This essay examines the impact of the Bologna Process on the development of short-cycle higher education in Europe, noting that the integration of short-cycle qualifications within the Qualifications Framework for the European Higher Education Area, combined with the critical place allotted to those programs in national lifelong learning frameworks, has charged short-cycle programs and qualifications with a dual responsibility: to train graduates for employment as well as prepare them for future studies. The challenges faced by European countries in creating programs and qualifications that meet this dual responsibility are discussed. (Contains 8 notes.)