Overview of Belgium
Belgium (officially the Kingdom of Belgium) is a country in West Europe. The Netherlands borders it to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to the southwest, and the North Sea to the northwest. Thanks to its geographic location, Paris, London, Frankfurt and Amsterdam are only hours away from Belgium.
Belgium has an area of 30,689 km2 (as a comparison, it has almost twice the area of Beijing, with almost half of the population).
Belgium has a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. It means that the King of the Belgians is the head of state, the Prime Minister of Belgium is the head of government. The deration consists of language-based communities and regions.
Belgium has two major linguistic communities: the Dutch-speaking Flemish Community (around 60% of the population) and the French-speaking Community (around 40%). There is also a small German-speaking Community.
As the second European country to undergo the Industrial Revolution, Belgium is famous for its high living standard, technology, and education. Belgium has a service-oriented economy. Major sectors include services (74% of GDP), industry (24.7% of GDP) and agriculture (1.3% of GDP). Industries include engineering, machinery, metals, automotive, chemicals, food/beverages, textiles, and petroleum.
The capital Brussels is the headquarters of the Council of the European Union, the European Commission, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). In addition, more than 200 international administrative centers and more than 1,000 official organizations set up offices here. It is therefore de factor capital of Europe. The “Brussels First Citizen” le Petit Julien (French) or Manneken Pis (Dutch) is even more popular among people all over the world.
Antwerp is the second largest city in Belgium, the second largest port in Europe, the fourth largest port in the world, and the world’s largest diamond processing and trading center. 84% of the rough stones and 50% of the polished diamonds are traded in Antwerp. Antwerp is also Europe’s largest petrochemical cluster. It also has the world’s oldest stock exchange building, originally built in 1531 and re-built in 1872. With a population of 500,000, it is the most densely populated area in Belgium and one of the richest places in Europe. More than 60% of European purchasing power is located within a 500 km radium of Antwerp.
Antwerp is not only economically developed, but also in terms of humanities and arts. The well-preserved medieval buildings in the city center, Rubens, one of the three great Renaissance masters, and the now famous fashion designers “Antwerp Six” all add extraordinary charm to the city. As a fun fact, Antwerp was also the host of the 1920 Summer Olympics.
Higher Education
The System
The Belgian education system is divided into four general levels: preschool education for ages 2.5 to 6, compulsory primary education for ages 6 to 12, compulsory secondary education for ages 12 to 18, and tertiary education in university and non-university format averaging four years.
Universities in Belgium follow the agreements of the Bologna Process to ensure comparability in the standards and quality of higher-education qualifications. According to the Bologna Process, Belgium higher education is composed of three cycles:
- The first cycle includes bachelor’s programs. These programs usually last three years. Students need to obtain 180 European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) credits. 1 ECTS credit is equivalent to 25 and 30 hours of study.
Except for a few bachelor’s programs, most of them are taught by the official language of the Flemish Community (Dutch) and the French Community (French).
- The second cycle includes master’s programs. Master’s programs have two levels: the Initial Master’s and the Advanced Master’s programs.
- Initial master’s programs are programs of 1 or 2 years after the bachelor’s diploma. Some of these programs are taught in English. Students with an initial master’s diploma usually have four-year university study, comparable to a bachelor’s diploma in China and other countries.
- Advanced master’s programs usually take another year after the initial master’s program. Often these programs are taught in English and other languages. The diploma is equivalent to a postgraduate diploma in China and other countries. An advanced master’s degree usually has a requirement of 60 ECTS credits.
- The third cycle includes Ph.D. students. Doctoral programs are programs of 3 to 5 years and can be longer.
Universities
Higher education in Belgium is organized mainly by the Flemish Community and the French Community.
In the Flemish Community, five universities issue academic bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees:
- University of Antwerp (THE Ranking 2022 No. 143)
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel
- Ghent University (THE Ranking 2022 No. 96)
- Hasselt University
- Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KU Leuven, THE Ranking 2022 No. 42)
In the French Community, there are six universities:
- Université de Namur
- Université catholique de Louvain (THE Ranking 2022 No. 158)
- University of Liège
- University of Mons
- Université libre de Bruxelles (THE Ranking 2022 No. 201 – 250)
Belgian universities are known for their research in a while range of disciplines, such as medicine, veterinary medicine, physics, chemistry, and so on. In recent years, breakthroughs have been made by Belgian universities in the fields of microelectronics, nuclear energy, biomedicine, materials, environment etc.
