Bibliometric analysis of internationalization trends in European higher education: Collaboration networks and the role of dual-degree programs
Ospanova A. Nurgaliyeva B. Mukanov M. Nurbayev Z. Komekbayev Y.
2026Pro-Metrics
Iberoamerican Journal of Science Measurement and Communication
2026#6Issue 1
Objective. To conduct a bibliometric analysis of the scientific production on the internationalization of European higher education, with particular emphasis on academic collaboration networks and the role of joint and dual-degree programs within the framework of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). Design/Methodology/Approach. A quantitative, descriptive, and exploratory approach was applied using data from the Scopus database (1991-2025). Records were processed with VOSviewer to identify patterns of co-authorship, international collaboration, and keyword co-occurrence. The analysis was structured around three axes: scientific productivity, collaboration networks, and thematic evolution, emphasizing curricular integration mechanisms associated with the Bologna Process. Results/Discussion. A representative set of articles was identified, showing sustained growth in research on university internationalization, accompanied by a high density of transnational co-authorship led by universities from the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Italy, and France. The keyword co-oc-currence maps reveal a conceptual core centered on higher education, internationalization, Bologna Process, and quality assurance, reflecting the consolidation of a mature cognitive structure based on cooperation, mobility, and academic quality. Conclusions. The internationalization of European higher education has evolved from individual mobility to structured institutional cooperation, consolidating as a strategic process of academic integration and governance. Dual-degree programs represent its most advanced expression, articulating mobility, quality assurance, and curricular convergence under a transnational collaboration model that redefines the identity of the EHEA.
academic collaboration , bibliometric analysis , Bologna Process , du-al-degree programs , European higher education , university internationalization
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L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University, Kazakhstan
Faculty of Postgraduate Education of the Academy of Management of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Astana, Kazakhstan
L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University
Faculty of Postgraduate Education of the Academy of Management of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan
10 лет помогаем публиковать статьи Международный издатель
Книга Публикация научной статьи Волощук 2026 Book Publication of a scientific article 2026