Macquarie University may become the first Australian university to fully align its degree structures with Europe, North America and China by adopting the ‘Bologna model’.
Macquarie’s principal academic body, Academic Senate, will formally consider adopting this model from 2013 when it meets on November 15. Under the proposal, Macquarie would introduce a two-year Masters degree as the standard pathway to PhD study, replacing Honours in almost all cases.
Current one-year Honours degrees are not widely recognised outside Australia and provide a less effective research training pathway than the proposed two-year Masters program. The total time to completion of a PhD will remain unchanged but the quality of the training will be significantly better.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) at Macquarie University, Professor Jim Piper, said the move, if adopted, would result in a significant extra investment by the University, as all domestic Masters students undertaking the new research training Masters at Macquarie will receive scholarships throughout their study.
"This is an investment we’re happy to make, because our graduates will gain a competitive advantage both nationally and internationally when they apply for jobs, especially early-career academic and research positions," he said. "They’ll also be better prepared for doctoral studies and have better articulation and joint-PhD options with overseas universities.
"It will also help us attract the best students, assist in the negotiation of co-operative research agreements with European, North American, Chinese and Indian universities, and strengthen our standing as a truly international research university," Professor Piper added.
"This new initiative is further evidence that Macquarie University is keen to be a research leader in Australia, building upon a strong performance in the most recent ERA analysis. We aim to increase the numbers of top students proceeding to higher degree studies, contributing to Australia’s research capacity for the future."
About the Bologna model
While the actual naming of the degrees vary from country to country, the typical structure has a three-year Bachelor’s degree, followed by a two-year Masters and a three-year PhD. For this reason, the model is sometimes referred to as 3+2+3.
It was created to ensure greater mobility from one country to another in Europe for the purpose of further study or employment, as well as from Europe to North America, which has essentially the same structure with a five-year Masters/PhD program. Forty-seven countries now participate in the Bologna Process.
