Educational quality of the programme
At VUB the quality of the education takes centre stage. This isn't something we say lightly: we scrutinise our programmes regularly to align them with changing student needs in a rapidly changing society.
This public information is part of VUB’s quality assurance system and was approved by the Course Council in 2020. This is a translation. It will be updated following the Formal Decision at the beginning of 2027.
Strengths of the programme
- Diverse, accessible, and motivated teaching team: Students appreciate the approachability and willingness of lecturers and teaching assistants to listen and engage with them.
- Strong focus on practice: The programme places great emphasis on preparing students for professional practice and the realities of the workplace.
- Relatively small-scale learning environment: Although the programme is growing, many courses are still taught in small groups.
- Commitment to diversity and inclusion: The programme specifically aims to empower students from underrepresented and diverse backgrounds. Students experience an open-minded culture throughout the programme.
- Brussels-based and internationally oriented: Being located in the heart of Europe offers numerous opportunities for field visits, guest lectures, and strong connections with the labour market.
Opportunities
- We aim to make the most efficient use of our current staffing resources while seeking to expand the teaching team through increased collaboration with other programmes and institutions.
- In addition to strengthening teamwork competencies, we provide students with sufficient opportunities to distinguish themselves through individual assessment.
- We continue to refine a method for assessing master's theses as efficiently and objectively as possible using existing software tools.
- There are opportunities to incorporate greater interdisciplinarity into the programme's elective courses, particularly around the theme of Leadership.
- We are working on consolidating the current curricula, formulating learning outcomes more coherently, and aligning them more closely with the programme structure.
Current developments
- We are strengthening the involvement of industry professionals and practitioners in the programme.
- We focus on skills development through active learning and assessment methods.
- The Dutch-language Master's programme is receiving its own programme brochure. In addition, we are enriching our programme brochures with testimonials from alumni.
- The Master's programme has recently undergone a substantial redesign. Following its implementation, a thorough evaluation of the new approach will be carried out.
- We are reinforcing the methodology learning pathway throughout both the Bachelor's and Master's programmes, covering both qualitative and quantitative research methods.
- New from this academic year is the Excellence Portfolio, which offers highly motivated students additional opportunities to take on further challenges.
Where do we get this information from?
As institution we routinely ask our students to give their honest opinion about the study programme during their academic career. We also consult our professors and assistants and gauge the expectations in the future field of work. We receive structured feedback from our former students and compare our programmes with others at home and abroad. Through a Peer Review every six years an expert panel endorses the programme’s assets and can recommend some actions. Lastly, VUBs Education Quality Council takes a formal decision about the quality and functioning of a programme.
Quality cycle
Each programme follows a six-year quality cycle. The timeline below shows the schedule for this particular programme.
