topics
tools
Expatica countries
editor's choice

Learning with the International Primary Curriculum

Remote training for expatriates

Should our kids go native too?

Pre-school activities in Belgium

How expats are learning the local lingo

Index Last Var.(%)
BEL 20 2270.63 -0.42
DAX 6788.8 0.59
IBEX 30 8902.1 0.60
CAC 40 3424.71 0.43
FTSE 100 5895.47 0.33
AEX 325.12 -0.06
DJIA 12890.46 0.05
Nasdaq 2927.23 0.39
FTSE MIB 16653.83 -0.09
TSX Composite 12497.94 -0.18
ASX 4330.9 -0.60
Hang seng 20888.68 -0.58
Straits Times 2972.47 -0.29
ISEQ 20 503.71 0.33
You are here: Home Education Higher Education Belgian universities
Enlarge font Decrease font Text size


26/09/2011Belgian universities

Belgian universities Here is our guide to the most important universities and colleges in Belgium, their curricula and graduate programmes.

K U Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
K U Leuven is located near Brussels, in the city of Leuven, in Flanders - the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium. Founded in 1425, it is the oldest in the Low Countries, and the oldest existing Catholic university in the world. From the beginning it became one of the most outstanding intellectual centres of the Western World. Throughout the centuries the University of Leuven has remained an important centre of higher learning and scientific research.

In 1968, as one of the most important steps in the Belgian federalisation process, the University of Leuven was split into two independent universities. The French-speaking Université Catholique de Louvain (UCL) moved in 1970 to a new campus in Louvain-la-Neuve, while the Dutch-speaking Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (K U Leuven) remained in the historic town of Leuven.

Today K U Leuven is Belgium's largest university, consisting of 14 faculties, covering the complete range of scientific disciplines in the humanities, in natural science and technology, in bioscience and medicine, except veterinary medicine. These faculties provide high quality interdisciplinary teaching and university education to more than 26,000 students, of whom 2,300 are international students from about 100 different countries.

Most of the study programmes are organised in Dutch. However, some 50 international study programmes are specifically oriented towards an international student audience and are taught in English.

The university's world-famous library (with its 30 subsidiaries) has more than four million books, and about 15,000 periodicals.

Even though the accent is on fundamental research, major efforts are made to meet the needs of industry and society. More than 4,000 externally funded research projects are currently being carried out. Many of these projects directly involve industrial partners.

The University's interface for technology, K U Leuven Research & Development, stimulates and mediates the birth of spin-offs, and fosters young starters in its Campus Innovation and Incubation Centre.

K U Leuven's concern for public health is realised in five university hospitals, with a staff of some 7,000 and about 2,000 beds. The university hospitals are affiliated with three others.

Facilities are offered by the Office for International Students and Scholars for the administration of applications and student grants awarded by the university, by Student Services for housing, social problems, employment, legal advice, medical help, and student restaurants, by the International Contact Club for the contacts with foreign students and visiting professors, by Pangaea for cultural and social activities for foreign students and staff, by Portulaca for the association of foreign students, by the Study Advisory Service for study information, counselling and career guidance, and by the Research Co-ordination Office for information on current research.

The deadline to apply for a study program is April 1st or the last Monday of September, depending on nationality.

Katholieke Universiteit Leuven

Office for International Students and Scholars
Oude Markt 13,
B-3000 Leuven (Belgium)
Tel: +32-16 32 42 71
Fax :+32-16 32 37 73
Email: admission.office@dsa.kuleuven.ac.be
www.kuleuven.ac.be/studeng

UCL Université Catholique de Louvain

UCL is one of the oldest universities in Europe, founded in 1425. It combines the traditional with the modern, attracting some of the most qualified students, researchers and teachers from Belgium, Europe and beyond.

