The UCL Faculty of Economic, Social and Political Sciences and Communication (ESPO) has just concluded several joint degree programme agreements with Canadian universities to the great benefit of students.
Beginning in September 2018, the course in European studies organised by the faculty’s Interdisciplinary School of European Studies will be enriched by a transatlantic partnership: ESPO will launch a joint EU studies degree with Carleton University of Ottawa and Brussels Saint-Louis University. ESPO Dean Sébastien Van Bellegem was in Canada on 25 May, while his Canadian counterparts were welcomed in Louvain-la-Neuve on 25 June to sign the joint degree agreement.
In September 2019, a new international joint degree programme in political science will be organised by ESPO with the University of Ottawa.
Finally, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences of the Université de Montréal (UdeM) and ESPO have just signed a sectoral collaboration agreement whose objective is to develop two joint degree programmes: one in European studies – a new option of the master’s degree in international studies – and the other in applied demography – an option of the master’s degree in demography. The two faculties are targeting a first cohort in European studies and applied demography in September 2019.
Raoul Delcorde, Belgium’s ambassador to Canada, pointed out that agreements with English-speaking universities have so far been the exception and that he has been keen to support them.
Dean Van Bellegem said, ‘We are building the future for students and researchers. In a globalised world and our low-growth region, our strategy is one of strong and sustainable networks supported by enthusiastic teams in order to work together.’