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Bachelor of Business Engineering

Overview

Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Business Engineering 2024-2025

Education Level: Academic bachelor's programme
Language of Instruction: English (Dutch-taught equivalent programme available in Leuven)
Duration: 3 years (full-time), 180 ECTS
Type: Daytime education
Location: Brussels (Brussels Campus KU Leuven and UCLouvain Saint-Louis – Bruxelles)
Academic Calendar:
- 1st semester: 2nd week of September* - end of January (exams in January)
  - 2nd semester: 1st week of February* - end of June (exams in June)
    *Note: The academic year starts a week earlier at UCLouvain - Saint-Louis - Bruxelles so the courses they organise start the week before the regular academic year at KU Leuven.
Programme guide* : Specific course descriptions and detailed admission requirements can be found in the programme guide. The programme guide relates to the current academic year until three months prior to the start of the following academic year.
* Subject to changes.

About the programme

The Bachelor of Science in Business Engineering is a joint English-taught programme organised by the Faculty of Economics and Business of KU Leuven and the Faculty of Economics, Social and Political Sciences and Communication of the UCLouvain Saint-Louis Bruxelles. Both institutions are situated in the heart of the city, near Brussels Central Station. Students will attend courses and take exams at both institutions and obtain a joint degree.

In the Business Engineering programme, you will focus on managing and optimising business processes. You will become acquainted with business economics as well as the different functional domains in companies (e.g. accountancy, financial management, marketing, production and logistics, human resources management). You will learn how a company operates on a daily basis and how its processes are organised. Designing business processes is often at the core of the business engineer’s activities, e.g. in companies looking to launch a new production process, optimise it or make their service process run more efficiently. In doing so, you will pay attention to human behaviour and the social phenomena that determine the way we think and act. As you need to know how the economic world surrounding the organization works, you will learn about important economic concepts and methods through economic analysis. Topics dealing with law and tax regulations are also a crucial part of the programme, seeing they can have a major impact on business.

In addition to advancing your managerial skills, you will also sharpen your analytical skills. You will master the necessary mathematical and statistical techniques to analyse business problems and work out optimal solutions (e.g. staff planning, organisation of a production process, sales predictions for the next quarter, measuring the impact of an advertising campaign). Considering information is more important than ever, you will also acquire a solid background in ICT skills and information management. As a business engineer, you need to know how companies can manage and analyse information. After an introduction to natural and applied sciences, you will understand critical technological processes and are able to assess the impact of innovation on companies, their environment and sustainability.

The combination of business economics, quantitative methods and technology offers you the opportunity to develop a unique multi-disciplinary approach towards business, which makes the Business Engineering programme extremely relevant in today’s world. Moreover, the integration of all these disciplines is a priority in many companies, both in production environments and in the service sector (e.g. consultancy or ICT). After all, many solutions to complex business problems require input from a variety of disciplines.

The Business Engineering programme has also a strong international focus. Students can participate in exchange programmes with numerous partners both within and outside Europe.

Mathematics and Statistics: crucial building blocks

Today’s business engineers often use mathematical and statistical models to describe reality in a logical way. The language of mathematics and statistics is a powerful tool to describe and explore those models. By learning this language you develop your skills in recognizing structures, systematic problem-solving, and checking the plausibility of the obtained result. You will also refine and apply your knowledge of mathematics and statistics in various courses, including linear optimisation, operations research, econometrics, accounting, finance, sciences and technologies.

Description of the mathematical topics you are expected to have covered before entering the Bachelor of Business Engineering programme, can be found here:

Mathematical topics

We offer a range of opportunities to help you assess and develop your mathematical skills, before you start your bachelor's degree. We have developed an online test that you can take before applying, and which will give you customized feedback and advice on how to bridge possible minor knowledge gaps.

You can assess your mathematical skills with the following free test by filling in this online form. You can take the free test several times.

Free online mathematics test

Bring your mathematics skills up to the required level

Does the online mathematics test reveal any shortcomings in your prerequisite knowledge? The workload in the first year of our Bachelor’s programme is very high, making it difficult or almost impossible to catch up on the fly if you have important gaps in your mathematics prerequisites.

Therefore we invite you to start preparing now, by joining our online preparation track using the innovative learning platform SOWISO. It will provide you with explanations, examples and endless randomized practice exercises with personal feedback on all answer attempts. Each topic offers an initial test so you can assess what you already master.

Additionally, just before the beginning of the academic year, we offer a four-day refresher course on our Brussels campus.

At the start of their bachelor’s studies, all students take an initial mathematics assessment test. It is similar in content and style to the free online mathematics test. The test is compulsory and is to be taken on campus; based on this test you will receive feedback on how well you are prepared for the mathematics in the Bachelor of Business Engineering. A score of at least 60% will give you a bonus point for the first semester’s mathematics course. A very low score (below 40%) indicates that you may not be ready to start the Bachelor of Business Engineering.

Practical information preparatory track & refresher course

Two institutions, one programme, one degree

The Faculty of Economics and Business of KU Leuven and the Faculty of Economics, Social and Political Sciences and Communication of the Université Saint-Louis – Bruxelles jointly organise the English-language Bachelor programme in Business Engineering.

KU Leuven

Founded in 1425, KU Leuven has been an acclaimed centre for learning and teaching for almost six centuries. Today, it is Belgium’s highest-ranked university as well as one of the oldest and most renowned universities in Europe.

As a leading European research university and co-founder of the League of European Research Universities (LERU), KU Leuven has a wide variety of programmes in English on offer, supported by high-quality interdisciplinary research. Boasting an outstanding central location in the heart of Europe, KU Leuven provides students with a truly international experience, high-quality education, world-class research and cutting-edge innovation.

Brussels Campus KU Leuven

UCLouvain Saint-Louis - Bruxelles

Established in 1858, Université Saint-Louis – Bruxelles merged in September 2023 with UCLouvain to become one of its campuses specialized in human and social sciences. Saint-Louis - Bruxelles is a campus on a human scale, with a strong emphasis on welcoming students and providing them with personalized support and guidance. It is also recognized for the quality of its bilingual and trilingual programmes, which have been organized for over thirty years, and for the innovative facilities provided for intensive foreign language learning. Conveniently located in the capital’s centre, it is just a ten-minute walk away from KU Leuven Brussels campus.

UCLouvain Saint-Louis – Bruxelles

Application instructions and deadlines

1 March (for non-EEA citizens)
1 July (for EEA-citizens)
Beginning of the academic year (EEA and non-EEA applicants residing in Belgium)

* EEA = European Economic Area

Apply now

Tuition fees

EEA citizens: € 835/academic year
Non-EEA citizens: €2,505/academic year

Students pay the tuition fees applicable at UCLouvain Saint-Louis – Bruxelles.

* Non-EEA students from a less developed country pay the regular fee of €835.

Why choose Bachelor of Business Engineering

by Prof. Liesje De Boeck and Prof. Anouk Claes

Why choose the Bachelor of Business Administration or the Bachelor of Business Engineering?

by Jennifer Sotnichenko & Fabio Kaimi

FEBTalks is a series of talks by Professors at the Faculty of Economics and Business unravelling a complex world. Two-minutes of insights based on recent research.

Watch here

I have a question

Take a look at our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). If you still have doubts feel free to get in touch with the Faculty of Economics and Business of KU Leuven.

I have a question