Study abroad at the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies, KU Leuven

Study abroad at the Faculty of Theology

and Religious Studies, KU Leuven

The Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies at the Catholic University of Leuven (Belgium) is pleased to announce a new initiative.

In addition to our renowned undergraduate and graduate level English-language theology programs, we invite students of the United States who are enrolled in an undergraduate program in the humanities offered either by liberal arts colleges or universities to consider becoming a student at our faculty for either a semester or a full year. We believe that the program we offer here would fit very well as part of your own academic formation, especially if you would be majoring or minoring in Theology/Religious Studies. Why not come study in the heart of Europe?

Why Leuven?

The Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies of the KU Leuven (Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium) has its roots in a centuries-old tradition and has enjoyed international renown since it was founded by Pope Eugene VI in 1432. The Faculty offers comprehensive programs in Theology and Religious Studies, ranging from Bachelor to Master’s level degrees and from Master of Advanced Studies to PhD work. In addition to its regular civil degrees, the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies has been granted permission by the

Congregatio de Institutione Catholica to offer the canonical degrees of Sacrae Theologiae Baccalaureus,

Sacrae Theologiae Licentiatus, and Sacrae Theologiae Doctor. All of the Faculty’s programs are taught in both Dutch and English and are open to students of every nationality. The Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies currently has students from more than eighty countries and thus from virtually every part of the globe.

Low Fees – Rich Cultural Life

Financing quality education is expensive and sometimes prohibitive, especially for those who cannot rely on an already over-stretched parental budget or are dependent upon student loans. While university level education in Belgium costs roughly the same as in other Western societies, thus guaranteeing the highest university standards, Belgium’s insistence on equal opportunity and democratic access for all to a

university education has created a different approach to the financial burden it places on students. Students at the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies of the KU Leuven are expected to pay a tuition fee of around $500 (part-time) to $800 (full-time) total per year, an expense which includes all course and examination fees. Try comparing that to the cost of studying at most universities in the States! The

remaining student fees are subsidized by the government, in accordance with its desire to share its

centuries-old academic tradition and internationally recognized expertise with the global community. Thus, for a relatively limited tuition fee, it is possible to enroll at one of the oldest and most prestigious theology schools in the world as well as to enjoy the experience of student life in a lively and cosmopolitan

university-city. For more information on study costs, see: http://www.kuleuven.be/admissions/budget and

http://www.kuleuven.be/registration/fees/fees.html.

As Leuven is conveniently located just twenty minutes away from Brussels and situated in the heart of Europe, during weekends students will be able to visit Belgium's other magnificent cultural centers – Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent, Bruges, Namur, Liège – or profit from the fast train connections to Paris and London (both within 2 hours from Brussels) as well as Amsterdam and Cologne (both within 2½ hours away).

Facilities and Services

As Leuven is a medieval university town, you will find that its architecture dynamically reflects its

distinctive Low-Countries heritage, blending centuries-old tradition with both modern and contemporary innovation, a fact beautifully reflected in its architectural wealth. Throughout its many corridors, students are given access to, and fully benefit from, the services offered both by the Theology Faculty and the University at large. These include:

 Anexcellent teaching and research staff:one of the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies primary

qualities is found in its ongoing endeavor to weave its teaching and research together in the best way possible. A recent international evaluation commission highly commended the faculty for its teaching and research programs.

 Study support and study guidance:a Study Advisor works closely with individual students and is responsible for offering advice on curriculum options and individual study programs, as well as providing information about exam regulations.

 One of the most extensive theological libraries in the world:the library of the Faculty of Theology and

Religious Studies is respected internationally as one of the world’s top theological libraries. It contains more than 1.2 million volumes and subscribes to more than 1100 current journals and periodicals. The library also has a wide range of bibliographical research facilities to support students in their research.

 An extensive network of university services:housing, financial aid, medical center, counseling services,

extensive sports infrastructure, student church facilities, etc.

