Greek universities could offer three-year degree programmes

Greek universities which fare poorly in world rankings could switch to letting students gain degrees in three years instead of four under a plan that is drawing blowback from some university officials, professors and students, reports The National Herald.

It would come under the European Union’s 1999 Bologna Process to ensure compatibility of degrees across the bloc and beyond, in a 48-state European Higher Education Area including countries such as Georgia, Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine. The Bologna Process has adopted the 3-2-3 system of education: three years for an undergraduate degree, two (mostly) for a masters and three for a doctorate. Among EU states, only Bulgaria, Cyprus and Greece do not offer three-year undergraduate degrees and the government is trying to attract more foreign students with English-language programmes.

Private universities that will soon start operating in Greece will offer three-year bachelor degree programmes and provide competition for state institutions, but their Greek graduates, as well as those studying abroad face some bureaucratic issues.
Full report on The National Herald site