Article L 613-13 of the code recognizes that work experience can be as important for acquiring knowledge as university studies. The VAE procedure is simple. A jury composed of university professors specializing in the relevant scientific field can decide to recognize your work experience, which may also be combined with previous education, and award you the appropriate higher education degree.
Degrees obtained in this way are recognized by American universities and immigration authorities through the procedure of evaluating diplomas and higher education degrees. This is done in the USA by so-called "Credentials Evaluators" (authorized evaluators of education documents).
Degrees obtained through VAE are also included in Article IV.8 of the Lisbon Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications. The convention was signed by 55 countries, including Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, European countries, Switzerland, Canada, USA, etc.
The usual formula used in the procedure for recognizing work experience takes into account how many years the student studied and considers three years of qualified work as equivalent to an additional year of university study.
The conversion of work experience into an academic degree is handled by Ecole Supеrieure Robert de Sorbon – a private French higher education institute. Its roots go back to the College de Sorbon, founded in 1257. The university is an institutional member of the UN Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) program and the prestigious Council for Adult and Experiential Learning, or CAEL, in the USA.
Since 2004, Ecole Supеrieure Robert de Sorbon has been a pioneer and leader in the international VAE program. VAE degrees can be obtained in French, English, Spanish, Italian, or Russian.
The procedure of Ecole Supérieure Robert de Sorbon for obtaining a VAE degree based on work experience typically takes no more than three months. The cost is 600 euros, of which 50 euros is a registration fee. The list of required documents includes all papers confirming your work experience, such as employment contract, work record book, letters from employers, as well as references from colleagues, publications, articles, books, etc.
Based on materials from
CMK "Parta".