Internationalisation

Global framework

The Faculty of Applied Sciences has taken part, since their inception, in all the various mobility programmes which have been set up at both the European and world levels.

The numerous contacts it has with professional circles, notably via its Advisory Board, have demonstrated  to what extent employers are favourably impressed by a mobility experience in someone’s CV. The ever-increasing internationalization of research via networks linking laboratories throughout the world, speaks in favour of encouraging this mobility.

Students’ interest is aroused at the end of their Bachelor studies, notably via intensive courses such as those of the ATHENS (  ) or BEST (  ) networks.

In the course of the two-year Master’s programme, students are encouraged to take part in a 1- or 2-semester exchange scheme

Within Belgium, the Faculty of Applied Sciences is involved in a privileged partnership with the Faculteit Ingenieurswetenschappen of the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, with whom it has set up an exchange scheme relating to the first year of the Master’s curriculum (http://eng.kuleuven.be/).

At the European level, the Faculty of Applied Sciences is strongly involved in the CLUSTER excellence network (  ). This network encourages internal mobility, since this is a guarantee of quality as concerns both the level of teaching and the hosting of exchange students. Moreover, Cluster partners have signed an agreement recognizing each other’s Bachelor’s curricula. This agreement stipulates that all Bachelors of network institutions will have access to the Master’s studies in any institution on a par with local students.

Outside Europe, the Faculty of Applied Sciences is a partner in the Magalhaes network, which groups about fifteen European universities together with the best South American science and technology universities (http://www.magalhaes-network.net/).

Besides these network partnerships, the Faculty has also signed a number of individual agreements with various universities in Europe, North America or elsewhere in the world. A list of these agreements may be found on the website of UCL International Relations (http://www.uclouvain.be/international.html).

UCL is also a partner in the TIME programme (  ) which gives students the opportunity to obtain two engineering degrees, via a specifically tailored curriculum.

Specific features of the FYAP Master’s:

Moreover, in order to further the insertion of the Master’s into international programmes, all  first semester MAPR courses are taught in English, unless all attendees decide otherwise at the outset, out of respect for non-French speaking participants. However, all second semester MAPR courses are taught in French, unless all attendees decide otherwise at the outset.

•International possibilities (for UCL students)

Besides intensive courses which are one component of international relations, EPL students with outstanding results are encouraged to apply for 5- or 10-month exchange programmes.
When taking place during the first Master’s year, exchanges are generally 10 months long. In the second year, they only last for a semester, either as courses or else research in a foreign laboratory as a complement to the final thesis.

Some other more specific exchange programmes have been set up with South America, where the academic year is naturally on an “austral” basis.

Students are informed about the various exchange programmes as from their second Bachelor’s year. They are encouraged to prepare for their exchange in a timely manner, notably by taking language courses at the Modern Languages Institute of UCL.

•  International appeal (for non-residents)

As described below, the University of Louvain (UCL) has developed a long-standing experience of greeting foreign students within the framework of international or exchange programmes. The "Master in Chemical and Materials Engineering" fits within this general tradition, and offers the student a top-notch programme in Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, encompassing a wide field of scientific activities in Applied Physics and Chemistry. Admission requires approval by the Committee for Engineering Studies in Chemistry and Physics, on the basis of a comprehensive résumé submitted by the student pursuant to the general regulations of the University of Louvain published on www.uclouvain.be.

To facilitate the integration of foreign students, courses are given in English during the first and third semesters of the Master’s (this rule may be relaxed for some courses at the onset of the semester, if so decided by ALL participating students). This allows non-French-speaking students to begin their Master’s studies under the best conditions, while upgrading their knowledge of French by following French-as-a-Foreign-Language classes (see below) or by immersion into the student life of Louvain-la-Neuve. However, the courses of the second and fourth semesters are given in French (unless decided otherwise by all participating students), which provides foreign students with a unique opportunity to master French, one of the important official languages of the European Union.

The curriculum consists of a large number of elective courses which allow students to set up a customized programme based on their previous learning experience, and comprises an optional traineeship in industry, 30 credits of work in research laboratories, and projects giving a more practical bent to the training. The instructors of the Master’s in Chemical and Materials Science Engineering are recognized scientists, with track records of excellence in applied chemistry and physics, as testified by their integration into European networks of excellence (FAME, NANOBEAMS, NANOQUANTA), their participation in international research programmes, their numerous contracts with European industrial companies, and their large number of publications in high ranking scientific journals including Nature, Science, Nature Materials, Physical Review Letters, Journal of the American Chemical Society, Nano Letters, etc. This not only ensures that the most recent scientific advances in the fields of chemistry and physics are passed on to the students, but also that students are introduced to typical industrial concerns, issues and recent developments.

•  Partner programmes

- With European institutions

: FYKI is currently concentrating on setting up partnership programmes with European institutions, in the fields of chemistry and materials science (refer to engineering Master’s in chemistry and materials science for further details). Parts of these programmes will also be accessible to FYAP students, via Erasmus exchanges. The possibility of including the Master’s engineering degree in applied physics within the framework of international Master’s will be examined later.

- TIME programme with :

- Ecole Centrale Paris
- Supaero Toulouse
- Universidad Politecnica de Madrid
- Politecnico di Milano
- Politecnico di Torino

-The EPL has also signed a specific convention with the Institut Français du Pétrole (http://www.ifp.fr/) which allows the possibility of combining the second Master’s year with the first year of the complementary  programme at IFP.