Raport România 2009

Completed National Reports and National Strategies for the Social Dimension should be sent to the Bologna Secretariat by email ([email protected]) no later than 1 November 2008. PART I BOLOGNA PROCESS TEMPLATE FOR NATIONAL REPORTS: 2007-2009 Notes: BFUG members are strongly encouraged to consult other stakeholders about the contents of their National Report. Please complete your National Report in English using this template (shaded areas) and return it to the Secretariat by email. Where appropriate, please include precise web references to legislation or other documentation. Please add comments as appropriate under each question to describe the current situation. Please try to keep text brief, while aiming to answer all questions comprehensively. National Reports will be posted on the Bologna website in their original form. Information from National Reports will form the basis of the Stocktaking Report to be presented to Ministers when they meet in April 2009. Details Country ROMANIA Date 30.10.2008 BFUG member (one name only) Mihai KORKA Position Senior Advisor to the Secretary of State in charge with Higher Education Email address [email protected] Contributors to the report Camelia Sturza 1 1. Main developments since London 2007 Please describe the important developments relating to the Bologna Process, including legislative reforms and changes in institutional structures, since the London meeting in 2007. The legal framework for the implementation of the Bologna process in Romanian universities was adopted between 2004 and 2006. Since the London meeting in 2007 the main developments in the Romanian higher education system are related to the implemention at university management level of the new legal provisions and the monitoring of this process by the Ministry of Education, Research and Youth and its consultative bodies. The Law No. 288/2004 on the structure of university studies was adopted by the Romanian Parliament as a response to the commitment of all representatives of the academic community to sustain the Bologna objectives as stated in the Bologna Declaration and in the communiqees of the ministerial follow-up meetings. The implementation of the above mentioned Law started in 2005 with the introduction of the new type first cycle and the re-organization of doctoral studies in form of third cycle in the newlly set-up Doctoral Schools. The second cycle was launched only in 2008-2009 as the first cohort of the Bologna type bachelor degree studies has graduated. Now all Romanian HEIs have fully implemented the new structure of university studies, according to the accreditation they have as HE providers. The Law No.87/2006 on quality assurance in education regulates the institutional and methodological aspects of quality assurance and is fully complying with the ESG issued by ENQA and adopted by ministers at their Bergen Conference in 2005. The Romanian Agency for Quality Assurance in HE (ARACIS) started to operate in late 2006. After piloting universities for one academic year (2006/2008) in their self- evaluation effort at both institution and programme level and after the first exercises of external evaluation according to the newlly set-up methodologies (with student involvement and participation of foreign experts), ARACIS asked EUA and ESU to carry out external reviews of its own activities and the new internal and external evaluation methodology. The final goal of this request of ARACIS is the full membreship in ENQA and the future acceptance in the EQAR. Romania participates as governmental member in the General Assembly of the EQAR since the founding assembly in March 2008. Recognizing the positive impact of ARACIS' external evaluation, the National Council for Higher Education Financing decided to increase the quota of quality indicators in the founding formula from 20% in 2006 to 30% in 2009, the remaining 70% depending on the number of equivalent students. The Agency for Qualifications in HE and Partnership between Universities and Socio-Economic Environment (ACPART) has been empowered in 2005 as national autority for the design and administration of the National Qualifications Framework in HE. ACPART developed its own methodology for the design of qualifications awarded in each of the 3 cycles. It has also completed the pilot phase demonstrating the applicability and the usefullness of the specific and transversal descriptors. The self-certification is an on-gowing process but it needs more knowledge and experience shared with similar autorities in other EHEA countries. 