The Internationalization of HEIs in Albania. Internationalized Joint Programs: Joint and Double Degrees

Background/purpose. The internationalization process of Higher Education constitutes a recent trend in Albania. As a country that from the 1990s is in transition towards democracy, Albania aspires to be part of the EU and is undertaking reforms in every sector, including education. This study is related to the HEIs' internationalization process, in offering International Joint Programs, IJPs, with Joint Degrees and Double Degrees. Whether these IJPs result from universities, a supportive governmental policy, or global initiatives, the aim is to understand the IJPs' nature, progress, and growth, and if so, if they will be relevant in terms of quality, international mobility, IoC, and other aspects, for all the actors, especially universities and students. Materials/methods. The study research methods include literature review, the analysis of documents and reports, searching the official websites of Albanian and WBs’ HEIs for IJPs, a case study of one of the country’s leading public universities in offering IJPs, and a questionnaire for the IJPs enrolled students, as the basis for descriptive statistics. Results. The internationalization of HEIs in Albania, offering JDs or DDs, is in its initial stages and will be a central focus of educational policy in the near future. These initiatives entail both benefits and challenges, and are based on different rationales for the government, the HEIs that offer IJPs, and students' decisions to pursue these study programs. Conclusion. The internationalization of HEIs with IJPs in Albania and the region reveals that these initiatives are recent, but will generate substantial benefits for all involved actors.