ELAN Certificate
The ELAN certificate is the chief instrument by which the Network promotes and disseminates the ideals of a Liberal Arts education. It makes an attractive supplement to students' academic transcripts, attesting their versatility, enterprise and social responsibility, and enhancing their employment prospects.
As students complete individual requirements, they should notify the ELAN coordinator at their home institution. When all requirements have been met the Network will issue the certificate.
The ELAN certificate is issued by the Chair of ELAN to students who have fulfilled all the ELAN requirements. Students notify the ELAN coordinator at their home institutions about the completed individual requirements. The ELAN coordinator at the student’s home university and the ELAN chair/secretariat jointly assess the documentation on the student’s activities before issuing the certificate.
Requirements for the ELAN certificate
Requirements may be completed at one’s home institution, or at a partner institution. Activities may be double-counted between this list and the student’s work for their degree (e.g., no. 3, the individual project may also be a final-year dissertation) but they may not be double-counted within this list except where specified (see no. 2). The ELAN board may accept ECTS equivalents where appropriate.
Compulsory requirements
1. Enrolment in at least 30 ECTS of ELAN modules, from a list designated by the network.[1]
2. Study abroad. Minimum of 15 ECTS to be completed at an ELAN partner institution or an alternative accepted by the ELAN board. Please note that requirements 1 and 2 may be combined i.e. the 15 ECTS done during study abroad, if ELAN modules, may count towards the 30 in no. 1.
3. Study of or in a foreign language. The study of a foreign language can be combined with the study of the culture related to the language. Minimum of 10 ECTS.
4. Liberal arts individual project on a topic that is interdisciplinary and/or considers the relevance of the arts and humanities in the contemporary world. Minimum of 5 ECTS. Must achieve a mark of at least II 1 or equivalent. Students are encouraged to do some or all of this project while abroad.
5. Short final reflection paper (1000-2000 words) in which the student reflect on the contribution of ELAN to their academic training.
Optional requirements
Students must complete at least 3 of the following requirements.
6. Internship or placement with a partner outside of HE for a minimum period of 60 hours, or working with a partner from outside HE on a piece of assessed work as part of a credit-bearing unit. The student is asked to write a final report of 1000 words.
7. Participation in Intensive Study Programme offered or endorsed by ELAN.
8. Participation in a MOOC offered or endorsed by ELAN. (See list below)
9. Participation in a student conference organised by students under ELAN auspices.
10. Participation in a summer school offered or endorsed by ELAN.
11. Participation in a group project on a topic that is interdisciplinary and/or considers the relevance of the arts and humanities in the contemporary world. Minimum of 5 ECTS. Must achieve a mark of at least II 1 or equivalent.
12. Study of a second foreign language. Minimum of 10 ECTS.
13. Community work.
14. Students may suggest additional forms of extracurricular activity to the ELAN board for approval.
[1] ELAN modules may be in any discipline, or span disciplinary boundaries, but wherever located they are inter- or cross-disciplinarity in outlook, ask questions of general importance in the arts and the humanities, and/or explore the significance of the arts and humanities in contemporary society.
