11 - Belgium - Curriculum

Starting from academic year 2004-2005, all curricula in fulltime higher education are expressed in credits.

The language of instruction and of evaluation of educational activities is French, but a part of the activities may be given and evaluated in another language:

• the first cycle, except the first year, for at most one fifth of the credits;
• in studies leading to the academic degree of master, for one half of the credits excluding credits specifically relating to the teaching qualification, for one half of the credits;
• in studies leading to the academic degree of complementary master;
• in third cycle studies;
• when these activities, if they are compulsory, are also organised in French.

Exemptions may also be granted by the government for 2nd cycle programmes.

Educational activities include:

• courses organised by the institution, in particular ex cathedra courses, monitored exercises, coursework, laboratory work, seminars, creation and research workshops, excursions, visits and internships;
• individual or group activities, including preparations, coursework, documentary research, dissertations and projects;
• personal study, self-training and enrichment activities.

All these activities may be the object of an evaluation and counted in terms of credits.

Each course within a curriculum comprises one or several educational activities. It is characterized by the following elements:

• identification, particular denomination, discipline;
• the description of the objectives, contents, and possible sources, references and supports;
• the cycle and study year to which it pertains, as well as the level, if prior knowledge is required;
• its compulsory or optional character within the programme or the options;
• the contact details of the department or teacher responsible for its organisation and evaluation;
• its organisation, in particular the number of hours, the site and the period of the academic year;
• the description of the activities and the teaching and learning methods implemented;
• the evaluation method and relative weight of each activity;
• the language used for instruction and evaluation;
• the assignment of associated credits.

The credits associated to a course within a curriculum are expressed in whole numbers, exceptionally in half-units, with a minimum of 1 and a maximum of 60 credits for one course.

Within a curriculum, the evaluation of a subject may be weighted for the purposes of the board’s deliberations.

Universities

Curricula are established by the academic authorities in the respect of other legal provisions, in particular the criteria of access to the associated professional titles. The curricula include subjects contributing to the student’s general education as well as those specific to the disciplines, contributing to the acquisition of more technical and more in-depth skills in the domain of studies. A curriculum includes compulsory courses and optional courses chosen by the student, according to the academic degree and the chosen orientation and options.

At the latest on the date of the opening of the enrolment period, the academic authorities communicate to the government the list of programmes which they organize and their curricula.

In order to guarantee a sufficient supply of all the initial programmes in the French Community, the government may lay down, for each university and in the respect of its accreditations, a list of the cycles of studies which it must continue to organize and the site which will host them, under penalty of being deprived of all subsidies and accreditations for the other studies organized by the universities. This obligation must be notified before February 1 preceding the academic year.

In order to ensure harmonization of requisites for pursuing studies within the French Community and the European Union, and to guarantee the skills and knowledge certified by the academic degrees, the government may establish minimal contents for the curricula of initial programmes, upon proposal by the CIUF. Without prejudice of the foregoing, bachelor curricula in the French Community must comprise, for each programme, at least 60% of common courses (corresponding to 108 credits).

The curriculum for the first part of first cycle studies which are structured in two parts comprises 50 credits of common core courses in the French Community and 5 credits left to the initiative of each university institution. The curriculum further comprises one course, corresponding to 5 credits, aimed at developing students’ transversal approach of subjects which are the object of other courses in the curriculum. This course is also left to the initiative of each university institution.

The CIUF certifies the respect of these provisions; it may also establish the minimum common content of these programmes.

Every study programme leading to a second cycle academic degree includes a final dissertation, work or personal project counting for 15 to 29 credits. These credits may be subsequently counted, under the general conditions laid down by the academic authorities, in any other study year leading to a university academic degree.

A regularly enrolled student may follow one or several courses belonging to a study programme leading to the same academic degree or a different academic degree, organized by another higher education institution accredited by the relevant higher education authorities, with the agreement of this institution.

