Student Report
Name of the University: Católica Lisbon School of Business & Economics
Double degree: 2012/2013
I. PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Before leaving Norway
I received all the information I needed during the summer break. Note that there is a lot of
information. You should therefore take some time and make sure you understand and comply
with the e-mails you receive.
Housing
Católica provides suggestions for where to look for housing. This can be a tedious process so
I would recommend arriving at least a week before the semester starts to begin the search for
an apartment. You might have to visit several places before you find a place you like. Many
apartments in Lisbon are old and the quality differs a lot. It might be a good idea to stay at a
hotel/hostel in the beginning. If you want a cheap and flexible solution I would recommend
the Living Lounge Hostel which is located next to one of the most central metro stations.
NOTE: I would avoid the area between the metro stations “Martim Moniz” and “Intendente”
on the green line. This is not a nice neighborhood.
Costs per month
Rent: € 250 – 400
Prices vary due to standard and location.
Books
The prices are very similar to BI. Most classes do not require you to purchase books. Even
though there might be mandatory readings, I would hold off buying any books until you are
certain it is an absolute necessity.
Food: € 300 - 400
Food is cheaper than in Norway.
Transport: € 35
You can order a rechargeable metro pass at any major metro station (e.g. Marquês de
Pombal). I would suggest paying a little extra when you order the card so that you can pick it
up the next day. The monthly price is € 35.
Culture and language
It is mandatory to do a language course (crash course or extensive) which will make you able
to handle most situations. Most people speak English, but every now and then you will run
into people who don’t (e.g. school cafeteria).
The workload in Católica is slightly heavier than BI, but you will have opportunities to
travel and to make cultural experiences.
Cultural and social effects from the exchange experience
Spending a year in Lisbon has been a great learning experience as the local culture is very
different from that of Norway. Studying abroad definitely has a positive effect on future
career possibilities, particularly to employers looking for students with different or unique
backgrounds.
II. ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Católica Lisbon is currently ranked 32 on the European business school ranking (Financial
Times 2012).
The School is located 10 minutes away from the city center using public transportation. The
campus is quite small and consists of an administrative/school building, the business school
and a library building. In addition to the school administration there are several facilities on
campus such as a bank, cafeterias, school canteen, and a book store. You can also find small
restaurants and cafes in the surrounding area. The business school has 1400 students whereof
approximately 300 are master students. The master programs at Católica have a large and
increasing ratio of international students (both exchange and fulltime).
Course registration
Every student is responsible for registering to courses in advance of each semester. If you
should run into problems along the way, the administration can assist you in making sure that
you get registered for the courses you need. Note that the courses are offered on a first come
first served basis, but second year students have seniority. You can usually add/drop courses
one or two weeks into the trimester, but whether or not you are allowed to do this depends on
the professor. Most of the courses last for one trimester (half a semester), with the exception
of some full semester courses.
Academic calendar 2012/2013
1st trimester start:
1st trimester Exams:
2nd trimester start:
Christmas break:
2nd trimester Exams:
Inter Semester break:
3rd trimester start:
Easter break:
3rd trimester Exams:
4th trimester start:
4th trimester Exams:
Thesis submission:
Thesis late submission:
Sep 3rd
Oct 22nd – Nov 3rd
Nov 5th
th
Dec 17 – Jan 2nd 2013
Jan 3rd – 16th
Jan 17th – Feb 12th
Feb 13th
Mar 27th – Apr 1st
Apr 2nd – 13th
Apr 17th
Jun 4th – 19th
Jun 17th
Sep 17th
Arrival
The 3-4 days before the semester starts are introduction days. The first day you will receive
information and the following days are spent doing social events. This is a good way to get to
know other students. You have the option to enroll in the international buddy program, which
means that you will be assigned an international buddy. I would recommend finding
permanent housing before the introduction week, as you might be pretty busy during this
period.
Student Administration
The International Office and the Student Office are very helpful, and they were very quick to
assist in solving general issues.
Social activities
There are several organizations that you can take part of consisting of both international and
native students. It is easy to get to know both local and foreign students. The classes are small
and you will be required to do several group works along the semester. The international club
arranges frequent social events for all students throughout the semester. Lisbon has a huge
community for international students, so there is always something going on!
III. ACADEMICS
Lectures are mainly focused on practical application of the course material, but there are also
some theoretical courses. Input and discussion from students is encouraged. Almost every
course has either a final paper or smaller group works in addition to a final exam. Some
semester long courses might also have a midterm. For smaller classes professors often choose
to make class participation count for the final grade. All the professors are fluent in English,
so there should not be any major language challenges. I found the relationship between
professors and students to be quite informal, and most professors were available to answer
questions outside of class.
