Value of Graduates' Degree and Competences Detailed in Diploma Supplement

European Diploma Supplement Attached to Wittenborg Graduates Degree in Future

The degrees of future graduates at Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences will include a European Diploma Supplement (EDS) -  a standardised document making it easier for employers and other institutions to grasp the value of someone’s qualification by offering a detailed description of the studies completed and the competences acquired.

The Diploma Supplement is an important tool of the European Higher Education Area, ensuring graduates that their degrees are recognised by higher education institutions, public authorities and employers in their home countries as well as abroad. Graduates in all countries taking part in the Bologna Process have the right to receive the Diploma Supplement automatically.  

Wittenborg's chair of the executive board, Peter Birdsall, said the institution's Education and Examination Guide has been updated in this respect. "Examples of the degrees awarded are now contained in Part 9, and the EDS has been completely re-written and re-worked to give even greater transparency to the value of the degrees, for other educators and employers," Birdsall said.

In time for first MBM graduates

The update has been made to coincide with the design of Wittenborg's new, not yet awarded, Master of Science degree (Master of Business Management). The Diploma Supplement is produced by higher education institutions according to standards agreed by the Commission, the Council of Europe and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). It is also part of the Europass Framework transparency tools.

What are the benefits?

• The Diploma Supplement renders qualifications and programmes of study more easily comparable for students between countries across Europe.
• It offers a detailed description of the studies completed and provides an indication of the competences acquired in the course.
• The supplement may also facilitate access to its holders to employment and further study opportunities abroad by boosting the recognition of academic qualifications by both higher education institutions and employers internationally.
• For higher education institutions, it offers enhanced recognition of the academic qualifications they provide. It improves the visibility of institutions, both by other higher education institutions and employers.
• The supplement also helps safeguard the institutional autonomy of higher education institutions by providing a common framework for the recognition of academic qualifications and helps to reduce the administrative burden faced by many institutions.

WUP 6/12/2020
by James Wittenborg
© WUAS Press