Q1. What is the Bologne Process?

Q2. What are the aims of the Bologne Process?

Q3. What are the reforms that were instituted by the Bologne Agreement?

Q4. In practice, what has the Bologne Process implemented?

Q5. Are ISEG degrees recognised by the Bologne Process?

Q6. What is the ECTS? What does it consist of?

Q7. What type of degree can I study for? What are their characteristics?

Q8. What is a credit?

Q9. What is the European Grade Conversion Scale?

Q10. What is a Degree Supplement?

Q11. Can students who have not yet completed their university degree register for a Bachelors degree that is recognised under the Bologne Process?

Q12. Do Bologne Process degrees have the same value as pre-Bologne degrees?  

Q13. What can I expect to achieve from studying for a Bachelor's degree?

Q14. How is employability related to lifelong learning?

Q15. What are the objectives of lifelong learning?

Q1. What is the Bologne Process?

The degrees at ISEG are in alignment with the Bologne Process. The main aim of the process is to create a European Higher Education System (EEES) that is coherent, compatible, competitive and attractive for both European students and those from other countries, promoting European unity through knowledge, student exchanges and the employability of its graduates.

In accordance with the Boulogne Process, the degrees are organised into three Cycles: 
1 ^st Cycle -  Bachelors 
2 ^nd Cycle - Masters 
3 ^rd Cycle - PhD

Q2. What are the aims of the Bologne Process?

Overall, the aims of this reform are the following:
1) Increase the competitiveness and quality of European higher education;
2) Promoting Life Long Learning (LLL);
3) Increasing the mobility of European citizens, by promoting:
     - The compatibility of degree classifications at a European level;
     - The legal acceptance of curricula by universities and employers;
     - The classification of the types of degree at different levels;
4) Improve the recognition of Qualifications and Skills;
5) Encourage greater involvement of students in managing their academic and university careers;
6) Expand the opportunities for access to Higher Education;
7) Promote a European Higher Education Area (EHEA).

Q3. What are the reforms that were instituted by the Bologne Agreement?

The reforms that were instituted by this process can be summarised in the following points:
1) A new form of organization of teaching, which is centered on the student and on skills development;

2) Establishment of academic degree classifications with:
     - Similar nomenclature, which is inter-comprehensible in all countries;
     - Similar length of course and comparable workloads;
     - Similar educational objectives;

3) Restructuring of the ECTS Credits System, which facilitates:

     - The Transfer of Credits: which allows for the recognition of study carried out and the results achieved from the university and country of origin when they are studying for a period at a foreign university;

     - Accumulation of Credits: All educational study will be subject to the "accounting" of ECTS credits: university education, professional education, work experience ... after a review of the university in question;

4) Implementation of the Degree Supplement, with the aim of increasing the transparency of qualifications and competences; 
5) Adoption of the European Grade Conversion Scale; 
6) Accreditation of Higher Education, by developing evaluation procedures for the Portuguese Higher Education System and Educational Institutions.

Q4. In practice, what has the Bologne Process implemented?

- Six semesters-long degrees;

- Implementation of optional elective subjects, to be chosen by the student within a programme that is pre-established by the university;
- The facilitation of student exchanges with foreign universities, in particular through the Erasmus programme;

- Recognition of the degrees and diplomas of all member countries of the Bologna Process.

Q5. Are ISEG degrees recognised by the Bologne Process?

Yes. As from the 2007/08 Academic Year, all ISEG degrees comply with the new organisational model of the Bologne Process.

Q6. What is the ECTS? What does it consist of?

ECTS - the European Credit Transfer System - is an instrument which aims to create transparency, to establish closer conditions between Higher Education Institutions and to expand the choices available to students for their study abroad.

The ECTS was developed by the European Commission to establish common procedures to guarantee the academic recognition of studies abroad. It also allows the classification and comparison of knowledge assessment results, and enables their transfer from one university to another.

It is a system in which credits are proportional to the total student workload, and not the number of lecture hours.

ECTS credits represent the workload of a student, in the form of points (1 to 60), which are assigned to each course unit, and which just express the portion that each course unit represents in comparison to the total amount of study hours required to successfully complete a year of studies: lectures, practical work, seminars, essay writing, literature review, individual work and examinations or other methods of assessment .

Each academic year of all study programmes corresponds to a total of 60 ECTS credits, and therefore:

- 30 ECTS credits are the equivalent, as a rule, of 1 semester;

- 60 ECTS credits represent the academic workload of 1 full year of studies.

  Q7. What type of degree can I study for? What are their characteristics? 

Students can study for 3 types of degree, with the following characteristics:

The 1 ^st Study Cycle consists of an organised syllabus of course units known as a Bachelors degree, corresponding to 180 to 240 credits, with a normal length of study of 6 to 8 curricula semesters.

