Well, Spain is not the only European country that has decided to use four-year degrees. Scotland, Greece and various countries in Eastern Europe also do. And plenty of other countries have considered the possibility, such as Belgium, Luxemburg, Hungary, etc.
The Bologna Process considered two possible alternatives: Degrees with 240 ECTS credits (four years) or 180 ECTS credits (three years). Basically, Spain opted for the former. Do you want to know why? Here are five good reasons:
- Although some European countries have set the duration of the first cycle at 180 ECTS credits for part of their qualifications, 240 credits will fit better with other important university systems around the world (USA, Latin America, Asia, etc.) and in Spain.
- The majority of European students will be eligible to receive their first qualification at the same age as Spaniards (at 22 years old), since a large majority of the countries that have opted for 180 have a university entry age of 19, while in Spain it is 18. Equivalence is therefore established in the total number of school years.
- Qualifications with 240 credits will allow for a greater level of practical studying, external internships and mobility, which are essential elements of this reform. It should be pointed out that the 240 credits will include all the activities that count towards obtaining the qualification (practical experience, languages, work or graduate project, etc.).
- The design based on 240 credits should help to narrow the gap between the theoretical duration of the course and the real average duration for full time students, something that currently does not occur in many cases (with very long completion delays). The adaptation of the theoretical duration to the real duration will be one of the evaluation criteria of universities.
- Degrees with 240 credits will provide access to the labour market as they are easily recognisable university degrees that do not require a second level of training.
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Declaración de Bolonia
