STUDENT REPORT
CATÓLICA-LISBON School of Business & Economics
Double Degree, MSc in Economics
Name of the University: Católica-Lisbon School of Business & Economics
Double Degree semesters: Fall 2011 and Spring 2012
DOUBLE DEGREE AT CATÓLICA
What makes a double degree experience different from a regular exchange
semester at Católica-Lisbon is the fact that you are spending two semesters abroad.
The first semester you participate in regular classes by choosing the amount of
courses such that you in total after one year get a sufficient number of ECTS so that
you are able to graduate after the second semester. The second semester you are
writing your master thesis and you might as well have to enroll in courses if you still
don’t have the sufficient amount of ECTS.
MSc in Economics
Course Plan
Students in economics need to follow a course plan according to Católica’s
requirements and choose courses within the fields of that plan. The course
Leadership Lab is mandatory for all MSc students and the number of workshops you
have to participate in depends on what kind of master you are doing. For students
in economics you have to enroll in three different workshops (3 ECTS) which are
distributed over the two semesters. A Portuguese language course might also be
mandatory, but for economics students this is only the case for the intensive course
the first trimester. The extensive courses might however be a possible free elective
course (4.5 ECTS).
Thesis
Make sure you don’t have too many courses the second semester as the thesis work
starts in February and has to be handed in early June. The work on the thesis starts
with two mandatory research methodology courses (0.5 ECTS) in early February.
You will get advice on how to start writing a thesis, what to focus on, how to
distribute your time, and how to look for articles, journals and other documents on
the university’s online platform etc. The students can choose between three
options: 1) participating in dissertation seminars with other students choosing the
same subject, 2) writing for a company or 3) writing an individual thesis. All students
deliver an individual paper as it is not possible to work in pairs. I chose to write an
individual thesis where I was assigned a supervisor which was also one of my
professors. The normal procedure is to inform your academic professor about the
topic you would like to write about where you get assistance in finding a proper
supervisor with expertise on this subject. You have a number of meetings
throughout the semester, but questions and concerns might also be examined
through e-mail exchange. The economics students had a couple of meetings with
the academic professor through the semester where students could share their
topics, concerns and general questions. Two weeks before the final deadline there
is a recommended deadline to deliver the thesis to your supervisor for a final
feedback. The final deadline was in 2012, 4th of June. The defense of the thesis took
place between June 25th
and July 13th
where you present your topic,
literature review, methodology and results in front of a jury normally consisting of
three professors including your supervisor. Your final grade will be presented to you
after the thesis defense same day. If you are not able to deliver the thesis by June
there is an extended deadline in September. The graduation is in March the next
year.
I.
GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Universidade Católica Portuguesa is located outside the city centre of Lisbon
approximately 10 minutes by metro or bus. When taking business classes you have
classes in the main building. The main building consists of classrooms, study areas,
computer rooms, a café and a cafeteria open for lunch and dinner. The library
building also contains a café as well as a bookstore, a stationary, a copy shop and a
bank branch and three floors for studying where you get access with your student
card. Outside there is a lawn and benches where you can enjoy the Portuguese sun.
II.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Informationbeforeyouleft
The international office and the student office at Católica provided me with a lot of
information prior to my arrival. During June and July you receive several e-mails
regarding signing up for the introduction days (I-Days), the Portuguese Intensive
Course, the buddy program/airport pickup, pre-selection of courses etc. When
doing a double degree it is important that you are aware of your study plan in order
to get a sufficient amount of credits/ECTS, that courses do not overlap with courses
you have had before, and that you have the sufficient prerequisites that are
required for the specific course. BI is also very helpful giving information, answering
e-mails and being available for a quick chat at the international office. Católica
requires a short Skype interview where they get to know your motivation for a
double degree at Católica, and where you are able to ask them all kinds of
questions you might have.
The InternationalOffice
The
international
office
at
Católica is located in the main
building at the 2nd floor. The
walk-in hours are from MonThu from 10am to 4pm. They
are
also
helpful
when
contacting them via email, but
it might take some time to be
replied. In the middle of the
first semester they arranged an
International Fair. You have to
sign up online in order to be
your country’s ambassador and
provide them with the ideas
you
might
have
for
country’s/university’s
your
stand.
We had a stand together with
NHH and got help from the
Norwegian Embassy in Belem to
provide us with materials such
as posters, flags, flyers and
decorations. We also dressed
up, played typical Norwegian
music,
showed
served
“brunost”,
power
point
presentations from the two
schools
brochures
and
handed
regarding
out
the
schools’ bachelor and master
programs
and
the
various
international programs.
AcademicCalendar
I arrived in Lisbon on the 24th of August in order to have some time to find housing.
