College of Europe - Academic Programmes

Academic Programmes

The one year programme lasts from September until the end of June and is taught in English and French. It includes lectures, research seminars, workshops and meetings with external specialists and various language courses. To be awarded the degree, students must take oral and written examinations at the end of each semester, and submit a 15 ECTS Master’s Thesis in English or French. The thesis gives students the opportunity to undertake individual research, conducted primarily in the second semester, under the supervision of a faculty member. The programmes are enriched by study trips to the European institutions and, for students at Natolin (Warsaw), also to neighbouring countries. Due to the College’s extensive network of contacts, students have the opportunity to meet and discuss with policy-makers, practitioners and representatives of the business community throughout their year at the College.

From 1949 to the 1990s, students in Bruges enrolled in three programmes:

• European Economic Studies (i.e. studies of international economics with an emphasis on the EU);
• European Legal Studies (i.e. studies of European law);
• European Political and Administrative Studies (i.e. studies of political science and public administration focusing on the EU)

In recent years, other programmes have been created:

• European International Relations and Diplomacy Studies.

At Natolin (Warsaw) campus, the study programme offers four majors, (The European Single Market, The EU as a Regional Actor, The EU as a Global Actor, and Governance in the EU). The "Regional Actor" specialization analyses the process of European integration with a focus on Central and Eastern Europe from an interdisciplinary perspective:

• European Interdisciplinary Studies: the internal and external dimensions of the European Union.

The academic programmes of the College of Europe are accredited by the Dutch-Flemish Accreditation Organisation (NVAO). Each study programme corresponds to a total of 66 credits (ECTS).

Annual intakes are highly selective and student selection takes place in the Spring, usually in association with the Foreign affairs ministries of their respective countries of origin. The Bruges programmes typically require a University degree in economics, law, political science or international relations plus advanced knowledge of the working languages of the College.