the European Higher Education Area makes possible. The foundation for this is the Bologna Process, which aims to create a common European Higher Education Area Higher Education Area (EHEA) and to better align higher education systems across Europe.
The process began in 1999 when the ministers of education of 29 European countries signed the Bologna Declaration. Since then, the member states have been pursuing the common goal of shaping and continuously developing the European Higher Education Area. Regular Bologna follow-up conferences evaluate the progress of the Bologna Process, ensure its continued development, and set future goals and priorities.
The Bologna Process makes it easier for students to complete part of their studies at a European higher education institution. Mobility programs such as Erasmus+ offer the opportunity to go abroad for a semester, an internship, or a short-term mobility period. Thanks to the ECTS system and common recognition principles, academic achievements completed abroad can be more easily transferred to the home institution. Staff, lecturers, and researchers benefit from international collaboration, professional exchange, and expanded opportunities in teaching, research, and professional development.
ECTS stands for the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System and facilitates the mutual recognition of academic achievements within the European Higher Education Area.
Higher education institutions award credit points for each successfully completed academic achievement (e.g., lectures). In Austria, a full-time degree program comprises 60 ECTS credits per academic year. In the European Higher Education Area, this number corresponds to an annual workload of between 1,500 and 1,800 hours, meaning that one ECTS credit is equivalent to 25 to 30 hours of work. An ECTS credit can therefore represent a different number of work hours depending on the country. In Austria, a full-time academic year is calculated as 1,500 hours, meaning that one ECTS credit corresponds to 25 work hours.
