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Guide for Erasmus students interested in studying at ESAT

Before your arrival in Leuven
Upon your arrival in Leuven
Useful links

Programs

Project

Most students come for a research project or a thesis project (between 3 to 8 months). These projects are carried out within research groups. To help you choose, you find here:

You always need to ask (by e-mail) for the permission of the promotor. You can contact professors of researchers from the department by e-mail; however, first you should check around in order to determine which professor does research in an area that interests you. If your e-mail provides more details about yourself and your goals, it is more likely that you will get a helpful and timely answer.

It is also very important that you discuss in your home university when and how you will be evaluated for this work (written text, presentation, ...) and which type of evaluation is expected from the KU Leuven.

You can also combine a short project (3-6 ECTS credits) with regular courses.

Courses

An engineering degree in Leuven takes 5 years (or 10 semesters): a 3-year Bachelor followed by a 2-year Master. The first half (i.e., the first 3 semesters) of the Bachelor degree are in common for all engineering students. Then there are 3 semesters of specialization (two departments, major and minor) to complete the 3-year Bachelor degree. This Bachelor degree is followed by two years of Master's courses.

Erasmus exchanges are most appropriate for students at the Master level; taking the third year of the Bachelor is also an option.

One academic year consists of 60 ECTS credits (and one semester has 30 ECTS credits); each credit corresponds to roughly 30 hours of work.

You can select courses from English Master's programs offered by the department of Electrical Engineering:

A large number of Master level courses and all Bachelor level courses are taught in Dutch (or in Flemish as you prefer; Flemish relates to Dutch as American English relates to British English). You have the following options if you want to take classes that are taught in Dutch:

  • Take an intensive language course (Dutch), which will allow you to follow the lectures. This has worked very well in the past for people who have a good knowledge of either German, Danish, Norwegian, or Swedish, who were able to follow lectures in Dutch after a short course.
  • For undergraduate courses, this means that you have to study on the basis of an English book indicated by the professor. Research assistants will be able to provide tutoring in English. This way of studying requires that you are sufficiently independent and that you are prepared to take initiatives to obtain the information you need. The description of courses is available on the university web site (with English summary). You can select courses from the 3-year Bachelor program of our department or from the Master level courses offered by our department:

    You could also select some courses from the Computer Science program.

    These links give you an overview (in Dutch) of Bachelor and Master's courses English translations of the syllabi are available on a course by course basis. You can search for specific courses using English terms here.

If you are interested in a specific Master program, you can contact the coordinator of this program to help you select suitable courses.

English master program Contact person
Electrical Engineering Marc Moonen
Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Guido Groeseneken
Bio-informatics Yves Moreau
 
Dutch master program Contact person
Electrical Engineering: Integrated Electronics Patrick Reynaert
Electrical Engineering: Multimedia and Signal Processing Luc Van Eycken
Electrical Engineering: Telematics and Telecommunication Dominique Schreurs
Energy Johan Driesen
Mathematical Engineering Joos Vandewalle
Biomedical Engineering Sabine Van Huffel

For students who are taking courses, it is very important to discuss your program with the responsible professor in your home university. Print all the relevant course information and make sure that they check that you have the required knowledge to take the courses, that the courses are relevant to the degree of your home university, and that the courses are taught in the correct semester.
If you need help in choosing a program, contact Prof. Bart Preneel.

Application

Fill out the on-line application form on this page. Also consider the infomration for the Faculty of Engineering.    Please pay attention to the followoing points:

  • ask your home university to send to Ms. Anouck Brouwers your nomination for Erasmus to KU Leuven, that is, the statement that you were selected for an Erasmus visit to KU Leuven, with your name, Erasmus period and field of study (e.g. Electrical Engineering, Nanoscience);
  • attach your learning agreement (no signatures needed) to your on-line application;
  • do not forget provide you transcript of records.

If you need help, contact Ms. Anouck Brouwers (for administrative questions) or Prof. Bart Preneel (for questions related to your program or project). The contents of the form should be approved by your home institution and submitted well on time (see deadlines on KU Leuven Erasmus pages).  It may be necessary to make some (minor) changes to the program after your arrival in Leuven, but ideally most of the program should be agreed before you submit the forms.
 