2 The university-business link is fostered through Law No. 258/2007 on student internships. The implementation of its provisions aims at improving quality and content of internships which represent a compulsory component of curricula. Minister Order No. 4022/2008 has empowered the updated "Methodology of Recognition and Equivalence of Diplomas, Certificates and Scientific Titles". The updated version of the Methodology aims at shortening, making more transparent and simplifying the recognition procedure followed by the Romanian Center for Recognition and Equivalence which was set up and become operational as a member of the ENIC-NARIC Network in 1999. In spring 2008, eight major projects concerning various aspects of the impact of the Bologna process on university management were aproved to be financed through the European Social Fund. These strategic development projects involve different national agencies as well as HEIs and local and international experts which will continue and enhance the on-going transformation process in the Romanian higher education. A list of the projects and of their major objectives is presented hereinafter: - Improving Quality Management at system and institutional level in the Romanian higher education. The project aims at strengthening the link between learning outcomes and quality management in the learning programmes of all the 3 cycles. - Developing an operational system of qualifications in in the Romanian higher education. The final goal of the project is to offer an appropriate instrument for the dialogue between universities and stakeholders aiming at enhancing employability of the graduates of first, second and third cycles of studies. - Quality and Leadership in Romanian higher education. Beneficiaries of the project outcomes are the management teams in Romanian universities as well as all members of the academic community. A special interest is devoted to the balance between academic and financial and logistic managemnent of HEIs and its impact on the services provided on the campuses. - Improving University Management. This project is focussing on the improvement of transparency and accountability of university management in the dynamic interface offered by local and international higher education providers active in the market as well as in the context of improved interaction of universities with businesses. -The Single Intake Register in Romanian higher education creates an overarching support to the many facettes of the administrative work related to the studentbody of the country. It will improve the databases for financing higher education, awarding various types of scholarships and social aid measures, administrating loan schemes for students, tracking the student from his/her first contact to a HEI up to the placement on the labour market in the first three years after graduation. - Fair access to information - a key to recognition of studies. The goal of this project is to develop means and ways to improve content and quality of information provided in Romanian and in at least one Europe-wide used language at system and at institution level concerning the qualifications awarded in Romanian universities after sussessfull graduation of studies of the first, second and third cycle programmes. - Doctoral studies and doctoral schools in Romania. The project assists financially and methodologically institutions and persons in their endeavor to develop the Bologna third cycle study programmes. - Evaluating quality of research in universities and increasing visibility of scientific output. The project is meant to develop appropriate tools and competences to 3 evaluate quality of university research, its impact on quality of higher education as well as visibility and recognition of research output. 4 2. Partnership Please describe the structure which oversees the implementation of the Bologna Process in your country. The Ministry of Education, Research and Youth with the support of its consultative bodies (National Council for Higher Education Funding - CNFIS, National Council for Research in Higher Education - CNCSIS, Romanian Agency for Quality Assurance - ARACIS, the Agency for Qualifications in Higher Education and Partnership with representatives of the Economic and Social Environment - ACPART) and in close cooperation with universities, the Romanian Rectors' Conference and with student unions. a) Does your country have a national working group for Bologna follow-up 1 Yes No b) Does your national Bologna follow-up group include representatives of Ministry Yes No Rectors’ conference Yes No Academic staff Yes No Students Yes No Staff trade unions Yes No National Quality Assurance Agency Yes No Employers Yes No Other (please specify) National Council for Higher Education Funding and the Council for Recognition and Equivalence of Studies Abroad c) Does your country have a Bologna promoters’ group2 Yes No d) Does your national Bologna promoters’ group include representatives of Ministry Yes No Rectors’ conference Yes No Academic staff Yes No Students Yes No Staff trade unions Yes No National Quality Assurance Agency Yes No Employers Yes No Other (please specify) Please add any additional comments if necessary: 1 A group that develops policy proposals for implementing the Bologna Process 2 A group that supports/advises HEIs on implementation of the Bologna Process 5 The Bologna promoters' group disseminates information in 4 fields of expertise: the curricular reform in the context of the 3 cycle higher education system, ECTS and recognition, Quality Assurance, and HE Qualifications Framework. 