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by Anne-Marie D
I don't think I'm the only one who finds it very difficult to 'translate' my European university degree to an international setting. Words like 'Master' and 'Bachelor' are thrown about but usually mean very different things in different countries.
Now I thought there would be an end to this when European leaders convened in 1999 to speak about the different educational systems in Europe. Unfortunately, the result, the Bologna Process does not aim to harmonize national educational systems but rather provides tools to connect them. The European Diploma Supplement (DS) is one such tool. It aims to describe the qualification a student receives in a standard format that is easy to understand and compare. This is one step in the right direction but in the meanwhile, it seems that we'll have to deal with many different systems, levels and qualifications for a while longer. That's why I thought I'd give a bit of an overview for those of you who are looking to Study Abroad in Europe and a little confused regarding what 'First', 'Diplom' and 'Licenciado' mean.
To be continued..
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