Cro4Bologna

1
Cro4Bologna

• Workshop B
• Academic profile and employment of Masters
• Opatija, March 4-5, 2005

2
General

• Workshop participants included members of
  academia, students and press
• Issues discussed were
• Inclusion of transferable skills in the curricula
• Transfer Bachelor-Masters between different
  disciplines form the position of the student and
  the employer
• Relation between old and new degrees
• - Overload problems

3
Transferable skills

• 20 ECTS credits reserved for courses outside main
  field (example Mach. Eng. In Zagreb). This
  depends on other faculties within University to
  provide such courses. Possible problem is
  schedule collision.
• Students ask for more specific determination of
  such courses management, crisis management,
  writing, presentations skills. (Some of this is
  high-school related, too).

4
Transfer between studies

• Possible and needed. Potential confusion for the
  employers (no clear degree) will not be a
  problem, since this possibility is actually being
  introduced following job market demands.
• Management is a subject which combines well with
  all others.
• Bachelor should give more generic skills and
  enable choice of different path for MA.
• Employers are interested more in skills and less
  in particular knowledge (discussion!), so the
  transfer is possible if the skills are right.

5
Transfer

• But, knowledge stems from root, especially in
  natural sciences and engineering, so one has to
  be careful. Difference between fields should be
  considered.
• Urban studies (Zagreb). Multidisciplinary program
  with three different components. First semester
  is reserved for making up missing component(s).

6
Transfer employers

• New combined competences may be difficult to
  understand. Diploma supplement will become
  important source of information for the employer.

7
Old new degrees

• New system encourages continuation Bachelor-
  Master more than before.
• Old Masters degree is replaced by specialist
  master this is even more in accordance to job
  market needs (shorter and more focused).
• Possibility of part time doctoral studies 6
  years.

8
Overload

• Situations huge groups for lectures and exams
  (economy, tourism), honorary professors, chaos.
  Exams not taken seriously from professors.
• Consequence study looks meaningless.
• Cause too few teaching staff vs. to many
  students.