Study in Brussels (in English) - ISEP Direct
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
• A bilingual city with a student population of more than 86,000 and an overall population representing 160 nationalities and 180 languages, Brussels is by far one of the most international cities in the world (Source: Vrije Universiteit Brussel). Experience this exciting blend of cultures while living in Brussels’ university district, widely known as one of the coolest neighborhoods in all of Europe.
• Engage in specialty seminars and workshops featuring key decision-makers in the European Union, alongside a diverse yet close-knit student body. While Brussels School of Governance (BSoG) only hosts 450 students every year, nearly 300 are international students representing 60 nationalities.
• Embark on a Belgian culinary adventure as you delight your tastebuds with the country's world-famous chocolate, beer, waffles, and fries. Contrary to widespread belief, Belgium is the birthplace of the "French" fry – not France!
• BSoG offers a distinctive opportunity to take courses in the administrative hub of the European Union in policy-relevant fields, including Global Ethics, Humanitarian Law, Politics of the EU, and International Approaches to State-building, Reform, and Good Governance.
LIFE ABROAD
Enjoy all the perks of living in a “small” big city. Brussels is home to a vast student and international community, and there is always a concert, museum, or spacious park nearby to explore. Known as the “capital of Europe”, Brussels has tremendous global significance and has been shaped by a distinctive combination of cultural influences as evidenced in the fact there are three national languages: French, Dutch, and German.
LIVE
Fully immerse yourself in Belgian culture by living in a single bedroom in a homestay with a local family committed to enriching your study abroad experience. Language skills are not required for homestays, but homestays with primarily French- or Dutch-speaking families can be accommodated upon request. Most host families have a good understanding of English and have previously hosted international students.
Prefer to live in a student residence? You'll stay in one of four student apartment buildings readily accessible to campus either by foot or via public transportation. With multiple housing options, from a studio apartment, a single room in a shared apartment, to a double room in a shared apartment, there’s something to suit every lifestyle. Enjoy living among international and local students, with other ISEP students as your roommates. Ensuite bathrooms are available in both single and double student residences, and laundry facilities are available for an additional fee.
DINE
After class, enjoy Brussels' vibrant food scene by sampling some local staples. Stop by a "brasserie" for a pot of "moules-frites", aromatic mussels traditionally sauteed in a white wine sauce and served with a side of famous Belgian fries. For dessert, snack on some Spéculoos, crispy cookies flavored with brown sugar, cinnamon, and other cozy spices, or a toasty, caramelized waffle – both of which are best paired with a hot coffee. Once dinner and dessert have settled, enjoy a night out on the town with your friends while you sip on some of Belgium's world-famous beer. Be sure to pop into Delirium Village in the heart of Brussels' old town where they have 27 beers on tap! For students living in homestays, 11 meals are included each week. Families provide daily breakfast, plus dinners on weekdays. You’ll have access to the kitchen to prepare your own meals at other times, as well as fridge space to store food.
EXPERIENCE
Get involved while you’re studying at the Brussels School of Governance! Start by settling in with an orientation tour of the city. Foster new connections through social activities organized by the student government, including ski trips, outings, and holiday parties with peers. Dive into a wide range of extracurriculars by joining a sports team or participating in a student-run forum. Some courses include excursions to prominent EU or NATO institutions.
EXPLORE
Brussels is known as one of the friendliest cities in Europe and is a primary hub for local, regional, and international travel. Whether you decide to attend a music festival, sit in on a political discussion, wander a museum, or explore the world-renowned comic book scene, there is always something to do in Brussels – and it’s easy to travel to neighboring cities and countries on the weekends should you choose to do so!
THRIVE
Stop by the international office on campus to take advantage of the wellness room. A designated student wellness intern will offer events every semester such as free yoga sessions, confidential discussion opportunities, and bringing emotional support dogs to campus. Connect with the Student Wellbeing Team to discuss accommodations available for those with documented learning disabilities such as ADHD or dyslexia. Resources are also available for students with physical disabilities, including those with visual impairments or mobility concerns.
INTERN
Participate in an internship for academic credit while studying in Brussels. Choose between a ‘single’ or ‘double’ internship. With a ‘single’ internship, you’ll work 150-180 hours over the course of the semester (12-15 hours/week) and earn 6 ECTS (3 U.S. credits). With a ‘double’ internship, you’ll work approximately 280 hours over the course of the semester (25 hours/week) and earn 12 ECTS (6 U.S. credits). The BSoG Internship Program provides an excellent opportunity to take the knowledge you’ll gain from your coursework and apply it in a relevant professional setting. Students will also enroll in courses at Vesalius College to complement their part-time internship.
What We Love About Brussels School of Governance
This program is ideal for high-achieving students, particularly those who are studying politics or international relations. When you study at BSoG, you'll be in the heart of European politics and will have a plethora of immersive professional opportunities available to you. Belgians are known for being welcoming and friendly; in an international city like Brussels, you’ll feel right at home before you know it. While still a tourist destination, Brussels feels like a small city disguised as a big city. It’s easy to navigate and centrally located within Europe making travel across the continent a breeze. You’ll never be at a loss for activities and events – the city is a cultural epicenter, and there are always multiple things to see and do.
See ISEP Direct budget and estimated expenses
Course Description
The Brussels School of Governance (BSoG) delivers a broad range of academic programs and classes in policy-relevant fields, including energy & environment, security & diplomacy, migration & diversity, and digitalization & democracy. By virtue of its location in Brussels, the heart of the European political community, BSoG can leverage local expertise in the classroom, offering exceptional opportunities to be involved in evolving public policy and business problems. BSoG offers two distinctive opportunities for ISEP students: A Peace and Security Certificate (Fall Semester only) and credit-bearing internships that allow students to apply their learning in unique internship placements.
