universiteit antwerpen - Practical guide - Studying at the Antwerp University Association

The structure of higher education in Flanders...

Higher education in Flanders is organised at universities and at university colleges (‘hogescholen’). Whereas most training programmes at the university colleges prepare students for a specific profession, such as nursing and translation work, university curricula are typically more academic and generic.

All students who have obtained a certificate of secondary education or an equivalent foreign diploma, are admitted to tertiary education. However, some courses are subject to an entrance exam, e.g., medicine and dentistry at the university, and courses that focus on art at the university colleges.

The three essential factors are:

Bachelor – Master in Flanders

Flanders has introduced the Bachelor-Master structure by decree in 2004-2005 for all Higher Education Institutions. The use of the ECTS credit system (60 credits per academic year) is also compulsory. Each course represents a minimum of 3 credits. One credit represents 25 to 30 hours of a student’s workload.
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Accreditation

The main goal of the Bologna Declaration is to create a system of higher education with comparable, compatible and readable degrees across the European continent. The accreditation will enable comparisons of quality to be made for different degree programmes across borders. Its aim is to guarantee a certain level of quality in higher education across the E.U.

Flanders has developed considerable experience in this, as both universities and university colleges have been subject to external inspections for quite a number of years already. Moreover Flanders and the Netherlands have created a joint accreditation agency (NVAO: Netherlands-Flanders Accreditation Organisation).

Association of University & University Colleges

The process of harmonising European higher education, as initiated by the Bologna Declaration, has led to broader co-operation between the university and the university colleges. The University of Antwerp, Hogeschool Antwerpen, Plantijnhogeschool, Karel de Grote- Hogeschool and the AntwerpMaritimeAcademy: five institutions for higher education in Antwerp are cooperating under the name ‘Antwerp University Association’.
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