International Business

About the programme

The MSc in International Business (formally known as MSc. in Management Science) is a 2-year, full-time programme organised by the Solvay Business School of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. It targets students - both Belgian and foreign - with academic bachelor’s degrees in Business Economics or Management who are looking for an English-language master’s programme with a distinct international and multidisciplinary flavour, and in an international setting.

Doing business in an international context

The basic concept behind the selection of the courses in the programme is straightforward. There are essentially three types of courses: courses that deal with today's international economic context, advanced business courses, and courses on the intersection of these two fields; that is, courses that are all about 'doing business in an international context', including a hands-on internship in a (multinational) company.

The courses that introduce students to today's European/international/globalised economic environment are placed in the first semester of the first year. Courses that improve students' business knowledge are mainly in the second semester of the first year.

Personalise your curriculum

The first year consists of compulsory courses. But in the second year, apart from the Master’s thesis and the internship, there are only two compulsory courses, namely Corporate Social Responsibility, Multinational Strategic Planning and a brand new advanced course on international economics. This allows students to personalise their curriculum by picking elective courses.

Learn from professionals from all over the world...

Our professors have solid publication records and increasingly come from different corners of the world. In addition to our eminent academics, we are proud to welcome, as members of our teaching faculty, numerous business professionals and practitioners from every sector of business and the economy, including industry and services, as well as the private and public sectors in both Belgium and Europe. Their knowledge and experience cover every field of management and business (strategy, finance, marketing, leadership, technology, IT, etc.).

...specialised in various fields of research

We have also created a number of research Chairs, financed by corporate and private donors. Students have the opportunity to attend lectures given by the holders of these research Chairs, all of whom are highly respected and internationally known professors specialising in various fields of research.

Admission requirements

Candidates with a university Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in a field related to business/management or economics who have obtained the minimum number of (European) credits in EACH of the subjects as set out below (a total of 96) may be admitted after a review of their application by the Admissions Board.

Field of study & Min. number of required ECTS

Law 6
Economics 15
Management 24
Languages 15
Quantitative methods 24
Humanities/Social Sciences 12

Visit the International Business page on the Vrije Universiteit Brussel website for more details!