Appointments

Before leaving for Leuven, you should inform Prof. Bart Preneel of your exact date of arrival and make an appointment with him. Also send a copy of that message to his assistant Pela Nöe. You should also send an e-mail for making an appointment with your promotor or academic supervisor.

If you are taking courses, you should (after your arrival) make by e-mail appointments to all your professors to discuss what you need to know, whether there will be any practical sessions, how you will be evaluated, and who can help you when something is not clear, etc. In the first week of the semester, you will be invited to a short information session with practical information about the department.

Temporary accomodation

Please consult the KU Leuven accomodation website for information on temporary accomodation.


Housing service

The KU Leuven has a Housing Service (Van Dalecollege, Naamsestraat 80); you can find the links on the  accomodation website of the KU Leuven.

 

Meeting with the Faculty's Erasmus coordinator

The Faculty's Erasmus coordinator, Ms. Anouck Brouwers, will give you a letter confirming your status as an Erasmus exchange student. She will also collect your results and send these to your home university.

In order to get to her office, follow the route to the ESAT building and look for the Arenberg castle, situated nearby (if you stand in front of the ESAT building facing it, the castle is on your lefthand side). Once you got to the Arenberg castle take the second door to your right after you passed through the main entrance gate (office 00.63).

 

Registration at the University (The Registrar's Office)

Although you remain enrolled at your home university during your study period abroad, you still need to register as an exchange student at the KU Leuven. This registration is done in The Registrar's Office, located in the Naamsestraat 22. There is a special line for Erasmus students and the staff will assist you in registering.

In order to register as an exchange student, you have to submit:

  • your passport or identity card
  • 1 passport photograph
  • a certificate from your home university, proving that you have been enrolled as a regular (i.e. fee-paying) student there
  • your permission to register as an exchange student at KU Leuven (supplied by the Faculty's Erasmus coordinator)
  • for TEMPUS students: a written statement from your home university, saying that you receive a grant in the framework of a European educational programme and mentioning the amount of the grant
  • 15 EURO to subscribe to a third-party liability insurance policy
  • a copy of your housing contract

[The Erasmus contact person at the ESAT department is Prof. Bart Preneel.]

After registering you receive, amongst other things, your student card. This card is generally considered to be the proof that you have been recognised by the academic authorities as a KU Leuven student. You may need it when taking exams or when going to the library or to one of the university restaurants, so make sure that you always carry it with you. Apart from your student card, you will be given a proof of registration, which you will need when registering at the City Hall (see the next step).

Registration with the authorities (City Hall)

The City Hall is situated very close to the Registrar's Office, where you registered in the previous step. You can find it on the Muntstraat at nr. 3 (the street passing behind the beautifully ornamented building in the Grote Markt).

Within 8 working days after your arrival, you are expected to register at the Foreigners Office (in Dutch: 'Dienst Buitenlanders') in the City Hall. However, in practice, Leuven's Foreigners Office requires you to have a permanent address before going to the City Hall.

As an EU student you will be asked to supply:

  • your identity card or passport
  • a certificate of your ERASMUS grant or a written proof of guaranteed income if you don't receive a grant (the latter can be obtained at the Foreigners Office)
  • 3 passport photographs
  • a proof of registration at KU Leuven (see previous step)
  • a proof of health insurance

As a non-EU student you should supply:

  • your identity card or passport, with visa or Authorisation for provisional sojourn if required
  • a proof of registration at KU Leuven (see previous step)
  • 3 passport photographs

Students from Switzerland whose stay exceeds three months must apply for an Authorisation for provisional sojourn upon arrival in Belgium. They must submit the following documents:

  • a valid passport
  • proof of registration at KU Leuven (see previous step)
  • a proof of solvency
  • a certificate of good conduct from the police department
  • a medical certificate
  • 3 passport photographs

After you have reported to the Foreigners Office you will receive a residence permit for the length of your stay in Belgium. This is a white card which is literally called Certificate of Inscription in the Aliens' Register (in Dutch: Bewijs van Inschrijving in het Vreemdelingenregister). Every change of address must be reported immediately to the City Hall, as well as to the Registrar's Office of the university. At the end of your stay in Leuven, you should notify the Aliens' Registration Office that you are leaving.