2 years (60 or 120 ECTS) of Master's studies. Manama's (Flemish Community) or Masters de spécialisation (French Community) exist in universities and are specialisation degrees offered after a master's degree. After obtaining a master's degree, talented students can pursue research projects leading to a doctorate degree. PhDs are only awarded by universities, but theses can be written at university colleges or art schools, in collaboration with and published by a university. Quality In the 2003 PISA-study of secondary school students by the OECD, the Belgian students scored relatively highly. The results of the Dutch-speaking students were significantly higher than the scores of the German-speaking students which were in turn significantly higher than the French-speaking students. The United Nations Education Index, which is measured by the adult literacy rate and the combined primary, secondary, and tertiary gross enrolment ratio, ranks Belgium on the 18th place in the world as of 2011. A 2007 study found that violence experienced by teachers in francophone Belgium was a significant factor in decisions to leave the teaching profession. See also Education in Flanders List of universities in Belgium Academic grading in Belgium Open access in Belgium References Further reading Passow, A. Harry et al. The National Case Study: An Empirical Comparative Study of Twenty-One Educational Systems. (1976) online External links Vlaams Ministerie van Onderwijs (English information) – Flemish Ministry of Education Higher Education Register: recognised programmes and institutions in Flanders L'enseignement en Communauté Française – Education in the French Community Unterrichtswesen – Ministry of Education of the German Community in Belgium Studying in Belgium at Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs The information network on education in Europa – Contains documents with much information on education systems in Belgium Information on education in Belgium, OECD – Contains indicators and information about Belgium and how it compares to other OECD and non-OECD countries Diagram of Belgian education systems, OECD – Using 1997 ISCED classification of programmes and typical ages. Also in French and Dutch