When, for political reasons, the UCL was forced to move to a French-speaking area of Belgium in 1970, it took up the challenge with enthusiasm: the Faculty of Medicine was set up in Brussels, in Woluwé-Saint-Lambert, where it works closely with the Cliniques Saint-Luc. Other faculties were established 20 minutes from the capital, in Louvain-la-Neuve, a new town created to meet the needs of the university.

A diploma in European Studies, a Master's Degree in Common European Management Studies (CEMS) awarded jointly by twelve European universities including UCL, and the European Master's Degree in the Science of Work are all offered.

Research is one of the pillars of the university with some 200 units devoted to it. Several centres of excellence have international reputations, such as the International Institute of Cellular and Molecular Pathology (ICP) founded by Professor Christian de Duve, winner of the Nobel prize for medicine, and the Center for Operations Research and Econometrics (CORE) created by Professor Jacques Drèze. A large science park on the edge of the University is home to high technology companies wishing to take advantage of the University's infrastructure.

UCL Université Catholique de Louvain
Place de l'Université 1
1348 Louvain-la-Neuve
Tel: 010 47 89 35
Fax: 010 47 25 31
Information on UCL courses in Brussels
Tel: 02 764 50 94
Louvain-la-Neuve
Tel: 010 47 27 06
Information on admissions procedures for foreign students in Brussels
Tel 02 764 50 24
Louvain-la-Neuve
Tel: 010 47 40 09
www.ucl.ac.be

ULB Université Libre de Bruxelles

Founded in 1834, it is a university with seven faculties and institutes including several university hospitals. It also manages industrial zones devoted to research. With its 18,000 students, three Nobel Prizes (Jules Bordet for Medicine in 1919, Albert Claude for Medicine in 1974, and Ilya Prigogine for Chemistry in 1977), and its worldwide reputation, the ULB has an outstanding status in the academic world. The ULB is now the Belgian University with the highest rate of foreign students. They constitute one third of the student population.

Industrial research and development, as well as transfer of technology, represent an increasingly important part of the university's research activities. In the last few years the budget devoted to the cooperation between the university and various industries has tripled. In the heart of Europe, close to the European Community headquarters, the ULB occupies a strategic position in the close-knit network of research centers and top industries. Thirty percent of its research contracts are undertaken with international partners. To respond to the needs of the industry university collaboration, the ULB has created its own interfaces and manages scientific zones in Nivelles, Evere and Anderlecht.

The school also co-finances a continuing education program for adults, "EPFC." It has a reputation for its language courses for foreigners but also offers courses in commerce, business, public relations and accounting.

ULB Université Libre de Bruxelles
Av F Roosevelt 50
1050 Brussels
Tel: 02 650 21 11
Fax: 02 650 42 57
http://www.ulb.ac.be

Universities of Antwerp

Rijksuniversitair Centrum Antwerp
Studentensecretariaat
Groenenborgerlaan 171
2020 Antwerp
Tel: 03 218 02 11
Fax: 03 218 05 13
http://www.ua.ac.be
chro@ruca.ua.ac.be

Universitaire Faculteiten St. Ignatius
Prinstraat 13
2000 Antwerp
Tel: 03 220 41 11
Fax: 03 220 44 20

Universitaire Instelling Antwerpen

Universiteitsplein 1
2610 Wilrijk
Tel: 03 820 20 20
Fax: 03 820 22 49

University of Ghent

University of Ghent offers advanced degree programs, many of them in English. The programs are arts & philosophy, law, sciences, engineering, economics & business administration, agricultural and applied biological sciences, pharmaceutical sciences and veterinary medicine.

University of Ghent

Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat 25
9000 Ghent
Tel: 09 264 31 11
Info: helpdesk.studadmin@rug.ac.be
http://www.ugent.be/

University of Liège

The University of Liège, founded in 1817, is the public university of the Walloon Brussels Community. It offers a complete course of studies at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. There are 14,000 students. Its library is one of the richest in all of Europe. Its research potential is based on 2,500 teachers/ researchers in 8 faculties.

