Solvay Brussels School - Economics & Management

The Faculty

 Lire en français

A multidisciplinary high-quality education

The "Solvay School" was founded in 1903 by the businessman Ernest Solvay and, since then, has been training men and women to be able to decide, participate, analyze and manage. In September 2010, the merger between the Solvay Business School and the Economics departments led to the creation of an independent Faculty, the Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management (SBS-EM). The Faculty has over 2800 students in its bachelor and master programmes. Nearly 400 business engineers, managers and economists graduate each year. In order to match the needs of economic and financial markets, the SBS-EM also provides two Complementary Masters (in microfinance and management), one MBA (Master in business administration), several Executive Education programmes, custom-made training for companies and PhD training in economics and management. The SBS-EM is internationally recognized and accredited by EQUIS and AMBA, the main international accreditations of quality control for management in higher education.

A perfect method: rigour and international mobility

The educational methods that had already been put forward by Ernest Solvay, have made the reputation of the Solvay Brussels School. The quality of the education is based on a demanding system that combines theory and practice. Students will therefore benefit from in-depth scientific courses, rigorous education in economics and management, many opportunities for mobility in the context of the international exchange programme - the school has more than one hundred partners worldwide - and the active learning of languages. The curriculum is aimed at stimulating entrepreneurship, analytical ability, decision making, the ability to work as a team and openness to the world.

Unique and internationally renowned professors, complemented by educational training

The diversity of the Faculty’s professors ensures the provision of a high-quality education, close to the business world and to international institutions. Our team of professors includes prestigious academic researchers as well as experienced leaders from the professional world. In addition, the SBS-EM has created teaching and research chairs, financed by corporate sponsorship and private donors. In view of this, students have the opportunity to follow classes taught by both experienced lecturers and the holders of research chairs, who specialize in specific fields and are internationally renowned.  

Course programmes at the cutting edge

Course programmes are constantly revised and adapted to reflect the ongoing development of the fields of economics and management, and utilize methods such as cases studies, seminars and group work. This cohesion in terms of methodology optimizes interaction between students and professors.

The Careers Service: workshops and jobs

The careers service, which is jointly organized by the Cercle Solvay (student association) and the Bureau Etudiant (students’ office), provides “job days” (careers fairs), conferences, a careers book, training (e.g. on “How to write a CV”), etc. in order to ease access to the professional world for students during the third year of the bachelor’s degree and both years of the master’s degree. Internships are also offered on our intranet website. We encourage students to do an internship which would allow them to better determine their professional goals and acquire work experience, which is obviously an asset regarding the employment process. The Faculty provides the internship agreement.

FAQ

Lire en français

* The Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management is a Faculty of the ULB. Some of the information on the links below is organized by the ULB and is only available in French.

Conditions for acceptance
Registration and costs
Registration calendar
Application file
Visiting the ULB
External information session
Academic year 2012-2013 and welcoming of students
Specific cases
Interested in a postgraduate programme/other programme offered as an evening course?

Conditions for acceptance

The conditions for acceptance can be consulted in the ULB course catalogue. If your profile does not fit one of these conditions match these conditions, you can apply by completing an application file (more information below). Please find the admission requirements by programme.

Registration and costs

Registration is organized by the ULB. For more information, please visit on the web sites below :  http://www.ulb.ac.be/enseignements/inscriptions/index.html. The online procedure is available for is online for non-EU citizens; will be available in April 2012 for citizens of the European Union (http://www.ulb.ac.be/enseignements/inscriptions/informations-inscription.html). It will be available in French for the programmes taught in both languages; in English  for Management Science, Business Economics and Research Track.

Information on tuition fees is available here: http://www.ulb.ac.be/enseignements/inscriptions/frais-etudes.html. The complementary tuition fees (non-EU citizens) are available here : http://www.ulb.ac.be/enseignements/inscriptions/droits-complementaires.html. The estimated cost of living is available here: http://www.ulb.ac.be/ba/ba-cout.html.

The opening hours of the registration department are available here: http://www.ulb.ac.be/enseignements/inscriptions/.

Registration calendar

Application file (conditional access)
Registration for non-EU students closed on Mon, April 30 at midnight for the academic year 2012-2013. Registration for 2013-2014 will open in the vicinity of January 2013.
Registration for EU-students starts on Sun, April 1, 2012 and ends on Fri, August 31, 2012.
Registration for Belgian, resident or assimilated students starts on Sun, April 1, 2012 and ends on Fri, September 21, 2012.

