Educational quality of the programme
At VUB, the quality of the education takes centre stage. This isn't something we say lightly: we scrutinise our programmes regularly to align them with changing student needs in a rapidly changing society.
This public information is part of VUB’s quality assurance system and was ratified by the Academic Council on 19/05/2025. Below is a translation of the Dutch version.
Sources: Peer Review, Strategic plan, focus group discussion, recommendations Education Quality Council.
Strengths of the programme
- Diverse and international learning environment: The programme attracts a large number of both national and international students. This creates a rich learning environment in which theories on language, literature, multilingualism, and intermediality are experienced directly, both inside and outside the classroom.
- Enthusiastic teaching staff: The Master's programme is delivered by a team of experts with strong group cohesion. Through language platforms and small learning groups, they maintain continuous and personalised contact with students.
- Variety of specialisation options: The programme offers five different graduation profiles; within the English-taught programme, there are even six. Within these profiles, students have the opportunity to study multiple languages.
Opportunities
- The internship offering will be further expanded to ensure that sufficient internship placements are available and that they are equivalent in quality across all profiles.
- Monitoring study duration will become a standing agenda item for the programme committee.
- The programme will determine its priorities based on the capacity of the current staffing framework.
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The implementation of the dual degree programme with the University of Guelph will be closely monitored and evaluated.
Current developments
- The programme is investing in a well-developed AI policy, particularly in relation to research methodology and the master's thesis.
- It is further refining and developing a new format for language tests and interviews in the admissions process for new students, with the aim of determining students’ entry level and providing additional support where needed.
- The programme is developing an alumni network to gain a clear understanding of graduate destinations and to inspire prospective students.
- The programme committee ensures that decisions are traceable and that the implementation of the strategic plan is monitored systematically.
Where do we get this information from?
As institution we routinely ask our students to give their honest opinion about the study programme during their academic career. We also consult our professors and assistants and gauge the expectations in the future field of work. We receive structured feedback from our former students and compare our programmes with others at home and abroad. Through a Peer Review every six years an expert panel endorses the programme’s assets and can recommend some actions. Lastly, VUB's Education Quality Council takes a formal decision about the quality and functioning of a programme.
Quality cycle
Each programme follows a six-year quality cycle. The timeline below shows the schedule for this particular programme.