Since 2016, KU Leuven has been named by the Reuters as Europe’s most innovative university four years in a row. University of Antwerp is ranked No. 5 by Times Higher Education Millennials 2020.
Other Higher Education Institutes
Besides universities, there are also a number of registered educational institutions that issue specialized degrees or provide education mainly in a foreign language. Many of these institutes are international recognized by their high quality, such as Antwerp Management School and Vlerick Business School.
Here is a list of some institutes (sorted alphabetically):
- Antwerp Management School (AACSB, AMBA, NVAO)
- Brussels Faculty for Protestant Theology (NVAO, NECHE)
- College of Europe
- Continental Theological Seminary
- Evangelical Theological Faculty
- Flanders Business School
- Prince Leopold Institute of Tropical Medicine (NVAO)
- Vesalius College (NVAO)
- Vlerick Business School (AACSB, AMBA, EQUIS)
Note:
International accreditations:
AACSB: the association to Advanced Collegiate Schools of Business
AMBA: the association of MBAs
EQUIS: the European Quality Improvement System
Regional accreditations:
NVAO: the Accreditation Organization of the Netherlands and Flanders
NECHE: the New England Commission of Higher Education in the United States
Admission
- Bachelor’s programs
In Belgium, anybody with a high school diploma can enroll at any institute of higher education of their choosing, with a few exceptions. Therefore, the admission process is different from the Chinese higher education system.
The National Higher Education Entrance Examination (高考) is the primary factor used in the admission process in China. As the university admission quotas in China are not based on the area’s population but the university’s enrollment plan, competition in some provinces in China can be extremely fierce. Sometimes even if a student is admitted by their dream university, it remains whether they can study the major in mind for some popular majors such as computer science or finance.
- Initial Master’s programs
Anyone with a bachelor’s diploma issued within the same community can register for a master’s program in Belgium. For example, students with a bachelor’s diploma issued within the Flemish Community can register for a master’s program in KU Leuven. For international students, an application is required.
Most programs do require students with a relevant bachelor’s diploma for admission.
- Advanced master’s programs
The application procedure of an advanced master’s program varies from program to program. Usually, international students must provide proof of language proficiency, application form, motivation letter, and possibly GMAT/GRE results. In some programs, students may also need to take an admission test.
Advantage of Advanced Master’s programs
Advanced master’s programs in Belgium are equivalent to postgraduate programs in China. After four years of bachelor study, for Chinese students, applying for an advanced master’s program in Belgium has several benefits.
- First, the postgraduate admission test in China is difficult and time-consuming to prepare as students must compete with talented peers from all over China. The admission procedure is relatively straightforward in Belgium. For example, to apply for an advanced master’s program at Antwerp Management School or Vlerick Business School, you submit your 4-year bachelor diploma, English test result, cover letter, transcript, and other information. Sometimes a school or university may ask for some additional proof like GMAT/GRE.
- Students pay substantially lower tuition fees to study an advanced master’s program in Belgium with very high quality. For example, Master in Global Supply Chain Management offered by Antwerp Management School is ranked No. 7 worldwide by Eduniversal and No. 18 by QS Ranking 2022. The tuition fee is only 16,500 euros for 2021-2022. A similar program offered by Durham University in the UK costs 27,000 pounds, almost twice as expensive as AMS, with a QS ranking of No. 20. Furthermore, living cost in Belgium is much lower compared to living in the UK.
- Compared to France and Germany, many advanced master’s programs are taught in English and are internationally diversified in Belgium. You get to meet students from all over the world. In popular destinations to study abroad for Chinese students, such as the UK and Australia, often there are many Chinese students in the same class, making the learning experience less global immersive.
- The headquarter of the European Union is located in Brussels, making Belgium truly one of the most international countries in the world. Most Belgian can speak English fluently, which is especially true for the Flemish Community. Many large companies use English as their working language.
- Thanks to its geographic location, Belgium is only hours away from major European cities such as Amsterdam, Paris, and London. Traveling and job hunting become easy.
- One-year post-study visa in Belgium + one-year post-study visa in the Netherlands for selected Belgian universities and business schools. These post-study visas will help international students to find a job in local markets.
References:
- Information on studying in the French community: http://www.studyinbelgium.be/en
- Information on studying in the Flemish community: https://www.studyinflanders.be