Flexible European Life-Long Learning Pathways: ECIU University’s take on the “European Degree”

The European Consortium of Innovative Universities (ECIU) has published a white paper sharing their view on a “European Degree”.The essence of what ECIU proposes as the European Degree is not a ‘degree’ in the traditional sense. ECIU proposes a European competence passport, built upon individual and flexible learning pathways based entirely on the learners' choices and needs.

For ECIU, a “European Degree” is a 21st Century competence passport extending lifelong learning through micro-credentials. The introduction of the European Degree is an excellent opportunity to support the transformation of European higher education from a one-for-all education towards agile and personalised learning paths for life. At ECIU University, we believe that the micro-credentials movement is a powerful disruptive force and key change lever to achieve this transformative agenda, as stated by our Vision 2030 and Micro-Credentials White Paper .

In ECIU University, ECIU pioneers with a challenge-based instead of degree-based education on a European scale. ECIU offers interdisciplinary and flexible education, tailored to the needs of society and learners. ​The high degree of flexibility of the educational pathway will enable life-long learners to access education more easily.

As one of the first 17 pilot alliances of the European Universities’ initiative, ECIU University creates a platform where learners, researchers, society and industry, can work together to find innovative solutions to real-life challenges. The learners get micro-credential for individual courses, which they gather in a competence passport tailored to their needs, instead of offering a fixed “one-size-fits-all” degree. This aligns with the ECIU University Mission for 2030: “ECIU University is an agile, open agora at the European level for solving multi-disciplinary societal challenges, doing research, and learning for life.”