Global Views of Romanian Higher Education

For many years now, Romanian higher education institutions have been trying to gain global recognition. The major issues preventing such recognition are the lack of a globally recognized curricula and a grading system that is foreign to most other universities. Prior to the year 1990, Romanian universities were entirely excluded from global acknowledgment, though this is starting to change.

Various Romanian universities have begun to work with certain European countries and with universities in the United States, so that Romanian higher education may be interchangeable with higher education from other countries. Presently, many Romanian universities are attempting to alter programs in order to conform to the European Higher Education System.

Numerous programs have been created as a result of Romanian university collaboration efforts. Such programs include eLearn, Monet, CEEPUS, Tempus, Copernicus, and Fulbright. All of these programs combine Romanian universities with universities from Europe and from the United States. Further, many Romanian universities are now open to international students through exchange programs – something that would have been impossible prior to 1990.

Romanian university graduates often have a hard time proving the validity of a bachelor’s degree in other countries, though this is starting to change as well. The Netherlands is one country that has begun to recognize Romanian graduate degrees as valid. This is encouraging to students who may wish to enter a workforce other than the one in Romania.

Engineers who graduate from a Romanian university can now gain the title of “European Engineer” provided that the university attended is recognized by FEANI (European Federation of National Engineering Associations). Even though Romanian education was once shunned throughout the rest of the world, this type of degradation is starting to fade.

While not all Romanian universities are officially recognized throughout the world, the fact that Romania is striving to adapt to the European Higher Education System holds promise for future recognition of all Romanian universities. For the time being, students who attend Romanian universities that are in partnership with European and North American universities can freely move about the globe working with a Romanian degree in internal audit.