Registration file (unconditional access) starts on Mon, June 25, 2012 and ends on Sun, September 30, 2012.

Application file

The procedure for the academic year 2012-2013  is online for non-EU citizens (until Mon, April 30, 2012) and for citizens of the European Union (until Fri, August 31, 2012). Other information such as deadlines, tuition fees, etc. is also on the website of ULB. Please submit your application file by completing the online form. First, you are required to create your personal account (key and password), after which you can track the progress of your file. Then, you will be able to download the application form.

Admission will be based on this file. The required documents will be listed in the registration procedure. The file will be examined by the Admissions committee whether or not to admit you, and if necessary,  decide on any conditions you may need to fulfil in order to be accepted. The commission will decide whether your qualifications are sufficient for you to cope with the course.. There are 3 (or 4) possibilities: admission, admission subject to you following extra courses (maximum 15 ECTS), refusal or admission onto a preliminary year of foundation courses (only for the Master’s in Economics). You may only apply once per academic year.

GMAT and TOEFL are highly recommended. It means that there are not compulsory to get considered at the application procedure. You can provide other certificate(s) but it is advised to provide the recommended ones.

It is impossible to receive a preliminary opinion. The only option is to complete the application file and receive an official answer. The response time is about 6 weeks.

If you have a problem with the registration procedure or if you have already completed your application file, please contact the admissions department : admissions [at] ulb [dot] ac [dot] be.

Visiting the ULB

-    The JPO (Open  Day) will take place on Wed, February 15, 2012. ‘Taster courses’” begin on Monday, February 20 and end on Fri, February 25, 2012.
-    The SIMA (evening session on Master’s and PhDs) will take place on Thur, March 27, 2012.
-    The morning session for parents and new students will take place on Sat, May 5, 2012.
-    The date of the 2013 new students welcome day will be announced at a later date.

External information session

We will be present at different Student Fairs in Belgium (SIEP) :
- inTournai, March 2 and 3, 2012 ;
- in Liège, March 8, 9 and 10, 2012;
- in La Louvière, April 20 and 21, 2012.

Academic year 2012-2013 and welcoming of students

The welcome day for new students of bachelors takes place on September 13, 2012. The academic calendar 2011-2012 is available here: http://www.ulb.ac.be/ulb/greffe/agenda/academique.html.

Specific cases

If you would like to the register for the first year of the Bachelor’s degree and you do not have a Belgian high school diploma, you need to get an ‘equivalence’ delivered by the “Communauté française de Belgique”. Please find more information at : http://www.ulb.ac.be/enseignements/inscriptions/equivalences-secondaire.html. You can also take an entrance exam : http://www.ulb.ac.be/enseignements/inscriptions/examen-admission.html.

If you do not come from the European Union and your profile does not suit to an assimilation criteria, you can no longer apply for the academic year 2011-2012. The registration procedure for the 2012-2013 school year will, as a rule,be available around January 2012. All 2011-2012 registration deadlines are available here : http://www.ulb.ac.be/enseignements/inscriptions/calendrier-admissions.html.

If you want to apply for the second (or third) year of the Bachelor’s degree, you need to have passed at least one (or two) year(s) of college education (60 ECTS or 120 ECTS) and fill in an application file.

If you want to apply for an undergraduate Master’s programme, you need to have passed at least 3 years of college education (180 ECTS). There is no enrollment in the second year of a master (120 credits ECTS).

If you want to obtain a course exemption, you can apply to the student secretariatas soon as you have registered.  

Interested in a postgraduate programme/other programme offered as an evening course?

Programmes taught during the evening are postgraduate Master’s :

•    The complementary Master’s in Management ;
•    The European Microfinance Programme ;
•    Some programmes in Executive Education.

You will find further information and contact persons for these programmes by clicking on the links given above.

Studies and Students

 Lire en français

On-line services

These are services organized by the ULB and the information on the links below is available in either French or English.

The ULB course catalogue

The course catalogue allows you to consult compulsory and optional courses for all available programmes as well as the conditions for admission.

The Mon ULBportal

"Mon ULB" is your online link to your Faculty and all of the services offered by the ULB (electronic notice board, classes, schedules, etc.).

The Geholportal

Gehol gives you the possibility to check class schedules for each year of study, department or course.

The Webmailportal

Webmail allows you to consult your e-mail from any computer.

Services proposed by Université libre de Bruxelles

The information on the links below is often only available in French. Please do not hesitate to send an e-mail to the addressprovided.