The I-Days started Aug 30th and the week consisted of student registration the first
day, a welcome dinner, various social activities such as a trip to Sintra and a Lisbon
city tour. The first semester started September 5th, but double degree students
have to do the Leadership Lab and the first group lab was September 2nd. Each
semester is divided into two trimesters consisting of 6 weeks each. The exam week
for the first trimester lasted from October 18th to October 28th. Second trimester
started November 2nd and the last class was held December 16th. The exam period
lasted from January 3rd to January 19th. The third trimester started after the
semester break, on February 6th. The first midterms will begin after 6 weeks and the
fourth trimester starts in mid April. The last exam weeks are held from the
beginning of June.
Double Degree students doing the last year at Católica write their thesis the second
semester, however, they might have a course one of the trimesters as well. The
students may choose between choosing a thesis topic during the dissertation
seminars in February, write an independent thesis where you choose the topic
yourself and find a suitable supervisor, or write for a company. The first deadline for
delivery is the 4th of June and the master thesis defense is suppose to take place
during the first two weeks of July.
The Leadership Lab Workshops take place in November, February and April where
you have to sign up in advance online. The workshops are usually in 2x3hours
modules and are not suppose to overlap with other master courses.
Reception
During the introduction days the first week you get registered and are provided
with a lot of information. You are able to ask the peer advisors and the
administration staff any questions you might have. During these days you get to
know a lot of other Erasmus students. Under the registration you get a welcome
package which includes information regarding the school and Lisbon, about fitness
centers, housing, car rentals etc. It also contains the metro card application which
you have to deliver at a metro station that has a customer desk. You are also
provided with a phone card where you pay approximately 7.5€ per month and call
for free to other people with the same phone plan. There are two student
organizations, ESN Lisboa and Eramus Lisboa, that offer student cards for 5€ and
10€ respectively. With these cards you may get various discounts and get free
entrance to different social events.
Housing
The university does not provide any student accommodation, but they will send you
information per e-mail regarding where to search for housing. It is also wise to join
the Facebook group for exchange students where people post everything
concerning the exchange stay. That is how I got an apartment and found
international roommates. The prices vary from 250€ to 400€ depending on if you
are interested in sharing an apartment with more people and if you want to share
bathroom. It is also a good idea to wait until you arrive in Lisbon to choose
accommodation so that you have the chance to take a look at the room before you
pay any deposit. The standards vary a lot in Lisbon and it might not be as good as
announced.
Costs
The monthly rent is approximately 300€, the metro card is 29€ (35€ if you want a
metro&bus card), and food is in general cheap. A nice meal in the restaurant is
around 10-15€ including drinks, and the taxi is in general cheap as well. From the
airport you pay from 8-12€ depending on if the driver charge you for luggage. The
price level of the fitness centers is the same as in Norway, varies from 50-80€.
VisaProcedureandtravelexperiences
Staying in Portugal for a longer period does not require any VISA. The Portuguese
airline TAP flies directly from Oslo to Lisbon and the fare price varies from 15002000NOK. The flight takes more or less four hours.
SocialActivities
The student environment at Católica is great! The social activities arranged during
the I-Days contribute to this where you are able to get to know a lot of other
Erasmus students. The student organizations also arrange a lot of events every
week, and in the beginning they arranged trip to, among others, the Algarve, Porto
and Coimbra. The nightlife in Lisbon has a lot to offer. The bar streets of Bairro Alto
are always packed of people from around midnight until the clubs open around 1 or
2 am. Especially Lux and Urban Beach Club are popular night clubs open until the
morning.
Lisbon is surrounded by beautiful beaches that are perfect for surfing, or just to
enjoy the sun. The train from Cais do Sodré to Cascais goes along the coast and you
have many beaches to choose from along the way. Another popular beach is Costa
da Caparica which is situated on the other side of the bridge and can be reached by
bus. Soccer is the most popular sport, so I wouldn’t miss watching a game at Benfica
Stadium situated in Lisbon.
CultureandLanguage
Lisbon is a beautiful and charming city situated on the west coast of Portugal. The
small and narrow cobblestoned streets in Alfama and Bairro Alto are especially
charming. The sunset view over the city from the Christ Statue or from Alfama is
stunning. Cannot miss it! The distances are not that long in Portugal and you can
easily get around to nearby cities just for a day or two. A bus drive to Algarve is
between three and four hours and less than a couple of hours to the surfing mecca
of Peniche. The weather is warm and I guess I have been quite lucky with the
weather during my stay so far; I was able to go to the beach till the beginning of
November and there was up to 18 degrees in January! The winter is mild, and it
does not get much colder than 8 degrees. I will say that the average degree during
these winter months has been around 14 degrees. It is actually much colder inside
the apartments as the rooms are not properly isolated.
The Portuguese people are in general friendly and helpful if you have any concerns.
