foundationsin contrast to the swiss example, simultaneous mergers in england seem to be more
linked to factors other than those connected with the Bologna process. The university
of the arts london and the university for the Creative arts have been established
over the last few years but the reasons for the merger of a number of institutions have
apparently more to do with British quality assurance mechanisms and the policies of
degree- awarding powers. one reason is that the Bologna process has never been such
a revolutionary scheme in the uK as in other countries.
still, Bologna is an important driving force in the development of arts education
and research in europe. henk Borgdorff from the university of the arts, The hague
underlines this fact in a recent interview:
The current hype about ‘artistic research’ cannot be fully understood without
taking into account the higher education reforms now occurring all over
continental europe. Consistent with the Bologna process and the establishment
of three- cycle structure (bachelors, masters, doctorate), ‘research’ has been
introduced into areas of higher education that used to focus mainly on
professional training. ‘Research’ has now become a central task in former
polytechnics, Fachhochschulen and universities of applied sciences, including
(in most countries) institutes of higher arts education.
Not everywhere in Europe do people feel comfortable with this, in
some quarters – for instance in Germany – there is still strong opposition to
‘Bologna’. The issue is whether Bologna, and the introduction of research, is
a dictate and threat coming from outside art and arts education, or whether it
is a chance and a challenge for art and arts education. My assessment is that
introducing artistic research enables a free space to be created within arts
education for what might be called ‘material thinking’.
(Borgdorff 2009b)The general picture of european art school after the first years of the Bologna process
has been described in a document published by the ‘inter}artes’ thematic network:
The overall picture of higher arts education in europe shows that a large
variety of universities and professional training institutions, as well as
independent academies, delivers higher arts education that leads to similar
levels of qualifications, regardless of whether it is delivered in a professional or
academic institution. most institutions providing higher arts education have
now implemented a 2- or 3-cycle structure, with a 3- or 4-year Bachelor’s
degree and a 1-, 1½- or 2-year master’s degree. This does not necessarily mean
that the clarity and transparency has increased.
In some countries as well as in some arts disciplines, such as Dance,
Higher Arts Education is not (yet) entitled to deliver Masters’ programmes
and/or third cycle programmes, which will lead to persisting problems of
mobility and comparability of qualifications. Some arts institutions, delivering
similar qualifications as other institutes, have no higher education status and
in some countries arts institutes are accountable to their Ministry of Culture,
rather than to their Ministry of Education, which leads to very different