Preparatory classes

The ULB proposes preparatory classes for university studies in several fields. These are taught in French (except for the language courses).

Student accommodation

The halls of residence offer student housing on each of its three campuses (Solbosch, Plaine and Erasme). For more information, please check this page.

InfOR-Etudes : information, curriculum counseling, relationships with high/secondary schools

The service InfOR-Etudes is your direct contact for all requests about your studies (choice or reorientation) or student life in general at the Université libre de Bruxelles.

The medical service

The ULB offers medical care with medical costs fully reimbursed by Belgian social security. Please find more information on this page.

The student social service

The student social service proposes several types of help: counseling, information, advice, study orientationg. Students who need financial support for the academic year can contact this service.

Aimer à l’ULB (Love life/Private life at the ULB)

Aimer à l’ULB is a family planning center supported by the Commission communautaire française. It proposes several services such as medical, psychological and legal help.

PsyCampus

Planning on embarking on a course of academic study but unsure as to what you would like to do? PsyCampus is there to help you.

General security

Should you wish to report an incidentor attack, suspicious objects, lost objects, bomb alert, fire, theft,… please contact general security. 

Job Opportunities

Content coming soon.

 Lire en français

Renowned Alumni

Lire en français

Former SBS-EM students have gone on to excel in various industries, sectors and professions, including the following:

International Programme

The international exchange programme

With globalization now a reality, the SBS-EM considers the opportunity to live and study abroad as being fundamental for students.  With more than a hundred partners worldwide, this programme is a great occasion to gain experience of new educational methods, to adapt to  a different teaching system and to study particular subjects provided by  our partner universities. It also offers the chance to deepen their language knowledge, discover the world, new cultures and different ways of life. By having to adapt to an unfamiliar environment, the student will expand his/her horizons, and further develop values such as tolerance and intellectual curiosity.

The list of partners is becoming larger every year. For the coming academic years, we are proud to announce exchanges with several new partners:  Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Belgium), Kyung Hee University (Korea), ESC Dijon (France), and the Technological Educational Institute of Patras (Greece).

For more information, please go to the pages dedicated to this programme, which include details of available destinations by master, the procedure to follow and possible financial assistance.

Practical information

The exchange takes place during one of the academic years of the master’s degree. Depending on the programme, the exchange will either be optional (Business Economics and Analysis, Policy and Research) or compulsory (Management Science and Business Engineering - Advanced Management and Organization and Technology).

If you already participated in an exchange programme during your bachelor’s degree and if you choose a programme for which it is compulsory, you will still have to go on a new exchange.

If you studied your bachelor’s degree in a foreign country, it is possible to ask for an exemption at the appropriate departmental secretary’s office.

If you arrive at the SBS-EM to do your master’s degree, the exchange will take place during the second year.

Testimonies

"My exchange programme to NUS in Singapore introduced me to a new culture, a different and enriching way of living and thinking, and the need to adapt to it and accept it even when it went against my values. Talking and negotiating with taxi drivers, shopkeepers and fellow students in Singapore and neighboring countries was probably the best way for me to learn what business actually means and how narrow-minded we can sometimes be at home. This experience also gave me some practical insights relating to what I could gain, discover and endure in an international career. More importantly, these were the most exciting and memorable times I have ever experienced."

Alexis Gottcheiner, exchange during the academic year 2010-2011 at the National University of Singapore.

"I did an exchange programme at HEC Lausanne, Switzerland.  Even though this country isn’t really what you would describe as an exotic destination, I’m extremely satisfied of my choice! First of all, I had some very interesting professors. One of them was Alexander Osterwalder, author of the book ‘Business Model Generation’. He is one of the most remarkable professors I’ve ever had! He has such a fascinating and attention-grabbing way of teaching; it’s amazing how his approach triggers analytical thinking and helps you to structure your business insights! Additionally, my six months abroad were filled with many exciting experiences: I had a seminar in marketing at P&G Geneva, did a student job for Nestlé, and won first prize in a business plan competition of the Institute for Value-Based Management. Switzerland's economy is based on a highly-skilled labor force, and therefore an exchange in Lausanne offers exciting career opportunities and challenges in a multicultural environment; I loved it!"

Philippe De Smit, exchange during the academic year 2010-2011 at HEC Lausanne.

Contact

For more information, please contact Tamara Schuller : tamara [dot] schuller [at] ulb [dot] ac [dot] be, +322 650 41 68.