Resolutely international, 20 percent of the student body are foreign students, representing 78 different nationalities from five continents. The university maintains close ties with over 200 institutions in Europe. More than 20 percent of its research funding comes from international sources. The University is a dynamic actor in regional socio-economic life, and is in contact with over 600 enterprises, and is a centre for several technological poles devoted to space research, biotechnology, electricity and electronics, transport and the environment.

The science park located on the large, wooded campus (760 ha) houses many high-tech enterprises, including the 20 spin-offs that were created from university laboratory research. Based on pluralism and humanism, ULG offers an open environment in which all ranges of thought can be freely expressed and where human development is promoted. These values are illustrated by the personalities, on whom it has recently conferred the degree of Docteur Honoris Causa, including Nelson Mandela, Yasser Arafat, Shimon Peres and Salman Rushdie.

University of Liège
Place du XX Août 7
4000 Liège
Tel: 04 366 21 11
Fax: 04 366 50 08
www.ulg.ac.be

Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School

The Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School is positioned in various international rankings. The Economist ranks us number 12 in the world, number 4 in Europe and number 1 in the Benelux for our full-time MBA program. The Financial Times ranks us number 29 in the world for executive education programmes and number 56 in the world for executive MBA's.

Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School is the only Belgian school to hold triple accreditation: from Equis, AMBA and the American AACSB label. In Belgium, Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School is the only school to have any of these labels and it is one of a select group of only 28 institutions throughout the world to hold the three most important international labels. The school has alliances with more than 40 international business schools.

Every year there are about 6,450 participants attending postgraduate management and executive development programmes, about 240 studying for MBA degrees and about 140 studying for other Masters degrees. We have welcomed participants to our school from over 50 different countries. The alumni are spread over 75 countries and include CEO's from several global companies such as Sara Lee, Telindus and Omega Pharma.

Some 53 years ago, Professor André Vlerick laid the foundations of what is now Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School. The school now has two main sites: Leuven Campus and Ghent Campus and a campus in St Petersburg.

Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School
Tel: 9 210 98 99  
Fax: +32 9 210 97 00
Email: info@vlerick.be
www.vlerick.be

VUB Vrije Universiteit Brussel

VUB is the Dutch Language University in Brussels. Much is available in English, including Masters and Ph.D. degrees in Management, International and Legal Cooperation, Industrial Location and Development, Medical and Pharmaceutical Research and Fundamental Applied Marine Ecology. The school also hosts Vesalius College, an undergraduate American-style liberal arts and Sciences College with all instruction in English.

VUB Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Pleinlaan 2
1050 Brussels
Tel: 02 629 21 11
http://www.vub.ac.be



2 reactions to this article

evision posted: 2010-03-02 08:42:45

http://www.sangambayard-c-m.com

imelda samulde posted: 2010-04-06 10:05:48

I have visited this site and start n i found it useful for doing a part time job i really love it!!!

<a href="http://www.onlineuniversalwork.com">
management

2 reactions to this article

evision posted: 2010-03-02 08:42:45

http://www.sangambayard-c-m.com

imelda samulde posted: 2010-04-06 10:05:48

I have visited this site and start n i found it useful for doing a part time job i really love it!!!

<a href="http://www.onlineuniversalwork.com">
management

Inside Expatica
Looking for work in Belgium

Looking for work in Belgium

This handy guide from Expertise in Labour Mobility includes how to write a CV, application procedure, interview dos and don'ts, Belgian management culture.

Practical, easy-to-use, free and... in English

Practical, easy-to-use, free and... in English

Belgium’s first alternative directory assistance services - available through the shortcode 14-14 - can now be accessed on the internet.

Finding a rental home in Belgium

Finding a rental home in Belgium

Moving to Belgium presents a host of challenges to expats, not least of all finding the right home.

Learning to cope with life abroad

Learning to cope with life abroad

The psychological effects of global mobility can be physically painful.