Access to the master
I have a university degree in the field of human or medical sciences. I would like to further train in the field of the environment and sustainable development. Do I have the prerequisites to access the ENVI2MC master?
The ENVI2MC master aims to provide interdisciplinary training in the fields of environment and sustainable development. It is intended for holders of a master's degree from all fields. Given this interdisciplinary nature, part of the program consists of a list of basic courses allowing everyone to acquire the necessary prerequisites. These courses of disciplinary reinforcement can of course be the object of exemptions according to the previous diploma of which the student is carrier (on the recognition of the equivalence with courses already followed).
I have a university or non-university bachelor's degree. I would like to reorient the continuation of my training. Can I access the ENVI2mc master?
Candidates are advised to continue their studies until completing a master's degree corresponding to their bachelor, to have a solid foundation of skills on which they will be able to rely, before considering to follow the master ENVI2MC. Indeed, the latter is designed as a complementary interdisciplinary training intended for students already having a strong university background, in 4 or 5 years. The ENVI2MC Master allows them to broaden their background discipline by offering an interdisciplinary opening on environmental issues and sustainable development. Students therefore remain specialists in their core discipline, which they enrich by acquiring the ability to integrate the many facets of environmental issues and sustainable development. Building interdisciplinary skills in the environment without having a solid foundation of disciplinary skills is not credible. Moreover, a master's degree in 2 years can not reasonably train "specialists" competent in the various disciplines related to the environment and sustainable development. To be an "interdisciplinary generalist" in the field of the environment is not of professional interest if it does not rely on a particular field of expertise, which can not be acquired with the master of ENVI2M and must be acquired in a first master.
Program selection and registration procedures
I have a professional activity. Can the ENVI2mc Master be followed in off-schedule (evening classes, schedule planning, ...) compatible with this activity?
The ENVI2MC program is largely dependent on the courses offered by different faculties for students taking the programs of these faculties, to which the ENVI2MC master's students join. In addition, the ENVI2MC program is a full-time full course program. Under these conditions, an off-schedule program is not possible. On the other hand, spreading the program over several years is possible (but without adjustment of class schedules). Students have already followed the master's program simultaneously with their professional activity, spreading their training over several years. Experience shows that these students organized with their employer to reduce and adapt their work schedule.
What are the job opportunities, what types of jobs do the former graduates occupy?
Former alumni occupy various positions related to the management and integration of environmental and sustainable development data and constraints, in consulting offices, public administrations (regional, federal, international), non-governmental organizations (local and overseas), and private companies. An association of Alumni exists and can serve as a point of contact with the professional world.
I want to register for the ENVI2MC Master. What steps should I take?
A first step is to check that you meet the requirements for admission to the master. One of the conditions of access is to have at least the equivalent of a Distinction (14/20 or 70%) in your previous diploma. Significant work experience may possibly compensate for the absence of such a mention.
If you are not in possession of a Belgian diploma, please note that the deadline for the submission of registration files to UCLouvain is the 30th of April before the start of the academic year (see in particular the procedure of admission for international regular students).
If the information and forms available on the internet are not sufficient or difficult for you to access, please contact the students registration department of our university.
After having checked the admission conditions and to be able to concretize your registration with the registration service, you will need an authorization of registration delivered by the coordinator of the master ENVI2MC. In order for him to be able to analyse on your eligibility, you must send him an email to the address coordenvi@climate.be whose "subject" begins with "ENVI2M": your detailed CV, your results and mentions year after year (transcript), a letter of motivation and a one page summary of your master thesis. THIS APPROACH DISPENSES IN NO WAY THE ADMINISTRATIVE FORMALITIES TO BE FILLED WITH THE REGISTRATION SERVICE OF UCLouvain. It only allows, on the one hand, that you get an informal opinion on your eligibility for the Master (only for academic aspects), and on the other hand, to provide the coordinator with the elements allowing him to deliver you, in due time, the registration authorization.
What is the registration fee and any related registration fees?
Please, refer to the registration fee information.
Practical organization of the master
What is the maximum work load (in credits) allowed?