 Sunday services:Roman Catholic, Anglican, Evangelical, Orthodox and Greek Catholic are all a part of

Leuven’s diverse international flair.

With a Leuven Signature

To accompany this new administrative offer, the Theology Faculty has created an innovative new course,

The Louvain Approach to Theology, which sets out to introduce students, from both historical and

contemporary contexts, to major theological issues 'with a Leuven signature'. Thus, students will be able to engage enduring theological debates, while becoming familiarized with Leuven's own critical

self-understanding of its historical significance and its role within contemporary theological reflection. From Erasmus to its key contributions to Vatican II, the theology taught in Leuven has had a wide and immediate impact upon the world.

Envisioning one's time in Leuven

We would recommend that individual students make clear their interests in studying in Leuven with our administrative staff (admissions@theo.kuleuven.be) or with the program director

(Johan.DeTavernier@theo.kuleuven.be), so that we will be able to provide further information regarding the admissions’ process. Keep in mind that we have the capacity to develop structural agreements with those colleges abroad that would be interested in regularly sending groups of students to Leuven.

In view of making up your mind on whether to allow your students to come to Leuven in the first (Autumn) or the second (Spring) semester, here is some practical information on the structure of our academic year:

 The first semester begins on the last Monday of September. It has a duration of 13 weeks of classes, ending in the last week before Christmas. After two weeks of Christmas break and 1 week of allotted study

preparation, exams run between the third week of January through the first week of February. Students coming to Leuven in the first semester should therefore plan to be here from mid-September till the first days of February.

 The second semester begins in mid-February to the end of May including two weeks of Easter break. The exam period is then organized for two weeks beginning in mid-June. Students wanting to remain with us for the second semester should plan on being in Leuven from mid-February till the end of June.

Student Curricula

This is how a semester could potentially look in the coming years, even considering that one or two courses will be taught in a different semester of the same academic year (as, from May onward, the situation for the following year will be the final one):

Fall semester 2012 (= first semester 2012-2013) - Old Testament: Prophets

- New Testament: Paul - Pastoral theology - Christian ethics - Introduction to Islam

Spring semester 2013 (= second semester 2012-2013) - Systematic theology: Creation, Church, and Salvation history - History of Church and Theology: Middle Ages and Modern Period

- Introduction to Religious Studies

Fall semester 2013 (= first semester 2013-2014) - Old Testament: Psalms & wisdom

- New Testament: John

- History of Church and theology: contemporary period - Anthropology of religion

Spring semester 2014 (= second semester 2013-2014) - Systematic theology: Faith & Revelation

- Ethics: Christian Political and Social ethics - Catechetics

Electives

Each semester, students taking part in the program above will also be able to follow our innovative new course ‘The Louvain Approach to Theology and Religious Studies in the Past and in the Present’. In addition, students can complement their study program with courses in the fields of philosophy (three courses on offer each semester), canon law (three courses on offer each semester) and it is also possible to take courses in Christian Latin, Biblical Greek or Hebrew.

Students interested in this program or requiring further information,

please contact our admissions’ officer: FACULTY OF THEOLOGY AND RELIGIOUS STUDIES

C/O MRS. INGRID WOUTERS SINT-MICHIELSSTRAAT 4 BOX 3100 BE-3000 LEUVEN, BELGIUM

admissions@theo.kuleuven.be

Institutions interested in developing an institutional agreement,

please contact the director of

the Theology Programs in English: FACULTY OF THEOLOGY AND RELIGIOUS STUDIES

C/O PROF. DR. JOHAN DE TAVERNIER SINT-MICHIELSSTRAAT 4 BOX 3101 BE-3000 LEUVEN, BELGIUM

Johan.DeTavernier@theo.kuleuven.be

For more information on this program and on the Faculty of Theology and

Religious Studies, see also: http://theo.kuleuven.be/page/en/and