An associate degree (90-120 ECTS) is a practice-based programme between secondary education and a professional bachelor’s degree (European Qualification Framework level 5). Workplace learning accounts for at least a third of the study load and it prepares you in two years for the labour market or for a professional bachelor’s programme. Flemish universities of applied sciences (and arts) offer associate degrees only in Dutch. 

A professional bachelor’s degree (180 ECTS) is a bachelor’s degree combining general knowledge with practical competences, including compulsory internships. It prepares you for the labour market in three years. Exception: a bachelor’s degree in nursing takes four years (240 ECTS). If you want to proceed studying for a master’s degree at a Flemish university, a bridging programme will be required. 

An academic bachelor’s degree (180 ECTS) is a bachelor’s degree offered at a university, a school of arts or the Antwerp Maritime Academy. It has a strong theoretical focus and prepares you for master’s studies. 

An advanced bachelor’s degree (60 ECTS) is a bachelor’s degree offered at a university of applied sciences. It provides you with wider and more specialised knowledge and competences in your field of study. 

A master’s degree (60-120 ECTS) has a strong focus on advanced scientific or artistic knowledge and research competences. Most English taught programmes in Flemish higher education are at master’s level. 

An advanced master’s degree (60-120 ECTS) offers specialised training, often linked to top research areas of the home university and is aimed at students who already earned an initial master’s degree. 

A PhD is a doctoral degree, awarded to students who complete a research thesis offering a new contribution to knowledge in their subject. Each Flemish university has several doctoral schools offering PhD programmes preparing PhD graduates for a career in both academia and beyond. For PhD programmes please contact the university of your choice directly. 

OTHER PROGRAMMES 

A postgraduate certificate (min. 20 ECTS) offers specialised training in a very specific area. It does not result in a diploma. 

Summer courses are short courses of one or two weeks organised during the summer holiday. Many of these courses allow you to earn credits (eg. 3 ECTS for two weeks) and are a great opportunity to get a glimpse of Flanders and Brussels as a study destination. 

Exchange programmes are programmes you can attend when you come on credit mobility to Flanders or Brussels, while you stay enrolled in your home institution. All 18 Flemish Higher Education Institutions have a wide range of partner institutions around the world.  

Source: https://www.studyinflanders.be/higher-education-in-flanders