Study Placements - Outgoing Students
Application
The Erasmus Programme Director should make the initial contact with the potential host institution, with whom a Bilateral Agreement has been signed, to ensure that it is willing to accept the nominated student(s). Note that host institutions may have an early deadline for the receipt of applications and may wish their own forms to be used. Erasmus Programme Directors must also obtain permission from the Head of School for the student to undertake the placement.
Programme Directors should then ensure that a completed Grant Application Form is submitted for each of their outgoing students (who have been approved by the Head of School) to the Exchange and Study Abroad team (Careers, Employability and Skills) by 31 March in the case of Semester 1 placements and by 31 October for Semester 2 placements. The form should be signed by the student, the Erasmus Programme Director and the Head of School or his/her nominee. Payment of mobility grants cannot be made unless a form has been submitted. The Exchange and Study Abroad team will also submit details of nominations to the central Erasmus Office of partner universities on receipt of the completed Grant Application Forms from the Erasmus Programme Directors. Students are notified by the Exchange and Study Abroad team that they are personally responsible for submitting their application for admission and accommodation to the host university in good time.
Formal Recognition
Under Erasmus rules, it is an essential part of the arrangements that the period of study at the host university should be fully recognised as part of a student’s study programme for a degree at Queen’s. This may take either of two forms: the Queen's degree regulations may specifically require a period of study abroad; or the School may formally resolve to recognise the period of study abroad in lieu of a specific part of the degree course at Queen's.
It follows from this that students have to be very clear about what is going to be required of them while at the host university, in terms of choice of courses, attendance requirements, submission of written or practical work and passing of examinations. The arrangements made will differ from one Erasmus placement to another but in most cases it will be best if a student returns to Queen's with three grades/marks per semester of study, to fit in with the modularised system.
The procedure for formal recognition involves two stages: the Learning Agreement and the Transcript.
Learning Agreement
It is the responsibility of the Queen’s Erasmus Programme Director to discuss the assessment procedures to be used for outgoing students with the Erasmus Programme Director at the host institution before the student’s departure and to include these details in the Learning Agreement. Students are required to complete a Learning Agreement prior to their departure from Belfast. This form must be countersigned by the Queen's Erasmus Programme Director, then the student must forward to the host university for the final signature, before returning the fully signed version to the Exchange and Study Abroad team. This should be done prior to the commencement of the placement. If necessary, changes can be made to the Learning Agreement after the student's arrival at the host university.
Transcript
The Exchange and Study Abroad team will issue a request for transcripts from the host university, however, it is the responsibility of the Erasmus Programme Director to make sure that a transcript of the marks for each of his/her students has been received. The methods of assessment will have been agreed at an earlier date (see above). Most European universities now use ECTS (European Credit Transfer System). The transcript should indicate the number of ECTS credits a student will gain for the work undertaken. A full academic year’s workload should yield 60 ECTS credits. The transcript or report should then be forwarded to the Board of Examiners.
An unofficial marks conversion table for most European countries to aid the translation of a student’s performance at the host institution can be downloaded from the following link.
This document is also available on request from the Exchange and Study Abroad team.
Duration of Placement
The minimum period for a Erasmus placement, either for study or work placement or a combination of both, is three months, the maximum is one academic year. For Queen's students, it is best to undertake a placement for at least one semester, i.e. 4-5 months, but ideally two semesters. Not only does the longer placement enable students to settle in better and give them a greater opportunity to become familiar with a new academic system, but students who go on Erasmus placement for an academic year are exempt from paying tuition fees to Queen's during the year abroad. It is the responsibility of the Erasmus Programme Director to find out whether methods of teaching, learning and examining differ in any way at the host university from those at Queen's (for example, essays to be written in the language of the host institution).
Language Proficiency
Except in a few universities which teach in the medium of English (as sometimes in the Netherlands and Scandinavia), students will have to be fluent in the language of the host university.
Except in cases of language students undertaking placements as a necessary part of their degree, it is unlikely that a Queen's student will be proficient enough to undertake a study programme taught and examined in a foreign language.
It is essential that Erasmus Programme Directors bear this fact in mind when they are selecting destinations for their students. Language training in advance of mobility may help, and students should therefore be encouraged to attend the Language Centre in the Library. However, it may not be sufficient grounding to enable a student to study their subject in a foreign language.