Kryazhev P. The Tendencies of Reforming Higher Education in the Countries of Western Europe

The thesis is devoted to scientific substantiation of the tendencies of reforming higher education in the countries of Western Europe at the end of XX century as well as the beginning of XXI century. The features of evolution, structure of higher education, factors of influence towards the modernization of higher school in the countries of Western Europe are identified and examined. They were technological progress, processes of globalization and democratization, restriction on public spending for higher education, changes of the labour market, marketization of higher education, national self-determination and self-respect, condition material and financial ensuring, permanent competition between two lines of conduct (the intention of HEI to increase their autonomy and the opposing desire of supreme leading structures to stimulate work of inspectorial services). Higher education in the countries of Western Europe has evolved from a pyramidal frame (elitist model) to a modern mass version (many countriesof Western Europe have reached a participation rate for youth of 70-80 % at the beginning of XXI century). The features of modern structural frame of higher education in the countries of Western Europe are examined. They were multi-tied degree structure (3-tied standard of degrees for the countries-participant of Bologna process), availability of first doctor degree (doctor of philosophy - Ph.D), binary structure of higher education, availability of post-secondary education or transitional qualifications and availability of the standard basic requirements for entry into higher education was the successful completion of a general upper secondary education.