E.C.T.S. is based on three main elements: information (on student programs of studies and academic results), mutual agreement (between Partner Institutions and students) and the use of E.C.T.S. (showing the student workload). These 3 basic elements become functional through the use of three basic documents: the Information Guide, the Application / Academic Agreement form and the Study Certificate. Above all, the E.C.T.S. becomes functional by students, teaching staff and Institutions, which wish to include full studies integration in the general framework of education. By its very nature, E.C.T.S. does not regulate in any way the content, the structure or the equivalence of the study programs. These issues concern quality and must be defined by the Higher Education Institutions themselves, in order to create a satisfactory basis for cooperation agreements, at bilateral or multilateral level. As a code of good practice, E.C.T.S. provides these contributors with the tools to create transparency and facilitate academic recognition of studies. Full academic recognition of studies is a prerequisite for student mobility under the ERASMUS+ Program. Full academic recognition of studies means that a period of study abroad (including examinations or other forms of assessment) replaces a comparable period of study at the University of the student’s country (including examinations or other forms of assessment), although the content of the approved study program may be different. The use of the E.C.T.S. is voluntary and is based on mutual trust and certainty regarding the academic performance of the partner Institutions. The selection of the partners of each Institution is made by the Institution itself.
Each semester course corresponds to a number of ECTS (Credits). In order to obtain the degree, at least 240 ECTS are required, which are distributed as follows:
132 ECTS compulsory core courses (including 20 ECTS in the two phases of the undergraduate training)
20 ECTS compulsory optional courses (the subjects of didactics)
88 ECTS optional courses (including free optional courses)
