The Canadian Carleton University and the Université catholique de Louvain (UCL) in Belgium have teamed up to carry out a dual master’s programme in European studies.
Until recently, Canadian students with an interest in European studies were obliged to consider completing the entire programme in just one of the two countries. They are now able to begin their masters in Canada and complete the other half in Louvain-la-Neuve. Likewise, Belgian students wishing to develop a North-American perspective during their European studies, are also able to head off for two terms to Ottawa. At the end of the course, graduates receive both a Belgian and a Canadian degree.
Carleton University chose the UCL due to its proximity to the European institutions. Furthermore, Belgium already has several agreements with French-speaking Canadian universities, but far fewer with the country's English-speaking universities. This is why Raoul Delcorde, as the Belgian ambassador in Ottawa, supported the project.
The dual master’s programme gives Canadian students the opportunity to boost their European knowledge on site and Belgian students get the chance to take an outside view on the European Union and its institutions. In short, the best of both worlds!