Degree reforms in Scandinavian higher education - intersection between Europeanization and national policies
Degree reforms in Scandinavian higher education - intersection between Europeanization and national policies

Summary/Abstract: European higher education (HE) systems have undergone wide-scale reforms during the first two decades of the millennium. Some were the result of national policies; others were the result of Europeanization and globalization processes. The purpose of this article is to further the understanding of the mechanisms operating at the intersection between national policies and the Europeanization processes in HE. The article focuses on the Bologna degree structure reform and its implementation in the Scandinavian countries.At first, Europeanization definitions and related theories are reviewed, with emphasis on HE. The degree reform in Scandinavian HE is described and analyzed in the context of Europeanization reforms and national policies. Then, national approaches in the context of Europeanization perspectives are examined through a comparison of reform reasoning in Bologna and national documents and related articles. The analysis indicates that where national agenda was in accordance with Europeanization procedures, the implementation pace was higher, although eventually all three countries fully implemented the reform.

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