Do I earn credit for my studies?
Yes. The credits you successfully complete at the Institutum Liturgicum are awarded by KU Leuven, the accrediting university which provides the transcript.
Within Europe, the ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) helps to calculate credits among institutions and for programmes of study.
In the UK, the CATS (Credit Accumulation Transfer System) is being gradually integrated into the European ECTS System promoted by the Bologna Process, which governs the EHEA (European Higher Education Area) to which the UK belongs. Most universities in Europe now count their credits in ECTS, or will be able to tell you their equivalence to ECTS.
1 ECTS = 2 UK credits.
One semester’s work-load for a full-time student is calculated at 30 ECTS.
North America follows another system of calculating credits.
For North American exchanges, each university must be evaluated for its number of contact hours and expectations for private study. One estimation of equivalency would be:
we convert 1 US credit = 2.5 ECTS = 5 UK credits.
so, normally 2.5 ECTS = 1 US credit = 5 UK credits.
ECTS x 4/10 = US credits
One semester’s work-load for a full-time student is calculated at 12 US credits = 30 ECTS = 60 UK credits.
Institutum Liturgicum
In 2012 we began offering three 10-day blocks, including a total of 8 accredited courses. Most of the courses at the Institutum Liturgicum are valued at 4 ECTS, but the seminar is valued at 8 ECTS because of the written essay. The work load for summer studies at the Institutum Liturgicum is intensive because each semester course is conducted over the span of two weeks. To make the work load manageable, normally only two courses are taken for credit during any one block of the summer programme. From 2012 we shall offer three blocks of courses, so normally it is possible to take up to six courses during the summer. Of course, some students will prefer to take fewer courses and spread their studies out over successive summers.
Each summer term we offer three 10-day blocks at Ealing, including perhaps 8 or more accredited courses (4 ECTS). We hope some day to offer one block of studies at St Michael’s Abbey, Farnborough.
ECTS credits are numerical values allocated to course units to describe the student workload required to complete them. They reflect the quantity of work each course unit requires in relation to the total quantity of work necessary to complete a full year of academic study at the institution, i.e. lectures, practical work, seminars, tutorials, fieldwork, private study – in library or at home – and examinations or other assessment activities. ECTS is thus based on a full student workload and not limited to contact hours only.
60 ECTS credits represent the workload of an academic year for a full-time student.
In each semester of 12 weeks roughly 30 credits are awarded = 720 hours of learning (contact time and private learning).
1 ECTS credit = 24 hours of work.
The Pontifical Institute of Liturgy system functions over two years. The work load expected per semester is:
Year 1, semester 1:
6 courses of 3 cr,
1 pro-seminar of 3 cr.
2 courses of 5 cr = 31 cr.
Year 2, semester 1:
6 courses of 3 cr
1 seminar 3 cr = 21 cr.
Year 1 & 2, semester 2, odd years:
(Yr1) 5 courses of 3 cr.= 15 cr. (Yr1)
(Yr2) 5 courses of 3 cr
1 seminar 3 cr.= 18 cr. (Yr2)
Year 1 & 2, semester 2, even years:
(Yr1) 6 courses of 3 cr.= 18 cr. (Yr1)
(Yr2) 6 courses of 3 cr
1 seminar 3 cr= 21 cr. (Yr2)
plus thesis in the second year.= 20 cr.
____________________________________
120 cr.
Notes:
1 ECTS credits = 24 hours of work, perhaps 8hrs contact time.
3 ECTS credits = 72 hours of work, perhaps 24hrs contact time.
60 ECTS = 1 year’s work = 1440 hours learning
3 ECTS credits = 7.2 UK credits
1 UK credit = 10 hours of work, perhaps 3.5hrs contact time
120 UK credits, 1 year’s work = 1200 hours learning
60 ECTS = 1 year’s work = 1440 hours learning
US 1 credit = 50 hours learning,
1 semester = 12 -16 credits = 600 – 800 hours
James Leachman, O.S.B., updated on 26 February 2016