1. H3E is formed by the two main associations of European engineering schools, SEFI (European Society for Engineering Education) and CESAER (Conference of European Schools for Advanced Engineering Education and Research), and by a very active association of engineering students, namely BEST (Board of European Students of Technology); it has obtained the support of the European Commission (DG XXII) under the ‘Socrates’ programme .
2. All wg2 documents are available on the Internet at the address http// www.hut.Fi/MisE/H3E/wg2 .
3. Communication on recognition of qualifications for academic and professional purposes, presented by the European Commission to die Council and the European Parliament, December 1994. See also ‘Synergies between academic recognition and professional recognition’, results of the organized debate; a report produced by DG XXII in collaboration with DG XV, April 1996 .
4. I am not particularly fond of these definitions I am using them in this paper (and the wg2 documents), but am quite ready to change them if better ones are suggested .
5. However, this ‘alternative institutions’ structure is undergoing significant changes in the very country (Germany) where it appeared most firmly established in fact, the new Federal Law on Higher Education allows the award of 3- and 5-year degrees by all post-secondary educational institutions .