A curriculum may set a minimum number of credits to be obtained at an institution other than the one in which the student is enrolled. If the student has no alternative to the travelling that this involves, and such travelling takes him/her outside the French Community, the institution must pay the additional registration fees and the travel and accommodation or housing expenses to enable the student to follow such courses. The student is regarded as having no alternative to travelling when the university does not offer the possibility of following another curriculum, without any travelling, which leads to a degree with the same title and, where applicable, the same orientation, and the same type of qualification (teaching, scientific research or specialised).

At least 30 credits of each study cycle must be actually followed within the university or university academy that awards the academic degree or the diploma certifying successful completion of the studies. In the case of a course which is jointly organised by several institutions, this obligation applies collectively to all the institutions involved.

Hautes Écoles

Provided that they comply with the curricula and minimum weekly schedule established by law, each haute école organises its schedules and designs its curricula. The curricula must respect the other legal provisions and answer the general objectives of higher education and the specific objectives of the programme concerned, in particular the criteria for access to the associated professional titles.

The haute écoleauthorities adopt study regulations. These regulations establish, in particular, the objectives pursued by each study programme, the description of each study programme including a detailed list of educational activities, of their specific objectives and methods of organization and evaluation, the organisation of the academic year consistent with the vacation and holiday policy established by the government, the disciplinary regulations and all appeal procedures, the regulations with regard to spreading years of study and remedial courses, the rules concerning dispensation for certain parts of the curriculum, and the provisions underlying the teaching methods.

The different pouvoirs organisateurs are free to customise their programmes in accordance with the institutions’ pedagogical plans, local conditions, the current economic situation, and the job market. They must submit them to the Minister of Education for approval.

Depending upon the orientation, the common core curriculum in short-type higher education can be more or less developed. When the changeover from two to three years occurred, a request was made to reinforce theoretical teaching and prolong internships and educational activities related to school-to-work transition. Each year of study includes a minimum of 700 hours up to a maximum of 1,200 hours of educational activities.

Art colleges

For each domain, a framework is established, within which the courses are defined by the government following an opinion from the high council on artistic higher education. The maximum and minimum number of hours of yearly educational activities, the compulsory courses of the common core, and the distribution of hours between artistic education and artistic practice are also defined.

By way of example, in long-type education for theatre and vocal arts, at least half of the total number of hours in the timetable is dedicated to activities with the objective of artistic education. The timetable is 30 hours of lessons (of 60 minutes) a week, and the obligatory courses take up at least two thirds of the hours in the timetable (in addition, the institution can organise optional courses and free-choice courses). There are two sections (dramatic art and oratory art) and each leads to an aggregation for teaching in upper secondary education. The timetables include at least two hours of general courses (theoretical courses related to the artistic courses and general education courses).

Architecture colleges

The curricula are determined by the authorities of the architecture college in the respect of the rules summarized below and the criteria for access to practice of the profession.

Studies leading to the bachelor’s degree comprise 180 credits and are organized in 3 years of study. Those leading to the master’s degree comprise 120 credits and are organized in 2 years of study. Certain courses are compulsory for all colleges (126 credits for preparation to the bachelor’s degree and 60 credits for preparation to the master’s degree), others are freely set by the pouvoir organisateur (with a maximum of respectively 12 and 18 credits) and the supplemental courses are to be chosen from a list of propositions by the pouvoir organisateur.

A student who is regularly enrolled may follow one or more courses belonging to a curriculum leading to the same academic degree or to a different academic degree organised by another higher education institution recognised by the competent authorities for higher education, with the agreement of that institution. The associated credits are taken into account in his studies under the conditions set by the authorities of the architecture college where the student has enrolled. A curriculum may set a minimum number of credits to be obtained at an institution other than the one in which the student is enrolled. If the student has no alternative to the travelling that this involves, and such travelling takes him/her outside the French Community, the institution must pay the additional registration fees and the travel and accommodation or housing expenses to enable the student to follow such courses. The student is regarded as having no alternative to travelling when the architecture college does not offer the possibility of following another curriculum, without any travelling, which leads to a degree with the same title and, where applicable, the same orientation, and the same type of qualification (teaching, scientific research or specialised).

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