The Catholic University in Porto celebrates ten years of the first dual degree in Portugal, a pioneering program that combines Law and Management. The idea was born in the Presidency of the Porto Regional Centre of the Portuguese Catholic University, under the direction of Professor Manuel Pereira Vaz, who wanted to demonstrate innovation. Luísa Anacoreta, Coordinator of the program for Católica Porto Business School, explained that the institution identified students who wanted to take both degrees and that, internationally, these programs already existed in countries like Spain, France, the United States and Singapore, being considered "elite programs".
The program is not a single degree, but rather two part-time degrees, validated by the scientific councils of the Faculty of Law and the Faculty of Economics. Students graduate with skills in both areas and only 30 to 40 places are opened per year, making it a niche course. The program has a duration of five years, more rigid than single degrees (Management takes three years and Law four years), with no optional subjects.
Students entering this program are considered "good students," with high grades around 17 or 18 out of 20, and must have completed Mathematics A in secondary school. They are described as organized and undecided between Law and Management. Anacoreta highlights that, initially, it was necessary to prove to the market the quality of these graduates, but today students "easily" already have jobs before completing the course, having a much broader labor market due to their multidisciplinary skills.
In the year this pioneering program celebrates a decade, the University of Minho launched the first dual degrees in Portuguese public higher education, including combinations such as Economics and Management, and Economics and International Business. Three of these new degrees have already filled their places in the first phase of the national application process. Luísa Anacoreta stated that Católica is preparing more two-in-one courses, although the accreditation process is challenging.
