Education

The Doctoral Programme in Society, Law and Religion aims at broadening and deepening the doctoral students' knowledge and ability to produce scholarly research in this area. Furthermore, doctoral students will be supported in their research by means of supervision by the programme's professorial staff. The programme will be especially geared towards preparing a doctoral dissertation, within a reasonable timeframe. The dissertation should constitute an innovative contribution to the area of canon law.

The Doctoral Programme consists of an interrelated and coherent combination of research, study and presentation activities. The Doctoral Programme consists of obligatory and optional elements which aim at broadening knowledge and experience by way of methodological reflection, systematic guidance, discussion with other doctoral students, contact with professors from different areas of research, the presentation of research results, international contacts, preparation of publications, supplementary formation through the study of languages and other specialised courses and team work.

The Doctoral Programme includes (1) an oral presentation at an international conference, (2) a scientific publication at an international level, and (3) annual meetings at a PhD Congress. Components can be followed at other national or international universities and institutes for scientific research. Students are not obliged to live in Leuven to fulfill the requirements of the programme.

Participation in the Doctoral Programme is a compulsory condition for the promotion to Doctor of Society, Law and Religion. Detailed information on the
Doctoral Programme can be consulted on the Faculty's website.

Doctoral students are encouraged to spend time abroad, e.g. in the context of a research internship at another institute.

Profile

Candidates for the Doctoral Programme in Society, Law and Religion are expected to have the following abilities:
- to be well-versed in secular law, theology or sociology;
- to be capable of independent research and to pass on acquired attitudes;
- to be capable of phrasing a research question and to develop a line of reasoning for this purpose;
- to be a specialist in a certain field (and, as such, be thoroughly acquainted with sources, problems and methods) in view of one's contribution to the area of society, law and religion;
- to read modern (and if required, classical) languages, especially those which are relevant for your research project;
- to be able to apply one's knowledge to a systematic reflection on interaction of society, law and religion;
- to have a clear perception of the relationship between(secular and canon) law, society and theology;
- to be able to finish and present a dissertation.

Career perspectives

The programme aims to prepare the graduate in the best possible way for an academic career or service at a Catholic diocese or organization.

Participation in the Doctoral Programme is a compulsory condition for the promotion to
Doctor of Society, Law and Religion. Detailed information on the Doctoral Programme can be consulted on the Faculty's website.

Contact

Faculty of Canon Law - KU Leuven
Student's Secretariat
Charles Deberiotstraat 36 - box 3435
3000 LEUVEN - BELGIUM
tel: +32 16 32 52 48

Contact the faculty by email.

More information on the Doctoral Programme in Canon Law is available at the Faculty's website.

The text of the Regulations concerning the attainment of doctoral degrees at the KU Leuven, supplemented with the Particulars of the Faculty of Canon Law is available on the University's website.

Educational quality of the study programme

Here you can find an overview of the results of the COBRA internal quality assurance method.

Educational quality at study programme level

Blueprint

Educational quality at university level

• Consult the documents on educational quality available at university level.

More information?

• More information on the educational quality at KU Leuven
• More information on the available documents