Annabel Sels
In the spotlight: Bachelor of European Studies
Last academic year, eight European universities including KU Leuven launched the Bachelor of European Studies (BAES), a unique interdisciplinary and inter-university programme focusing on the history, future and role of Europe. For three years, students are immersed in the fundamental values of European society and its relationship with other continents. The successful completion of the first year is a great opportunity to highlight this programme in which our faculty is also participating.
The Bachelor in European Studies is the first joint achievement of Una Europa, an alliance of eleven leading European universities, eight of which have committed to working together to develop this new bachelor's degree. Within KU Leuven, four faculties are participating in the programme: Law and Criminological Sciences, Arts, Social Sciences and Economics and Business (FEB).
FEB professor Annabel Sels is one of the teachers of the programme and coordinator for FEB KU Leuven in the working group: "Una Europa is actually an idea of Emmanuel Macron, who dreamed of a university where young people would be trained to become very Europe-minded professionals. The bachelor is specifically aimed at students who want to make a career in diplomacy, international organizations or in the European Union. The pen-holding faculty is KU Leuven's Faculty of Social Sciences, with Kolja Raube as programme director. KU Leuven leads the programme together with Alma Mater Studiorum Università in Bologna, Universidad Complutense in Madrid and Uniwersytet Jagiellonski in Krakow. The idea is for students to start the programme in one of these four universities and move on to a second and sometimes even third university during the three-year programme."
Students not only acquire a thorough knowledge of Europe, but also experience it. Mobility therefore plays a key role in the programme. Students are required to study in several European universities during the bachelor's degree, immersing themselves in various European cultures. Moreover, they must learn a second European language in addition to English, giving them extra opportunities in the European labor market.
Annabel Sels: "With today's geopolitical developments, the war in Ukraine and the Israel-Palestine conflict, it is definitely a good idea to train convinced Europeans. For example, students are taught about Lobbying in the European Union, I myself teach about Multinationals and European Institutions/International Business. In addition, many other courses about Europe are organized on the Brussels campus. The big advantage is of course that we are close to the European institutions and can easily invite people who work there to give guest lectures. That contributes significantly to the goal of the bachelor's degree: getting people excited about European affairs."
The three-year program offers students a broad view of various fields of study, including law, political and international relations, history and economics. Annabel Sels: "At our faculty, we decided to teach existing courses because they were already very internationally oriented anyway. This means that BAES students take the course 'Introduction to (EU) Economics' together with Business Administration students.”
After a joint multidisciplinary curriculum, students choose a major and a minor from seven areas of study, benefiting from the internal expertise of all the partner universities. They are also encouraged to do internships to enrich their professional experience.
Annabel Sels: "The intention is that professors will eventually work even more closely together. A good example is Professor Wouters of the Faculty of Law who has developed his course together with colleagues from the other universities. The beauty of this program is that you offer a solid university education that is developed between diverse faculties of diverse universities. The teachers involved in the programme have worked very well together so far, so that is already covered. However, as a faculty, we believe it's important to keep the bar high. There are a lot of complementary master's programs available after the bachelor's. The master's in European Studies would certainly be a nice follow-up track”
Margot Vanduynslager (France). ‘Versatility is key’
“I found the Bachelor of European Studies during my research for university degrees. I was initially browsing through programmes in France as I had not considered studying fully abroad in the first place. Eventually I found a website gathering programs in Europe and found this one. After reading through the website I thought it was a perfect match with my interests as it was international and included mobility beyond what I thought was possible in a program. What also attracted me was the idea of doing many subjects in the first three semesters because even though I was particularly attracted to political science, I wasn’t sure whether it was the best academic path for me. Therefore this programme was a great opportunity for me to open up to Europe in a daily experience abroad and also to have a variety of subjects allowing to redefine my interests.”
STUDENT LIFE ABROAD
“I spend my first two semesters in Leuven. I thought it was a great city in all aspects. I come from a very small town in the south of France so Leuven was sort of a great transition before living in Paris next year. Leuven has everything you need within a reachable distance, it is bike friendly and has a vibrant student life. A couple drawbacks however would be the dreadful weather and the costs of life but that didn’t prevent me from enjoying my student experience.”