The workload is heavier than at BI, but the work is also quite different. In addition to group
work you are required to read articles and other course material that is posted by the
professor. You are also required to find information on your own as most classes are not
dependent on books. The material supplied by the professors gives a broad overview, and it is
sometimes necessary for students to explore the details of a topic on their own.
Exams
The exams and what is expected of students differs in each course. Most exams are based on
lectures and course work. The framework and style of the exam is not always 100% clear in
advance, so it is important to build up a good understanding of the topics during the semester.
Usually the course grades are set based on a final exam and group papers. In many cases
professors also include class participation as part of the grade. Mid-terms are rare considering
that most courses last half a semester (trimester).
Library and Technology
In a regular week the business school is open 24/7 with full access to Bloomberg terminals,
computer lab, printers, and scanners. Students can also use the library during the opening
hours. The library also allows you to access an article database on any computer. Católica
uses an IT-system and learning platform much like the ones at BI.
Description of courses
As a double degree student most of the courses that I did were mandatory. The only elective I
had was the extensive Portuguese language course.
Course name
Advanced Corporate
Finance
Portuguese Extensive
Course | level A1
International Financial
Reporting Standards
Marketing
Management
Term
1st Semester
1st Semester
1st Trimester
1st Trimester
Financial Derivatives
2nd Trimester
Managing in a Global
Context
Operations
Management
Thesis
2nd Trimester
3rd Trimester
Evaluation
- Written exam
- Group works
- Participation
- Written exam
- Midterm
- Participation
- Written exam
- Group works
- Written exam
- Group Paper
- Participation
- Multiple Choice
- Group Paper
- Simple exercises
- Written exam
- Group works
- Written exam
- Group Paper
ECTS
7
4.5
3.5
3.5
3.5
3.5
3.5
2nd Semester
Advanced Corporate Finance
This is one of the tougher finance courses. It lasts a full semester and has a bigger curriculum
than most other courses. The classes gives a general overview of the course topics, and it is up
to the students to acquire more in detail knowledge through weekly group works and
independent studying.
Portuguese Extensive Course | level A1
This course is for students with no/some prior knowledge of the language. It is a good way to
get some basic knowledge of the language and learn how to deal with everyday situations in
Portuguese. It is not a very demanding course, but still requires a solid amount of work if you
want to do well (depending on prior language skill).
International Financial Reporting Standards
The main goal of the course is to get familiar with IFRS and IAS (International Accounting
Standards), and how these regulations impact financial reporting in European companies.
There are several group works (mandatory & voluntary) on some of the most central
standards. Students are to take a critical look at an annual report and determine how the
information is presented relative to the standards. The final exam is closely related to all the
group work. Even though this class has a considerable workload, it is wise to do the voluntary
work to prepare for the exam.
Marketing Management
This course is pretty simple and straight forward with a relatively low workload. It consists of
a group paper related to a marketing case, class participation, and a final exam. The final
exam consisted of questions related to lecture slides and open questions related to general
marketing problems.
Financial Derivatives
This is an introduction to derivative dynamics and hedging strategies. The course covers
derivative contracts, vanilla options, pricing models, and different types of hedging. The
course has simple homework exercises, a group paper, and a final exam. For the final paper
each group has to create a hedging product with an option component. The final exam might
be a combination of written and multiple choice, and is related to the homework and the final
paper. This class has a generally low workload until the final paper towards the end.
Managing in a Global Context
The main focus of this course is internationalization strategies and international business. The
final grade is based on group projects, a group presentation, and a final exam. The final exam
is based on the course readings/lecture slides and group projects. The classes were mainly
practical with occasional lectures on essential theory.
Operations Management
This course gives a general overview of managing functions and processes in a business. The
class is graded on a group paper and a final exam. For the group paper each group must
analyze the process of a business of their choice. The final exam is mainly based on
lectures/lecture slides and the course readings. The workload is relatively low with exception
to the group paper.
Thesis
Católica requires each student to submit an independent thesis. You have two different
alternatives when writing your thesis:
1. Dissertation Seminars
If you enroll in a dissertation seminar you will have frequent meetings with your supervisor
and other students working on similar topics. This provides you with an arena for feedback on
your work as you go.
2. Independent Process
You can choose to find your own supervisor in the faculty and do your thesis independently
of the seminars. This requires that you find a faculty member that is interested in supervising
you in a specific topic.
In both cases you will also have the option of doing a part time internship. You find one
yourself or with the help of the career office.
Other requirements (Double Degree students)
Before you can graduate Católica requires you to document that you have completed a three
month internship.
During your time at Católica you will have to attend 2-3 leadership labs. Leadership labs are
usually 9 hour courses/seminars that grant 1 ECTS. You choose leadership lab courses from a
pool with different topics such as excel, leadership training, communication etc.