Study in Brussels (in English) - ISEP Direct

Fields of Study

• Business: Recommended!

  Accounting,  Business Management,  E-Commerce,  Economics,  Entrepreneurship,  Finance,  International Business/Trade/Commerce,  Marketing

• Communication:

  Advertising,  Intercultural Communication,  Journalism,  Mass Communication/Media Studies,  Photojournalism,  Public Relations,  Speech Communication and Rhetoric

• Foreign Languages and Literatures:

  Arabic Language and Literature,  Chinese Language and Literature,  Dutch/Flemish Language and Literature ,  French Language and Literature

• History:

  Asian History,  European History

• International/Global Studies: Recommended!

  International Relations and Affairs,  Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution

• Law/Criminal Justice:

  Business Law,  International Business, Trade, and Tax Law,  International Law,  Legal Studies,  Pre-Law Studies

• Mathematics

  Statistics

• Social Sciences Recommended!

  Political Science and Government

• Visual and Performing Arts

  Art History

Academic Requirements

• U.S. GPA: 2.75 or higher
  *accepts lower GPA with explanation
• TOEFL iBT Score: 90
• IELTS Score: 6.5

Special Application Instructions

NOTE on GPA Requirement: Students with a GPA below 2.75 may be eligible to take courses at BSoG if a viable explanation is provided in the ISEP application. Approval is up to the discretion of BSoG. Any student wishing to participate in the Internship MUST have a 2.7 GPA or Higher in order to be considered eligible.

Students are required to submit an internal application following their placement which is required of the host institution. Instructions will be sent by the ISEP Host Coordinator by email. 

As part of the ISEP application any student potentially interested in applying for an internship must attach to a copy of their resume/CV and a general cover letter that outlines his or her internship objectives, preferred job responsibilities and qualifications.

Non-native English speakers must submit language scores to determine their level of language proficiency. 

PASSPORT: All students must have a valid passport to participate in this program with expiration dates at minimum 15 months from the END date of the selected term. If you do not have a valid passport, we suggest you start the application process as soon as possible. 

VISA/RESIDENCE PERMIT: Most students attending this program will be required to obtain a visa/residence permit. For more information on the process and estimated cost, please review the ISEP Country Handbook here.

Special Needs Support

• Mental Health
• Mobility
• Hearing
• Visual
• Speech
• Learning

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. 

Sample Fall Course Schedule 

Sample Spring Course Schedule 

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.