Socrates is a European Union education programme that supports European co-operation on a range of educational projects, initiatives and professional development . If you are a teacher, adult learner or education professional, a range of opportunities can be offered to work in partnership throughout Europe.

In 1995 the SOCRATES programme was set up by the EU to draw together a number of different schemes. ERASMUS has been subsumed under the first chapter of the Socrates programme. The European Union's SOCRATES web page gives full details of the objectives of the SOCRATES programme: these include enhancing education through European cooperation and encouraging institutions throughout the EU to recognize each other's qualifications.

The Socrates programme supports European cooperation in eight areas, from school to higher education, from new technologies to adult learners.

The higher education section of Socrates-Erasmus continues and extends the European Community Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students (the "ERASMUS programme"),established in 1987 . It is named after the philosopher, theologian and humanist Erasmus of Rotterdam (1465-1536). An untiring adversary of dogmatic thought in all fields of human endeavour, Erasmus lived and worked in several parts of Europe, in quest of the knowledge, experience and insights which only such contacts with other countries could bring.