Erasmus Mundus: Transforming European Higher Education Through Joint Master Degrees

Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degrees (EMJMD) are specialist 2 year degree programmes operated by a consortia of universities from Erasmus+ programme and partner countries. Students on these degrees benefit from inbuilt mobility opportunities to study in a minium of two European countries. Degrees accredited as Erasmus Mundus benefit from specialist scholarships and promotion provided by the European Union. EMJMDs represent a full integration of the learning and teaching process through direct collaboration and best practice development among consortia members via joint programme and course delivery as well as staff exchange. EMJMDs have the potential to transform the way postgraduate education is understood and delivered in Europe, however they often face a range of national and institutional challenges including specific national rules on the charging of tuition fees and the right to award joint degrees, national visa allocation regulations, and capacity to deliver large scale popular degrees. For the UK, uncertainity about its involvement in Erasmus+ following the Brexit decision of June 2016 has created unease among participant institutions. This roundtable brings together a number of existing EMJMD programme directors and administrative staff to debate how they (1) forsee the future of UK participation in Erasmus+, (2) identify solutions to national obstacles to delivery and (3) how they can work with national agencies and education ministries to promote increased use of EMJMDs as a means to improve intercultural awareness, shared knowledge and new learning and teaching opportunities.