“Most of the courses are introductions since we are only in the first year of the Bachelor. We have received classes in Law, Politics, Economics, European Societies, Languages… The second semester was more maths-oriented with two courses of Economics (Managerial Economics and EU Economics) as well as a class of Quantitative Methods. We also have a lot of group works in our Research course with other students from campuses in Madrid, Bologna and Krakow. It can be very challenging at times to work together when we are so far apart, and to work with online classes. But overall I appreciate the education I received through the programme. Apart from the campus based courses, we have common exams with the other campuses.”
“The best experience isn’t one memory in particular but the whole atmosphere of being surrounded by other students coming from such a large variety of backgrounds. This makes all of us so much richer. As we are all far away from our families and homes, we have a very special bond that is hardly findable elsewhere.“
VERSATILITY IS KEY
“I would definitely recommend this experience, but with some reservations. I appreciate the international environment and the content of most classes, especially the on-campus courses. It is a programme with a lot of potential! However, as a future Bachelor of European Studies, you should be ready for online classes with professors from other campuses. The program is entirely in English. You must be able to perform in different subjects, so versatility is key. As it is a new programme, students have to be little patient, as it cannot be expected that everything will be perfect right away.”
FUTURE DREAMS
“I don’t have definite plans for the future apart from pursuing a master’s programme after the bachelor. I will determine what my master will look like when I will be in my major of political science. Ultimately it would be my dream to work in diplomacy on a national or EU level.”
Aaron Hacker (Germany). “Everything Everywhere All at Once”.
“The European idea is being put to the test. Whether from the outside in the form of a war of aggression on Ukraine or from within its own ranks. That’s why it is all the more important to create entities dedicated to the European idea. A Europe that builds upon its tradition but is open to innovate. Composed of many different cultures yet sharing a certain collective identity. I feel like a have a lot in common with this Europe. I feel it is great to be part of the European community of values, to live in peace. I think that strength lies in the unity of diversity. That is how we counter Euroscepticism and polarization. In fact, my life is the embodiment of "and": I am a European and Hamburger. A goal setter and detour taker. A team player and a leader. A traditionalist and innovator. Those are all me. I am convinced that the big problems the world is facing today can only be solved through intercultural and multidisciplinary exchange. Una Europa represents exactly that. It allows people, knowledge, ideas, and values to transcend borders, languages, cultures, and time. It prepares its students to shape Europe’s shared future for the better. I imagine the Una Europa programme and the KU Leuven to be a body of knowledge that, like me, epitomizes "and".
MULTILINGUAL ECONOMISTS, SOCIOLOGISTS AND CULTURAL SCIENTISTS
“The world needs Economists that speak the language of Sociologists as well as Politicians who understand cultural scientists. And more fundamentally, Italians that speak Flemish, Poles who are fluent in Spanish. And we, the BAES class of 2025, are all about to become these multilingual Economists, Sociologists and Culture scientists; we are all about to become the shapers of the future European Union.
What we can learn from the European project is that leaving a legacy means leaving those with whom your path crosses a little more happiness and hope. Our time together as the BAES class of 2025 will not be remembered by grades, popularity, likes, or favourites but by our boundary-crossing relationships. These are legacies we Europeans must pass on.”
THE BEST PART OF THE PROGRAMME
“The best part of this programme for me is definitely meeting all the beautifully different people. This is intercultural exchange at its best, opening minds and enriching lives. I would totally recommend this programme to other students! I think my reasons became quite clear already. In a nutshell: it's truly multicultural, truly multilingual and truly me. You are empowered to become the architect of your own education. That is so special about it.
“Everything everywhere all at once" is the title of an Oscar-winning film, but it could be the name of our bachelor as well. Both share the same release year, both can feel like absurd, overlong Sci-fi adventures from time to time, but most importantly: both revolve around the notion of mobility. The Una Europa Bachelor of European is the first joint Bachelor degree in Europe of its kind, and students get to study at two to three campuses. That's how you educate global citizens, in my opinion.”
Anke Somers en Els Brouwers