The maximum load of a 120 master is 135 credits. Some students are tempted to exaggerate their list of elective courses. However, they must be able to manage their course load so that it is achievable for them ... The minimum load, taking into account the possible exemptions for the prerequisite courses, is 105 credits. Taking into account the Professional Internship (30 credits) and the Personal Graduation Project (= internship report) (15 credits), the course load is limited to 60-90 credits. An analysis of the programs actually constituted by the students, taking into account the prerequisites and exemptions, shows that the students have a real program on average of 66 credits of course (minimum 61 credits) realized in one year, plus the 3 months internship realized after this year of class.
Are all courses mandatory or should they be chosen from the program?
The program specifies which courses are required and which courses are elective. In particular, for some activities, you must choose a course from a list. The prerequisite courses are all mandatory, but exemptions may be granted to students who have already taken courses deemed equivalent
For which courses and under what conditions can I obtain course exemptions for subjects I have already studied?
All prerequisite activities ("disciplinary reinforcement activities") must have been studied to obtain the ENVI2MC master's degree. If activities deemed equivalent have already been completed during the student's previous courses, they must no longer be taken in the context of the ENVI2TM master and the student can ask to be exempted from these courses.
To obtain the exemption, the student must compare the content of the course (see the specifications accessible by following the link of the course code in the study program) with the courses already followed. If (s)he considers that the request for exemption is justified, the student must obtain confirmation by consulting the professor of the course for which an exemption is desired. In order for the teacher to be able to pronounce on the equivalence of content, the student must presented him/her the detailed description of the course already taken (content, syllabus, specifications ...). The teacher will assess the equivalence of courses. (S)He will inform the coordinator of the master (coordenvi@climate.be), who will grant the exemption, if relevant.
How is the choice of prerequisite courses, are they included automatically according to the prior training of students?
Students wishing to graduate from the ENVI2M Master must have a minimum basic education in the following areas: ecology, biology, economics, chemistry, biochemistry, physics, statistics, data acquisition and processing. Therefore, if such notions in one or more of these fields are lacking in the initial training of the student, it is necessary that the latter s the disciplinary reinforcement activities that correspond to it. All disciplinary reinforcement activities are therefore "mandatory", but may be subject to exemptions based on the subjects already studied as part of the student's previous degrees.
How to establish my personalized program (choice of course)?
To help students to build their individual academic program, a spreadsheet is made available tot the students. Simply complete this sheet in accordance with all the instructions indicated and submit it for validation to the coordinator of the master (coordenvi@climate.be).
Are classes held in Louvain-la-Neuve or elsewhere (Brussels, ...)?
The ENVI2MC master's program consists of lectures given in Louvain-la-Neuve. Each student can choose optional courses given on another site. The first letter of the course code indicates its location: L = Louvain-la-Neuve, W = Woluwé (= Brussels), M = Mons.
When are the exam sessions?
Exam sessions take place according to the usual university calendar, i.e. in January and June for the first session, and in August for the second session. Some courses proceed by continuous evaluation during the semester.
Do the courses mentioned 'practical work' correspond to laboratories, research work ...?
The title "practical work" corresponds to any type of session corresponding to an application of the knowledge gained by lectures in a practical mode (including laboratory and personal/team work). This practical mode varies from one course to another.
In terms of class schedules, are they generally extended over the whole week or rather on certain days of the week? Would it be possible to obtain an example of a schedule?
The ENVI master is largely composed of elective courses, so schedules can vary greatly from one student's program to another one. However, given the minimum credit load to be respected, the courses are usually spread over the whole week. You can get an idea of a weekly schedule by looking at class schedules.
When does the professional integration internship take place in the year? When are the reports submitted and the oral defense? Is the research of the place of the internship only done by the student or the coordinators of the internship can they help by bringing an address book, a list of contacts, ...? Can the internship be paid?
The internship usually starts in September following the course year. If necessary, it can also start earlier (in July for example) or later (in March for example) (depending on the trainee and the host institution). The delivery of the report and its defense are generally performed during the exam session that follows the end of the internship (in January for those who started full time in September, in June for those who started later or who did their internship half time since September). The search of the place of internship is made by the student, who can be directed by teachers to whom he / she will seek advice. There is no list of addresses, but the student can find internship offers on Moodle and consult internship reports from previous years to find the interesting contacts. The student can seek advices from the coordinator of the interships (envistage@climate.be) on the host institutions, according to the work he / she wishes to do during his / her internship.
The internship contract between the university, the host institution and the trainee does not include any requirement for remuneration. However, trainees can negotiate such remuneration with their elected host institution.
More specific information about the internship is available elsewhere.