What is Socrates?

The Socrates Programme is a co-operation agreement between Higher Education Institutions in all EU member states and other 'partner' states. This involves student mobility, teacher mobility and curriculum development.

The student mobility programme allows undergraduate students an opportunity to spend either a term or a year at another another member state and to receive formal credit at their home institution.

Socrates is the umbrella term for the programme, whereas 'Erasmus' refers to the higher education elements of the scheme (ERASMUS stands for 'the European Community Action Scheme for the Mobility of Students. It was founded in 1987 and its aims are as follows:

	enhance the European dimension in education
	improve knowledge of languages
	promote and enhance co-operation and mobility in education

Agreements are made on a departmental basis in specified subject areas and are reviewed annually. Royal Holloway currently has over seventy such links - click here to see the current Socrates links for 2007/08.