At UCLouvain, a bachelor’s programme generally includes both a ‘major’ (150 credits), which reflects the name of the degree, and a ‘minor’ (30 credits).
Conceived as a set of complementary coursework in accordance with the student’s choices, the minor serves one of the following objectives:
- initiation to another field;
- eligibility to pursue a master’s in a subject other than the student’s major;
- to complement the major;
- to learn about a social issue.
The first two objectives can change depending on the major with which the minor is combined and the student’s personal planning and development. Coursework for the minor is pursued during the second part of the bachelor’s programme (the second two years).
There are four categories of minors:
- ‘social issue minors’: specifically, either culture and artistic creation, sustainable development or gender studies;
- ‘interdisciplinary minors’: the student gains exposure to another field inspired by open-mindedness and synergy with the major;
- ‘specialised minors’: the student delves deeper into a particular discipline of the major to acquire more knowledge and expertise;
- ‘pre-master minors’: enables the student to acquire prerequisites for a master’s degree in a discipline other than the one for which he or she is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree.