Building a share understanding of the Joint MSc in Electrical Engineering in three Palestinian universities based on EU practices

The paper considers a joint master programme in electrical engineering, developed under the Tempus project "Joint Master in Electrical Engineering (JMEE)". The JMEE programme is developed by all project partners - three Palestinian universities, four EU universities and two Palestinian companies. The main focus is curriculum reform in electrical engineering higher education by developing the first electrical engineering Master of Science Programme in Palestine, as well as promotion of the Bologna HE process. The stage of implementation of the main components of the Bologna process in Palestinian higher education is analysed: Level of implementation of Bologna three-cycle structure, European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System, National Qualifications Framework, Quality Assurance Practices, Joint Degrees. Current challenges and needs of the Palestinian higher education in the scope of the JMEE project are analysed. The project aims to enhance the capacity of three Palestinian universities by developing a sustainable joint MSc programme in electrical engineering focused on Power and Telecommunications and provide necessary facilities to be utilized by graduate students during their studies and thesis. The developed Joint Master in Electrical Engineering programme is presented. An analysis of the EU guidelines for developing a successful joint programme is done. The most important actions and EU good practices are provided. The JMEE programme was jointly developed and was accredited by the Accreditation and Quality Assurance and Commission of Palestine. It is a two-year master programme and according to the European Qualification Framework it corresponds to the 7th level - Master's degree after obtaining a professional bachelor's degree. The achieved results in the process of the implementation of the program are presented. The activities for developing the JMEE programme and receiving the accreditation are described. For successful implementation of the program the following tasks were done and analysed in the paper: Joint programme management, Selection procedure, Mobility of the students and the teachers, Providing the necessary Equipment for running the program, Staff training, Industry involving, Quality assurance and Sustainability. Conclusions for the achieved results from the implementation of the project are outlined.