Studenten op werf

Construction

1st semester (Autumn) or 2nd semester (Spring) at VIVES Ostend

Acquire technical and technological construction skills as an exchange student in Belgium, the heart of Europe.

Become a construction professional with international experience
Studenten in dronelab

Buildings and roads. Quite a few of those around the world, right? To help them become their magnificent selves, we need construction professionals to draft, calculate and manage the projects.

In this Construction programme, you gain technological insight in building sustainably, safely and contemporarily. Not only will we be teaching you all about the physical background, we are taking you through the construction process from foundation to completion as well.

This programme is all about experience. You will be asked more than once to roll up your sleeves to turn the theoretical basis from lectures into practice in our lab.

Study Construction

This study in short

Study type

Way of study

Where can I study this?

Startmomenten

Language of education

What will I learn

At our campus at the Belgian seaside, we take you from the drawing table to the construction site to make sure you get an in-depth view of every step of the construction process. Bridges, residential projects, industrial buildings, road constructions – you name it, we cover it.

Our core values are at the heart of all the courses in this programme: low-energy consumption, sustainable construction and practical skills. You will acquire technological insight and technical competence from both lectures and lab trainings. Next to that, you will regularly take a field study to see Belgian construction at work.

Our alumni typically get a job as a site manager, a calculator or an architectural draftsman. Jobs that require, next to adequate technical skills, some well-trained social skills. We believe this to be an important skill for any student. Therefore, our course ‘Human Skills’ is mandatory for every exchange student, in which we tackle themes like communication, organisation and negotiation.

Studenten bij zandbouw

How does VIVES organise this course?

As an exchange student, you will be in direct contact with our international officer, Evert. He will be your guide from your application to your flight home at the end your stay.

An exchange programme is unique for every student that arrives at VIVES. From our list of courses, you pick the ones that correspond best with your interests and/or your programme at your home institution. Once that is settled, we construct a schedule that works for you.

students at beach VIVES

How long does this course take?

Again, this depends on your unique programme. You can stay for an entire year, a semester, or several weeks. Depending on the credits your home institution allows you to take up, we will work out a programme that matches that requirement.

Student tijdens praktijkles

Can I go on an internship?

An internship is definitely amongst the possibilities during your exchange. Belgium – and West Flanders, where VIVES is located, even more so – is a world player in the technological field. If you have enough credits to add in an internship, we highly recommend you to do so. We have dozens of partnerships with top-notch construction firms and can help you get in touch with them. You are bound to learn a great deal from them and are likely to establish a network that will prove to be beneficial for your future career.

Course details
Studenten op werf

Course material

Course material includes books, text books and digital tools you will need during your study.

Course material

Your course material will either be in print or digital, depending on the courses you take. Print includes readers, textbooks, workbooks and reference materials; digital files include ebooks, PDFs, PowerPoint presentations, online tutorials, audio and video.

Our electronic educational environment, Toledo, plays a central part during your study. There you can find information about your courses, download course and study material and keep in touch with your lecturers.

Courses

Curious to find out which theoretical and practical courses are part of your programme? Find an overview below.

Courses

Below you can find an overview of all the courses in our Construction programme.

  • Human Skills for Exchange Students (mandatory)
  • English for Exchange Students (mandatory)
  • Belgian Culture for Exchange Students (mandatory)
  • Mob-BO - International Mobility
  • Building Project 1: Mini Research Thesis/Rezoning/Repurposing of Existing Building
  • Building Project 3: Concrete Works
  • Building Project 4: International Building Challenge @ Home
  • Building Project 5: Energetical Renovation
  • Bachelor Thesis/Final Project – Research Topic Buildings & Construction Engineering
  • Bachelor Thesis/Final Project
  • Internship
  • Emerging Technologies ++
  • Project Work in a Research Group

The ECTS overview specifies the amount of credits for every course and the semester in which the course is taught. Mix and match your favourites until your programme consists of exactly the amount of credits you are taking up for this programme (defined together with your current college or university).

The courses Human Skills, English and Belgian Culture for Exchange students are mandatory for every exchange student. Add them to your total when building your programme.

Course material

Your course material will either be in print or digital, depending on the courses you take. Print includes readers, textbooks, workbooks and reference materials; digital files include ebooks, PDFs, PowerPoint presentations, online tutorials, audio and video.

Our electronic educational environment, Toledo, plays a central part during your study. There you can find information about your courses, download course and study material and keep in touch with your lecturers.

Nursing students giving a presentation

How do I get started?

Alright, you've picked the exchange of your dreams. Time to get started. Find your starting information on requirements, application and more on our exchange students page. We look forward to meeting you!

Start to exchange

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