6 DEGREE SYSTEM 3. Stage of implementation of the first and second cycle a) Please describe the progress made towards introducing the first and second cycles. Law No. 288/2004 on the organization of university studies has created the legal framework for the implementation of the 3-cycle higher education structure . The implementation of the first and second cycle was largelly supported by secondary legislation as follows: The first cycle (Bachelor) was introduced in Romanian universities staring with academic year 2005/2006 by taking into consideration the provisions of Government Decision No. 1175/2005 and Minister Order No. 3235/2005. The second cycle (Master) was extensively regulated by Government Decision No. 404/2006, but provisions were implemented only starting with the academic year 2008/2009 as the first generation of the new type of Bachelor students has reached the graduation of the first cycle. Starting with academic year 2008/2009 the first and second cycle are fully implemented. b) Please give the percentage of the total number of all3 students below doctoral level enrolled in the two cycle degree system in 2008/09. Total number of all Number enrolled in the % of all students enrolled students below doctoral two cycle degree system in the two cycle degree level in 2008/094 system in 2008/09 909 730 in accredited HEIs 909 730 in accredited HEIs 100% c) Please add comments which accurately describe the current situation regarding implementation of the two cycle system in your country: In most of the study fields, the first cycle has a duration of 3 years (6 semesters) accounting for 180 ECTS. In engineering the duration of the first cycle is of 4 years (8 semesters) with 240 ECTS. A combination of first and second cycle studies accounts for 300 ECTS. Qualifications for the regulated part of the labour market are provided through integrated programmes. 4. Stage of implementation of the third cycle Please describe the progress made towards implementing doctoral studies as the third Bologna cycle. Please include: • the percentage of doctoral candidates following structured doctoral programmes including both taught courses and independent research 3 “All” = all students who could be involved in 2-cycle system i.e. NOT those in doctoral programmes and NOT those in short HE programmes. NB Students of ALL study fields are taken into account 4 If countries have more recent data available after November 1, they can provide an update but no later than January 15, 2009 7  • the normal length of full-time doctoral studies • other elements5 apart from independent research that are included in doctoral study programmes • the supervisory and assessment procedures for doctoral studies • information on whether doctoral studies are included in your country’s qualifications framework and linked to learning outcomes • information on whether interdisciplinary training and the development of transferable skills are integrated in doctoral studies • information on whether credit points are used in measuring workload in doctoral studies. • Information on the status of the doctoral students (students, early stage researchers, both) Government Decision No. 567/2005 represents the legal framework for the structure and organization of doctoral studies as third cycle university studies. All (100%) doctoral candidates enrolled starting with academic year 2005/2006 follow structured doctoral programmes including taught courses and independent research work. The normal length of full-time doctoral studies is of 3 years, but doctoral candidates have the right - under specific conditions - to ask for another 1 to 2 academic years in order to finish their final research paper, by showing a solid motivation for the postponement of the public defense. Full-time candidates have also teaching activities as part of their doctoral studies. The independent research of each candidate is supervised by 1-2 professors and/or researchers. During the independent reasearch activities each candidate has to present 2 preliminary research papers on the work in progress. The assessment is organised by each Doctoral School by using blind (electronical) evaluation of the research paper, without knowing the name of the author or of the doctoral supervisor(s). The publication of parts of the research output in internationally circulated/recognised/ reviews or citation in data bases is also requested. In the National Qualifications Framework for Higher Education doctoral studies have been included by means of specific descriptors related to learning outcomes. Interdisciplinary training of doctoral candidates: 33% to 50% of the taught courses are chosen from a list of topics by each doctoral candidate according to the specific field of interest in his or her independent research. 5 E.g. taught courses in the chosen discipline, other taught courses, teaching activities (if these are required as part of doctoral studies), etc. 8 Most Doctoral Schools are using ECTS only for the first year of advanced studies in order to show accumulated credits for the passed taught courses. Some of the Doctoral Schools are using ECTS for the full programme of doctoral candidates (workload refering to taught courses and preliminary research papers). According to the provisions of Government Decision No. 567/2005, doctoral candidates are considered early stage researchers. Starting with academic year 2008/2009 they also benefit of grants financed through European Social Funds.