This house calls for the introduction of two-year degrees as standard

The length of full-time undergraduate degree courses varies from country to country, and may not be standard even within one education system. However, around the world four-year degrees are most common, with five years or more not unknown in countries such as Germany and Italy. England stands out as the main example of three-year degree courses, although within the UK Scottish undergraduate courses are usually four years in length and this is becoming increasingly common elsewhere in the UK. Since 1976 the private University of Buckingham in southern England has pioneered two-year undergraduate degrees¹, but until recently this had little influence on mainstream higher education in the UK or elsewhere. From 2007 onwards the UK government began to re-examine the way in which university courses were delivered, funding pilot studies for two-year degrees in several universities. 2010 financial pressures on the UK education system have led to a wider debate on whether two-year undergraduate degrees would be better for both students and the taxpayer.

This case presents the arguments for shorter undergraduate degree courses with the UK debate in mind – this would mean a reduction of most undergraduate degrees from three years to two. However, the arguments could equally well apply to other countries, where proposals may be for a decrease from four or five years to three. This may be particularly relevant to continental European universities, as the Bologna process² by which European higher education will be harmonised towards a standard three-year Bachelor degree will affect them over the next few years.

¹University of Buckingham, http://www.buckingham.ac.uk/about/twoyear

²Bologna process, 2009, http://www.ond.vlaanderen.be/hogeronderwijs/bologna/about/