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KATHOLIEKE UNIVERSITEIT LEUVEN
LEUVEN UNIVERSITY

Website: http://wet.kuleuven.be

Type of training:
Postgraduate degree in Science Communication and Education

Website:
http://wet.kuleuven.be/pwetenschapscommunicatie/index.html

Contact:
Geert Vanpaemel

E-mail:
geert.vanpaemel@wet.kuleuven.be

Phone:
+32 16 324983

Address:
Campus Arenberg III, Celestijnenlaan, 3001 Heverlee (Leuven), Belgium

Language of training:
Dutch

TARGET /PUBLIC

The course is targeting graduates holding a Master’s degree and with knowledge or interest in sciences and science education or communication. Holders of Master’s degrees from other backgrounds (e.g. philosophy or social sciences) as well as graduates with work experience in science communication (journalists, editors, consultants) are also eligible.

PRESENTATION AND CONTENT OF THE TRAINING

The two main subjects are science communication and science dissemination. Science communication tackles the challenges faced when communicating science to the general public. Science dissemination gives concrete examples about science communication. One of the workshops is about the work of a scientific editorial office of a newspaper.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

Period:
From October to June. The course can be taken full time (one year) or part time (two years)

Place:
Leuven, Belgium

Tuition Fee:
€ 250 for the full time course, € 150 for the part time course

Possibility of The cost can be (partly) covered by education vouchers (opleidingscheques) from scholarship: the Flemish Community

Admission/Registration Registration between 15 August and 15 October via the website.

Actual conditions:
subscription is only possible after the internet registration has been accepted.

Number of participants:
n/a

Deadline for registration:
Registration via the website between 15 August and 15 October

Other:
Part of the course focuses on science dissemination with workshops about the work of a scientific editorial office. Another part of the course focuses on science education in schools.

LESSIUS HOGESCHOOL ANTWERPEN LESSIUS COLLEGE ANTWERP

Type of training:
Master of Arts in Journalism

Website:
www.lessius.eu/tt/stk/masterjournalistiek/default.aspx

Contact:
Practical coordination: Michael Opgenhaffen

Academic coordination: Luc Van Doorslaer

E-mail:
journalistiek@lessius.eu, michael.opgenhaffen@lessius.eu

Phone:
+ 32 3 206 04 91

Address:
Sint-Andriesstraat 2, 2000 Antwerpen, Belgium

Language of training:
Dutch

TARGET /PUBLIC

The programme addresses graduates with a background in languages, holding a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in this domain (Toegepaste taalkunde, Taal- en Letterkunde). Twice a year a screening is proposed to define whether prospective applicants have the necessary skills and motivation to become journalists. Graduates with other Master degrees can be considered for a one year preparation programme, after which they can take part in the Master of Arts (MA) course.

PRESENTATION AND CONTENT OF THE TRAINING

The Master in journalism trains students for the written and audiovisual press, focusing on linguistic skills. Students acquire a thorough grounding in communication science, media studies and discourse analysis. Students specialise via domain bound case-studies, where science journalism is an option. Writing an MA dissertation is the final requirement.
The course on science journalism takes a practical approach, analysing case studies, with exercises linked to current journalistic affairs. The theoretical background is covered as well, together with in-depth discussions of concrete examples of science journalism from Belgian and international press. Main subjects covered include medical journalism, reporting about new technologies, reporting about developments in the pure sciences, the scientifc aspects of environment issues, biotechnology. The course is taught by Steven Stroeykens, a practicing science journalist from De Standaard newspaper.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

Period:
September – June

Place:
Antwerp, Belgium

Tuition Fee:
€ 533 /year

Possibility of scholarship:
n/a

Admission/Registration conditions:
Bachelor’s in languages. Holders of Master’s degrees in other topics might be considered for a short programme of one year before enrolling in the Master course

Number of participants:
n/a

Deadline for registration:
No specific deadline. Registrations should be sent before the start of the course

KATHOLIEKE HOGESCHOOL MECHELEN MECHELEN UNIVERSITY COLLEGE

www.khm.be

Type of training:
Postgraduate Degree in International Research Journalism

Website:
www.researchjournalist.be

Contact:
Ides Debruyne

E-mail:
ides.debruyne@fondspascaldecroos.org

Phone:
+32 2 705 59 19

Address:
Mechelen University College, Zandpoortvest 13, 2800 Mechelen, Belgium

Language of training:
Dutch

TARGET / PUBLIC

The course targets both graduate students with a Bachelor’s degree in journalism or a Master’s in another topic as well as candidates with work experience.

PRESENTATION AND CONTENT OF THE TRAINING

The aim of the course is to learn how to make news headlines. The course does not focus on daily reporting but rather on research journalism. A research journalist should be prepared to search extensively for information on a specific topic, to dig through information and make use of archives.
Different courses are given by Flemish and Dutch journalists. The course is organised in cooperation between the Fonds Pascal Decroos and the Mechelen University College. A course on science journalism by De Standaard journalist Kim de Rijck is included in the curriculum (in the module on "International newsgathering").

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

Period:
The course runs from September to May, twice a week from 7pm to 10pm

Place:
Mechelen, Belgium

Tuition Fee:
€ 950 for first 2 modules

Possibility of scholarship:
The cost can be (partly) covered by education vouchers (opleidingscheques) from the Flemish Community.

Admission/Registration conditions:
Candidates are selected depending on CV and motivation.

Number of participants:
Max. 25

Deadline for registration:
End of June

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

There are a number of other journalism courses in Belgium that include science journalism as a topic in their programme. The University of Liège (ULG) offers a Master programme in Information and Communication, which includes a course entitled Techniques du Journalisme de Vulgarisation (Techniques for simplifying messages). This course aims to deepen journalist skills and knowledge acquired at undergraduate level and to apply them to science communication.

Université de Liège (ULG)
Website: www.ulg.ac.be

Description of the course on techniques for simplifying messages:
http://progcours.ulg.ac.be/cocoon/cours/PEAV0026-1.html

Most degree programmes in science run by Belgian universities, include a module on science communication which covers writing scientific reports, articles and books. For example at the University of Antwerp Science communication can be taken as a subject of choice in the final year of the Bachelor in Biology.

University of Antwerp
Website: www.virtuelecampus.be

The Belgian Association of Science Journalists partners with five Science Universities of the French Community through a network entitled ‘Réseau Scité’. The objective of this partnership is to raise awareness on science among young people and the general public as well as to disseminate
information and stimulate debate between science and society.

Réseau Scité
Website: www.sciences.be

Belgian Association of Science Journalists
Website: www.abjsc.org

The fairly new project "Ik heb een vraag" (I have a question) gives citizens the possibility to ask scientific questions to scientists.

A pool of scientists from 14 research organisations and universities will answer the question in a clear, non scientific way. The project is supported by the Action Plan on Science Information and Innovation from the Flemish community.

Website:
www.ikhebeenvraag.be

Other science communication initiatives are aimed at helping scientists to communicate their research to the general public and the press or facilitating communication science towards the general public, for example at the department of science communication at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel:

www.vub.ac.be/infovoor/onderzoekers/wetenschapscommunicatie/index.html

European Guide Scientific Training:

Edition Autumn 2008

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