Access Requirements

1° Student must hold a first level university degree.

2° Candidates must demonstrate sufficient proficiency in the two Germanic languages listed in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, at levels C1 in reception (written and oral comprehension) and B2 in written and oral production. All skills must have been assessed and passed (written and oral comprehension, written and oral production).
The official language level certificate must be issued by an organization recognized as a full member by ALTE (see https://alte.org/Our-Full-Members).
Examples of tests recognized by the jury for English: IELTS, TOEFL ibt, TOEIC, Cambridge English (how to find a test center near you).
Examples of tests recognized by the jury for Dutch: CNaVT or equivalent (*)
Examples of tests recognized by the jury for German: TestDaF, GOETHE-ZERTIFIKAT (*)

In addition, candidates who do not hold a higher education diploma from the French Community of Belgium (or from a country where French is the only official language) will be required to provide proof of sufficient mastery of the French language at level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference. 
This proof can be provided by an official test (DELF, TCF, etc.) or a language course certificate.

(*) In the absence of an official certificate issued by an organization recognized as a full member by ALTE (see https://alte.org/Our-Full-Members), Proof of completion of language courses at the required level in the student's previous academic career, officially attested (diploma, transcripts, university certificate) may be accepted. The jury reserves the right to request an official attestation issued by a recognized organization if it deems this necessary.

3° In addition to the above-mentioned language skills, to have developed, in the two Germanic languages that students wish to study in their master's programme, the following skills in the context of their previous academic training:

• a linguistic competence (the study of grammar and its components);
• a literary competence (history of literature, analysis and interpretation of literary texts);
• a cultural competence in the broadest sense (the study of the "civilization" of the countries where both Germanic languages are spoken: historical data and contemporary realities);
• a discursive competence (argumentation and scientific writing);

at the end of a bachelor's programme including at least the following 108 specific credits:

• 18 credits of general training (philosophy, history, arts, language sciences, criticism of sources, etc.);
• 50 credits in language, linguistics, literature and civilization in the first Germanic language;
• 40 credits of language, linguistics, literature and civilization in the second Germanic language.

The 30 credits from Minor in German Studies, Minor in English Studies or Minor in Dutch Studies satisfy these requirements.

In the absence of sufficient training in one or more of these subjects, supplementary classes will be integrated into the master's programme (from 15 credits to a maximum of 60 credits). This preparatory module is established by the jury on the basis of the student's previous course of study.

4° Students wishing to pursue a master's degree with a teaching focus must have a degree of the French Community of Belgium; failing this, they will have to pass a French language proficiency examination to demonstrate that their command of written and spoken French is equivalent to Level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (for further information, visit https://uclouvain.be/en/study/inscriptions/french-language-master-teaching.html).

General remark concerning the choice of languages

The Master [120] in Modern Languages and Literatures : German, Dutch and English involves continuing with the two languages studied in the bachelor's programme, whether these languages were studied as part of the major or as part of a minor in Germanic language.

> It is possible, under certain conditions, to use one's personal and professional experience to enter a university course without having the required qualifications. However, validation of prior experience does not automatically apply to all courses. Find out more about Validation of priori experience.

Candidates who do not fulfil the abovementioned admission requirements, but who have duly attested significant experience relevant to the field of study in question, may apply for admission to the programme on the basis of an individualised admission procedure.

For more information on the procedure for admission by validation of learning from experience (VAE) in the Faculty of Philosophy, Arts and Letters: https://uclouvain.be/fr/facultes/fial/valorisation-des-acquis-de-l-experience-vae.html.

Access based on application : access may be granted either directly or on the condition of completing additional courses of a maximum of 60 ECTS credits, or refused.

Admissibility criteria 
A candidate's application will be deemed admissible if it meets all of the following criteria:

• Candidate's diploma issued by an institution recognized by WHED (see https://www.whed.net/home.php)
• Previous course of study including at least 3 years of higher education (equivalent to 180 European credits), leading to an undergraduate degree;
• For holders of a degree from outside Belgium:

1. an overall average of at least 60% (12/20) for the entire course of study completed at the home institution and giving access to this program;
2. official attestation of proficiency in language(s) at the required level (see specific entry requirements), to be attached to the application file. The official attestation must be issued by an organization recognized as a full member by ALTE (see https://alte.org/Our-Full-Members).

If a document is missing from the online application, it must be justified (see UCLouvain Enrolment Department's frequently asked questions, in particular "What do I do if my online application asks for a document I don't yet have?")

Applications deemed admissible are forwarded to the Faculty by Enrolment Services. Applications that do not meet these criteria are automatically rejected. 

Eligibility criteria 
Applications submitted to the Faculty by UCLouvain's Enrolment Department are examined by the program's jury in accordance with the specific conditions of access detailed above.
The jury decides on the admissibility of candidates on the basis of the information contained in their application file, the quality of the training they have undergone and the results they have obtained.
When examining the application, the jury will pay particular attention to the following points: 

• Consistency between the candidate's previous academic career and the prerequisites for the targeted program. The match between the candidate's academic background and the UCLouvain bachelor's degree giving direct access to the master's program need not be perfect, but the skills acquired (see specific access conditions) must be close; Example: for an application for admission to a master's program in modern languages and literature, the candidate's previous training includes courses in languages and literature in both modern languages.
• Grades obtained in the program's major disciplines (see specific entry requirements);
• Arguments put forward by the applicant in his or her cover letter (training project in line with the program in question, relevance of arguments, coherence between the applicant's application and the program in question, etc.) Example: the language combination requested by the applicant is organized in the program in question.
• Original covering letter. An original covering letter is expected, explaining the personal training project. Any plagiarism or use of artificial intelligence in writing the letter to the jury will result in the application being disqualified. 
• Experience gained. If the access diploma was obtained more than 5 years ago, it is imperative that the experience acquired since leaving school is directly related to the field of study of the programme applied for.

Changes to the conditions of access to the Faculty of Philosophy, Arts and Letters for 2025-2026 will be available in this document .