The 12 Features of the European Degree are a set of common criteria developed by the European Commission to support the creation of a European Degree label — a recognition given to joint programmes that demonstrate deep European integration in their design, delivery, and outcomes.
These features aim to strengthen cross-border cooperation in higher education, increase the visibility and recognition of joint degrees, and promote the development of a European Education Area.
Key Objectives
The 12 Features aim to:
Happens when one or more substantial periods of mobility is structure to obtain a degree and that the curriculum is inherently delocalised.
Is the ability to meet others in their own language and when international exchanges are not reduced to a single lingua franca, opening up the richness of the deep diversity of languages and cultures.
Is the decisive shift towards socio-constructivist, student-centered pedagogies, with all professors having a deep knowledge of the didactics of their fields, team-working to apply the most effective methods.
Refers to professors having a comprehensive and extensive knowledge and a deep and critical reflection to teach and expect from their students to a high demand.
Is the possibility for courses to be chosen (or not) in different moments, by students of different programmes, without overall constraints, only because they fit pedagogically in the individual paths.
Discards the concept of elitism confined to an «Ivory Tower» and holds that there is no relevant science without conscience.
Is the possibility for all students to choose their own course track to fulfill the learning outcomes required for their desired degree.
Implies no longer being interested in the teacher’s delivery, but in what the student will ultimately be able to achieve as a learning outcome. The programmes are delivered in a way that encourages students to take an active role in creating the learning process, and that the assessment of students reflects this approach.
Gives students the awareness that complex problems require a synergy of very different disciplines to be tackled, and the competence to do so.
Means raising students’ awareness of research methods and results in various ways according to their level and ambitions.
Needs enable students to be very flexible and anticipatory in a job market and competence expectation that will change dramatically in the coming decades.
Involves learning by nearly constantly immersing students in a conducive, stimulating, visionary environment to solve real-world challenges.
These features serve as a voluntary quality benchmark, supporting alliances such as European University Alliances in offering joint degrees that reflect European values, quality, and excellence in education.
The 12 Features represent a step toward a truly European approach to higher education — one that is inclusive, collaborative, and future-ready.