03 - Belgium - Specific legislative framework

A law of 1933 protects the right to use higher education titles. Higher education was reorganised by a law passed on 7 July 1970. This law restructured and consolidated all programmes that follow secondary education; it classified them by course of study and aim.

Since 15 March 1999, two government orders define the conditions under which students can transfer from a university to a haute école and vice versa (‘gateways’).

A decree dated 16 May 2002 introduced the promotion of health in non-university higher education, including measures to promote health, individual measures for the benefit of students, and a compendium of health information.

The ‘Bologna Decree’ voted on 31 March 2004 and for the most part applicable since academic year 2004-2005, redefined higher education in the French Community with a view to favour its inclusion in the European Higher Education Area.

Universities

Co-ordinated laws on conferring academic degrees and on the university exam programme were passed in 1949. These laws have undergone numerous modifications, in particular as concerns entrance requirements for university studies and the equivalence of periods of study completed as part of an Erasmus-type exchange programme.

The law applicable to the financing and supervision of university institutions dates back to 27 July 1971. This law was amended several times. In particular, a 1994 decree modified academic degrees by eliminating the distinction between ‘scientific’ and ‘legal’ degrees. The ‘Bologna Decree’ includes provisions on the refinancing of universities.

Hautes Écoles

A decree passed on 5 August 1995 fundamentally reformed higher education institutions, leading to the creation of the hautes écoles.

A decree dated 21 February 2003 laid down the academic degrees awarded by hautes écoles.

 

Art colleges

Two relatively recent decrees govern higher artistic education (the art colleges organised or subsidised by the French community, apart from the higher architectural colleges).

The decree of 17 May 1999 provided a framework for higher artistic education by assigning it objectives, defining its domains and levels, and tracing the main organisational lines, including access to the studies and their certification.

On 20 December 2001 a second fundamental decree completed the framework, making higher artistic education provided in art colleges a third pillar of higher education. This decree guarantees the existence of 17 art colleges, defines a new financing system that assists the stability of the schools, provides them with a more participative organisation, grants to the teachers a status adapted to their situation as artists, and upgrades the diplomas.

Architecture colleges

Architecture education is mainly governed by a law of 18 February 1977 and the measures taken to implement this law. A ‘Bologna Decree’ specific to architecture was voted on 31 March 2004 (date of publication: 8-6-2004), and a decree of the government of the French Community of 14 April 2004 (date of publication: 8-7-2004) established the minimum hourly volumes for courses.

Service général des Hautes Ecoles et de l'Enseignement artistique du niveau supérieur (AGERS)
Bâtiment Les Ateliers - rue Adolphe Lavallée, 1 - 1080 BRUXELLES
Tel.: (32) (0)2/690.87.75
Fax: (32) (0)2/690.87.76

 

Service général des Hautes Ecoles et de l'Enseignement artistique du niveau supérieur (AGERS)
Bâtiment Les Ateliers - rue Adolphe Lavallée, 1 - 1080 BRUXELLES
Tel.: (32) (0)2/690.87.75
Fax: (32) (0)2/690.87.76

 

Service général de l'enseignement universitaire et de la recherche scientifique (AGERS)
Bâtiment Les Ateliers - rue Adolphe Lavallée, 1 - 1080 BRUXELLES
Tel.: (32) (0)2/690.87.03
Fax: (32) (0)2/690.97.60

 

Direction générale de l'Enseignement non obligatoire et de la Recherche scientifique, AGERS, Ministère de la Communauté française
City Center I - Bld du Jardin Botanique, 20-22 - 1000 BRUXELLES + Bâtiment Les Ateliers - rue Adolphe Lavallée, 1 - 1080 BRUXELLES
Tel.: (32) (0)2/210.55.58
Fax: (32) (0)2/210 55 17

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