EUROPEAN HIGHER EDUCATION INTEGRATION UNDER REGIONAL INTEGRATION THEORY

EUROPEAN HIGHER EDUCATION INTEGRATION UNDER REGIONAL INTEGRATION THEORY

Phung Thi Hong Van pthvan@moet.edu.vn VNU-HN University of Social Sciences and Humanities 336 Nguyen Trai, Hanoi, Vietnam
Summary: 
This paper analyzes European higher education integration through the lens of regional integration theory, focusing on the Bologna Process and the Erasmus Mundus program. According to neofunctionalism, the Bologna Process has standardized degree structures and promoted the mobility of students and lecturers within the European Union by recognizing each country’s degrees and professional certificates. At the same time, the Erasmus program promotes the mobility of students and lecturers within the European community by allowing them to undertake flexible mobility for a specific period. Under intergovernmentalism, the Bologna Process and the Erasmus Mundus program, promote standardization within the Union and respect the autonomy of each country’s higher education system. In new regionalism, the European Union has recognized the involvement of different actors and levels of governance, from the Union institutions to national and local governments and other educational institutions. Despite specific achievements, the integration of higher education in the European Union still faces limitations due to differences in educational systems, the autonomy of each member state, and unequal financial and support resources within the regional integration process.
Keywords: 
higher education
regional integration
globalization
Erasmus Mundus.
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