The English language level is not that good, but you will get around. If you have
some basic knowledge in Spanish, it is a good start. I participated in the Portuguese
Intensive and Extensive Course at Católica and I have learned enough to be
understood in the daily life. Personally I find the Portuguese language more difficult
to understand when it is spoken than to write or speak it myself. The everyday life
in Portugal is different form the Nordic daily life. The most noticeable difference is
the effectiveness. Portuguese people tend to be somewhat slow both in terms of
the speed of the supermarket cashiers, people in general responding to e-mails,
Portuguese students coming late to class, even exams. So time is not so important
in Portugal. I guess that is what they want to change with the Leadership Lab where
you have to pay a fee if you are two minutes late.
CulturalandSocialEffectsfromtheExchangeExperience
The Portuguese culture is different form the Norwegian and it is noticeable. During
my double degree stay, so far, I have gotten to learn a new culture and how to
approach people from different cultures as you are surrounded by international
students the entire day. This will be useful for me in the future when dealing with
people globally. I have learned to be independent, flexible and the development of
my language skills is by far improved. So far, I have had such a great time with great
people and lots of travelling and I am looking forward to the coming second
semester!
III.
ACADEMIC INFORMATION
TheTeachingSituation
The fall semester starts in the beginning of September, but the Introduction days (IDays) starts during the last week of August. Each semester is divided in to two
trimesters consisting of 6 weeks each. All master courses are taught in English, as
well as textbooks and lecture materials are in English. The classes normally last for
80 minutes, but some classes might be 3hours with a 10 minutes break in the
middle. Compared to BI, the professors expect more from you during the semester.
In addition to the midterms you might have assignments, presentations and
minitests counting for a total of 20-30% of the total grade. The topics taught in class
are presented in a more applied manner than at BI, and everything is related to the
real world. The professors are good at activating the students during the class,
making the class more dynamic, and appreciate all feedback. There is a close
relationship between the students and the professors and they are very helpful in
answering e-mails or meeting you in school.
RequiredLiterature
There were no required textbooks in any of my subjects. The books recommended
were proposed for those with a special interest in a particular topic, for studying a
certain topic in a more detailed manner. Articles were also posted in order to get a
deeper knowledge of a particular subject. The material used in the lectures was
mostly power point slides containing topics taken from various books and articles.
Exams
The midterms and final exams are highly based on the topics taught in class. If you
read articles etc in addition it is of course easier to get a higher grade as you have a
deeper understanding of the topic. Under the exams there is no problem to ask the
Professor to explain the exam question if you have some difficulties understanding
the question asked. The grade scale is from 0-20 where 10 is passing. If you work
thoroughly with the course during the semester you should have no problem
passing. When doing a double degree the grades count, so then it gets more
important to put in extra work during the semester. The final grade is a mix of all
contributions during the semester, and it might be a plus if you show some kind of
interest for the subject as well.
OtherInformation
To access the library the student card is required. The library is quite old and does
not have a lot of outlets to charge your computer. Moreover, it was often a problem
to find available seats for studying at the university especially in the main building,
but in library there was never a problem finding a seat. The access to the computers
is the same procedure as at BI with a login number and password. Católica got new
computers this semester. The student card you are provided can be charged such
that you can print and copy. However, to be able to copy you have to charge your
card in the library building. The technical facilities at Católica are less modern and
more ineffective compared to BI, but it is something you get used to.
DescriptionofCourses
Econometrics (7 ects). 1st and 2nd trimester. Written exam
Theoretical and practical classes. The course had quite a heavy workload; two
minitests, one assignment, one midterm and one final exam. In addition you had an
exercise book that we used in the practical classes.
Regulation and Competition Policy (6 ects). 1st and 2nd trimester. Written exam
Theoretical class. The course is applied microeconomics and was interesting. The
theory was quite difficult. One midterm, one individual paper and one final exam.
Macroeconomic Policy (6 ects). 1st and 2nd trimester. Written exam
Theoretical class. The course is interesting and relevant setting the European
Central Bank in focus, and new theories were introduced as a result of the financial
crisis.
Portuguese Intensive/Extensive Course(4,5 ects). 1st and 2nd trimester. Written exam
The Intensive course was held the first two weeks and the Extensive Course was
held the last three months. You could choose your own level (A1, A2, B1 etc).
Portuguese Extensive Course (4,5 ects). 3rd and 4th trimester. Written exam
Advanced Macroeconomics II (4.5 ects). 4th trimester. Written exam
1.5 hours three times a week. Mix between theory and practical exercises. No
homework or minitests.
Finalremarks
I am highly satisfied with my double degree stay. Both the students and professors
are helpful, and if you have special concerns they are more than helpful to help you
out. Lisbon as a city is great! A charming city with plenty of restaurants, great
shopping, warm weather, close to the beaches, great connection to other cities in
Portugal as well as abroad, Spain and Morocco for instance 
Please do not hesitate to contact me through the International
Office if you have any questions.