Education at Ghent University

Source: https://www.ugent.be/en/ghentuniv/mission/educational-strategy/education Parent: https://www.ugent.be/en/ghentuniv/mission/educational-strategy

An Attractive Range of Study Programmes: What Does That Mean?

At Ghent University, we aim to offer a broad, socially relevant and rational range of study programmes:

• A range that is balanced and stands midway between general competency development and (hyper-) specialization. We want to ensure this for every initial study programme and main subject;
• A range that is kept rational by means of:
• interfaculty, interuniversity or international collaboration,
• merging course units,
• common course units that are shared by different study programmes,

• phasing out course units or study programmes;

• A high-quality range of non-initial study programmes with a focus on specialization and lifelong learning;

• A range that takes into account regional and international distribution, safeguards a unique profile for the various Ghent University campuses in East and West Flanders, and makes optimal use of the opportunities offered by the Ghent University Global Campus in Korea;

• A socially relevant range that is geared to the needs of society, and designed in co-creation with the professional field, alumni and international peers.

An Attractive Range of Study Programmes: Who Are the Contributors?

Students

Ghent University has a long-standing tradition of student involvement:

• Individual students make themselves heard in a variety of surveys;
• Student representatives contribute to and participate in education at the level of the study programme, the faculty, and the university.

Study Programmes

• Programme Committees (in Dutch: OC [abbr.]) propose changes to the range of study programmes we offer (i.e. Bachelor’s, Master’s, advanced Master’s programmes, academic bridging programmes and preparatory programmes);
• The Academies for Lifelong Learning are developing our range of lifelong learning initiatives.

Faculties

• Any proposed changes to the range of study programmes (i.e. Bachelor’s, Master’s, advanced Master’s programmes, academic bridging programmes and preparatory programmes) need authorization from the Faculty Education Quality Committee (in Dutch: CKO) and the Faculty Council;
• Authorization of adjustments to the range of lifelong learning initiatives is given by of Lifelong Learning Steering Committee.

Education Division

• Proposals authorized by the Faculty Education Quality Committee and Faculty Council are submitted to the Education Division. They, in turn, submit the proposals to the Institutional Programmes Committee, the Steering Committee for Lifelong Learning or to the Board of Governors, depending on the powers granted;
• Proposals that need to pass an external approval procedure are followed up by the Education Division.

Institutional Programmes Committee

• The Institutional Programmes Committee (in Dutch: CoP [abbr.]) advises on the range of initial study programmes, specifically including:
• curricular revisions;
• study programme admission requirements;
• the (re)installment of full-year course units;
• strict sequentiality;
• changes to the range of study programme (e.g. change of main subjects, name change, …);
• As chair of the Institutional Programmes Committee, the Director of Education authorizes the proposals. The other voting members are in-house experts on study programmes and education: the Chief Academic Administrator, members of the professorial staff, assistant academic staff, and students.

Lifelong Learning Committee

At Ghent University, we have a central body for lifelong learning. It develops our university’s policy on lifelong learning and keeps an overview of the range of lifelong learning initiatives at Ghent University. The Lifelong Learning Committee:

• Approves
• new postgraduate study programmes;
• registration fees for short- and long-term programmes and postgraduate study programmes;
• Terminates or amends existing interuniversity agreements on short- and long-term programmes and postgraduate study programmes;
• Is responsible for the quality assurance of all lifelong learning initiatives.

The Director of Education acts as chairperson of the Lifelong Learning Committee. The other voting members are representatives from the Academies for Lifelong Learning, members of the assistant academic staff, support staff, student representatives, and four external experts from the professional field.

An Attractive Range of Study Programmes: For Whom?

At Ghent University, we aim at:

• Anyone who wants to obtain a first academic diploma by means of our range of Bachelor’s, Master’s, advanced Master’s programmes, academic bridging programmes and preparatory programmes;
• Lifelong learners who want to deepen, broaden or brush up on their competencies by means of our range of postgraduate programmes, short- and long-term programmes, lectures and symposia;
• Any student at home or abroad by means of our range of initial and non-initial education.