To assist with class selection, the chart below reflects some of the more popular classes students have taken at BSoG in the past.
Credits Earned
Students who complete the program in good standing can expect to earn 24-30 ECTS which ISEP recommends is the equivalent of 12-15 U.S. Credit Hours. Each course will usually be worth 6-9 ECTS. Students should plan to commit 10-15 hours per week per class to lectures, discussions and readings.
If you use financial aid, please speak with a qualified financial aid advisor to understand your academic obligations and the requirements for using financial aid.
Sample Classes Available:
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International Global Studies |
Business |
Social Sciences |
Political Science |
Law |
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Global Politics |
Business Information Systems |
Intermediate Qualitative Research Methods |
Understanding Contemporary Conflicts in the Euro-Mediterranean Region |
Introduction to International and European Law |
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Global Terrorism, Counter-Terrorism & (De-) Radicalisation |
International Business Management |
Global Ethics |
Comparative Political Systems |
Humanitarian Law |
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Security, Migration and Cultural Diversity in Europe |
Global Leadership |
Human Rights |
Ethnic Conflict, Reconciliation and Post-war Reconstruction |
Sustainable Development Law |
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The United Nations and Global Governance |
e-Business |
Security, Migration and Cultural Diversity in Europe |
The EU’s Approach to Democratisation and Human Rights |
Legal Aspects of Migration |
For detailed instructions on how to search for all available courses, please click on the "other academic conditions" dropdown link below.
Academics
Other Academic Conditions
COURSES
As an ISEP student, you can build your own program by choosing your courses from a variety of fields. Use the notes for course searching to help you find which courses are available.
Course schedules will be made available by April 1 for the following Fall semester courses and by November 1 for the following Spring semester courses. Course flexibility is necessary.
Fall semester students should review the sample fall semester schedule and spring semester students the sample spring semester schedule, as different courses are offered in the fall and spring semesters.
The list of Course Descriptions will provide you with a better understanding of the course offering and prerequisites.
CERTIFICATE PROGRAM (Fall Only)
BSoG offers the opportunity for students to obtain a certificate in Peace & Security Studies during the Fall semester only. To obtain this certificate, students must take all four courses within the ‘Certificate Programme in European Peace and Security Studies’.
The courses in the European Peace and Security Studies program emphasize theoretical and practical analysis of the comprehensive, civil-military nature of contemporary conflict and crisis management from a NATO, UN and EU perspective. They also examine the history, institutional procedures and policies of, and interrelations between, these three organizations, as well as their interaction with a wide range of civilian and military partners.
The program sheds light on the complex roots and causes of contemporary conflicts in Europe’s periphery and beyond. At the end of the semester, students will have acquired an extensive knowledge of the institutional, theoretical and practical dimensions of contemporary issues and of the core actors in the field of European peace and security.
For every fall term semester, four courses that will constitute this program are selected from the range of courses. Past courses have included those mentioned below. The fall 2023 courses will be announced in early 2023.
• The EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy
• Understanding Contemporary Conflicts in the Euro-Mediterranean Region
• Global Terrorism, Counter-terrorism and (De-) Radicalisation
• Security, Migration and Cultural Diversity in Europe
• NATO and Transatlantic Approaches to Security
• Military Approaches to Promoting Security
• International Approaches to State-Building, Reform and Good Governance
• Russian Foreign Policy
For details, please refer to the course description links above.
INTERNSHIPS
There are 2 types of credit-bearing internships available to Study Abroad students. Students will also enroll in courses at BSoG to complement their part-time internship.
• The ‘single’ internship involves 150–180 hours of work over the course of the semester (roughly 12–15 hours per week). Students are also required to keep a daily log and to write a 2,000- to 2,500-word paper at the end of the term. The single internship is evaluated with a letter grade and is worth 1 academic course, or 6 ECTS (equivalent to 3 U.S. academic credits).
• Motivated study abroad students are also allowed to apply for the ‘double’ internship, which is offered by a selection of BSoG's internship partners. The ‘double’ internship is worth 2 academic courses or 12 ECTS (6 U.S. academic credits). With the ‘double’ internship, students are expected to work 280 hours per semester (approximately 25 hours per week) and, in addition to the 2,000- to 2,500-word paper and daily log, are required to conduct an academic research project over the course of the term.
In addition to the single or double internship, students will enroll in additional regular university courses for a total semester credit load of 24 to 30 ECTS. You can build your own program by choosing courses from a variety of fields.
Additional Class Specific Details:
• Certain BSoG free elective courses are offered by academic partners such as the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, the Royal Military Academy, and others. Students should note that some of these courses follow the Belgian academic grading system and the Belgian academic calendar (i.e. they start and end later than regular Vesalius College courses). Not all free electives have different dates, only the one or two offered by Brussels partner schools. ISEP Direct students can take these courses at no additional cost other than the extended housing cost. Partner courses with extended calendar dates are not open to ISEP exchange students.
• Students wishing to take a foreign language (French or Dutch) that is above the introductory (101) level must take a placement test (offered in the fall and spring during orientation week) in order to determine their true proficiency level and the best corresponding course level.
• Students wishing to take a 300-level (advanced) political science course on the European Union will be required to take a European Union aptitude test during orientation week (fall and spring). Those that fail the test will not be allowed to register for the 300-level EU courses until they have participated in the EU crash course, which will be organized, free of charge for the student, in the first week of classes.
Semester & Prices (based on your filters)
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