Essential Elements 

The principle elements of the Bologna Process are as follows:

• European Credit System
• European Degree Supplement
• Two Cycle Structure
• Quality Guarantee

• EHEA was created in 1989 in response to the need of the ERASMUS program to develop a unified system of recognition of studies carried out in other countries. The system was gradually adopted by the various countries involved to facilitate credit transfers for exchange students. 
• The Bologna Process generalized the ECTS system, previously used exclusively as a transfer system within the exchange programs themselves, to include all students and EHEA state educational systems as both a credit transfer and cumulative factor.
• This is a basic premise for achieving transparency and an indispensable condition for structuring study plans.
• It implies a change of mentality in our attitude towards teaching and learning in that it requires a new approach to the question of the learning process by giving first place to the work students are to carry out. It is a teaching model centered on learning (the total volume of student work) more than on teaching (class hours) and which will require the use of new methodologies focused more than ever on the dexterity, skills and competence of the students themselves.
• It numerically evaluates the real student workload by estimating the volume of work required for each unit of the course relative to what will be needed to complete the year.
• The ECTS system establishes at 60 credits the volume of a full-time student´s total work for one academic year. Thus, one semester´s work is equivalent to 30 credits and one trimester, 20 credits. Considering that academic activity represents approximately 40 weeks per year and a workload at about 40 hours per week, the European credit is set at a work volume of between 25 and 30 hours (1,500-1,800 work hours per student per year).
• Likewise it important that the examination results are stated according to a grade scale which allows for comparison between different systems: these are the so-called ECTS grades, which take into account the percentage achieved by the students in each of their subjects. 
• The use of the European credit system involves the use of two standardized documents which give information in a bilingual format:

  The Information Package offers relevant information on the institution and the study programs, explaining the subjects and the credits assigned to each one of them.

  The transcript of records describes the results obtained by the students, specifying the number of credits assigned to each subject and the ESTS grade.

    

• Basic working tool which complements the use of the ECTS to facilitate transparency as well as the academic and professional recognition of the degrees. 
• It is a standardized document (see model) which accompanies the official degree and contains all the relevant information regarding the studies carried out specifically for each degree. Objective data are given in detail concerning the nature, level, content and context of the studies carried out.
• It aspires to remaining open at all times to possible updates and refresher courses through the student's life.
• It is a simple and transparent means of reference and recognition for studies which the student has carried out in other European universities.

The Bologna process requires a two-tier system to be adopted, which will lead to three different degrees.

1. First degree level:
   • Degree of Bachelor 
   • Length: 180-240 ECTS, which requires three to four years of full-time study.
   • This degree should be considered as an end point in itself, that is, as something which gives the student the qualification necessary to enter the world of work.

   To enter postgraduate studies and obtain the degrees of Master and Doctor, it will be necessary to have completed the Bachelor' s degree.

2. Postgraduate studies:

   Degree: Master  Includes a total of 300 ECTS, that is, five years of full-time study. Depending on the length and content of the Bachelor's degree, there is a certain amount of flexibility, but a minimum of 60 ECTS should be obtained at postgraduate level in a particular specialized area.

   Degree: Doctor The Master's degree opens the way to doctoral studies, although if a student shows that he or she has the necessary skills, he or she may enter doctoral studies directly.

     

In the last instance, all the reforms undertaken as part of the Bologna process are a response to the desire to raise the quality of European higher education. However, there is also some confusion about the process, because of the great diversity that exists among the different European systems. There are still many challenges facing us in our negotiations to bring the ways of guaranteeing quality into harmony with each other, and this requires a joint effort on the part of all those involved in higher education. Gradually, within the European area of higher education, different moves are being made to achieve this objective:

• In this context it is useful to mention the report Tuning Educational Structures in Europe, which is intended to determine the points of reference for the general and specific competences required in each discipline, in a series of thematic areas.
• On the other hand, at the European level, the European Network for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA) has an important role. This was established in March 2000 to spread information and good practice in the area of quality (among states and quality agencies) and to promote European cooperation in this area.
• Another initiative which is worthy of mention here is the Joint Quality Initiative, in which Spain and some other countries participate, which is a network to guarantee the quality and accreditation of Bachelor's and Master's programs in Europe.