The 2 ^nd Study Cycle corresponds to 90 to 120 credits, with a normal length of study of three to four curricula semesters, as long as this length conforms with internationally-accepted norms for the degree in question.

The 3 ^rd Study Cycle corresponds to about 180 credits, and includes writing an original thesis which is specific to this degree and to the topic chosen,  as well as possibly studying how to carry out research, which is known as a PhD, when the respective rules and regulations are adhered to.

Q8. What is a credit?

Under the ECTS, a credit is the unit of measurement of student study in all its forms, namely: collective learning, personal tutoring, internships, projects, field work, study and assessment.

  Q9. What is the European Grade Conversion Scale?

One of the biggest obstacles to the mobility of students and workers in Europe is the difficulty encountered in understanding university grades obtained in other countries, as each country uses its own grades scale. For example, Italy using a scale ranging from 0 to 30.

To resolve this problem, the European Grade Conversion Scale was created, which categorises students according to the degrees awarded during the last three years. Thus, employers know that if the candidate was awarded an A in a given course unit, this implies that they belong to the group of 10% of graduates with the highest final grade over the last three years. This scale is used in parallel with the National Scale.

Q10. What is a Degree Supplement?

• It is a complementary bilingual document which is part of the degree (Bachelors, masters or PhD diploma, or diploma from a non-degree course included in a study cycle), which aims to contribute to improving the international transparency and academic and professional recognition of qualifications (diplomas, degrees, certificates, etc.).

• It describes the Portuguese higher education system and its framework within the education system in place at the date of being awarded a degree; characterises the university that provided the education and which awarded the degree; describes the education carried out (type of degree, discipline, entry requirements, normal length, level) and its objectives and skills; provides detailed information about the study plan and the results obtained; and may include additional information regarding activities sponsored by the university in question.

Q12. Do Bologne Process degrees have the same value as pre-Bologne degrees? 

Yes. Even though the length of the degree is less, the objectives set and the new teaching methodologies demand more involvement and work by students during the study period.  The length being reduced to 4 or 3 years does not signify a loss of quality, but a new way of approaching higher education and its types of degree, which is more interactive, and which is more centred on problem solving skills.

Q13. What can I expect to achieve from studying for a Bachelor's degree?

A Bachelors degree is awarded to those who demonstrate that they possess:

a) the knowledge and ability to understand a subject matter to such an extent that they:

i) develop and widen their high school level of knowledge;

ii) are trained in the use of advanced-level teaching techniques;

iii) will be at the cutting-edge of some of the areas of knowledge that are taught:

b) knowledge as to how to apply the knowledge and acquired capacity of understanding when carrying out professional work in their chosen subject;

c) the capacity to resolve problems within their subject area and the ability to construct and substantiate their own arguments;

d) the ability to collect, select and interpret relevant information, particularly in their subject area, that enables them to substantiate the solutions suggested  and the findings presented, including the analysis of the relevant social, scientific and ethical aspects;

e) the skill to be able to communicate information, ideas, problems and solutions to both experts and non-experts;

f) learning skills which enable them pursue lifelong learning with a high degree of autonomy.

Q11. Can students who have not yet completed their university degree register for a Bachelors degree that is recognised under the Bologne Process?

Yes. To do this, they should apply for re-registration at the Undergraduate Office of ISEG. They should also submit a request for equivalence, in order to recognise their previous studies.

Q14. How is employability related to lifelong learning?

As knowledge rapidly becomes obsolete, the ability to remain "employable" depends on the student permanently updating their knowledge. The ability to learn and the ability to make choices about the most appropriate curriculum for your situation becomes increasingly important.

Early on during their 1 ^st Cycle of education, students should acquire skills in learning (learning to learn), autonomy, adaption to change and initiatives, which enable them to develop the capacity to adapt to new realities and lifelong learning.

  Q15. What are the objectives of lifelong learning? 

As part of the Lisbon Strategy, the progress report regarding the implementation of the Lisbon decisions shows that they are a long way from being achieved, in particular with regards to the participation of adults in lifelong learning. Furthermore, as part of the guidelines for Growth and Jobs in the European Union, the need to provide young people with necessary key skills and to improve their level of school performance has also been recognised.
Thus, the introduction of the concept of learning to learn refers to the ability to initiate and pursue a learning process and to organize one's own learning, which includes the effective management of time and information, both individually and in groups. This skill implies that one is aware of one's own method of learning and own needs, can identify available opportunities, and can demonstrate the ability to overcome obstacles to successful learning. This skill also signifies gaining, processing and assimilating new knowledge and skills, as well as seeking and making use of learning support.
Learning to learn obliges learners to build on their experiences of life and their previous education to apply knowledge and skills in a variety of contexts - at home, at work, in education and during training.
Motivation and confidence are crucial for the acquisition of this skill.