The Business Engineering programme forms innovative thinkers who help determine the current business rules, processes and strategies in such a way that they have a far-reaching impact on the company or the business sector. The focus is on analysing and solving business problems from a quantitative and business science approach.

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 Université 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.

Duration: 3 years (full-time), 180 ECTS

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 recognising 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.

In order to brush up your maths skills, a brushing-up course and assessment test is organised in the run-up to the beginning of the academic year. This course reviews a number of important topics, is a great way to meet your teachers and fellow students and gives you an indication of the minimum prerequisites for the Bachelor of Business Engineering programme.

Career perspectives:

After obtaining your Bachelor's degree in Business Engineering, you can continue your studies in this field by completing the Master’s degree programme in Business Engineering, you are however also prepared for any Master’s degree in Economics and Business with a strong quantitative focus.

A degree in Business Engineering opens many doors in a wide range of sectors. Generally speaking, business engineers take up managerial functions in various business domains, including, but not limited to, marketing and finance. They usually start their careers taking on expert positions within companies (e.g. banking and insurance, ICT, telecom, logistics), in research or in consulting services, and move up to executive functions.

Clearly, with a degree in Business Engineering, you are fit to join management in any department of a company or organisation. Moreover, a business engineer’s unique profile is very much appreciated by companies in both Belgium and abroad. Thanks to language courses and many opportunities to train partly at a foreign partner institution, you will be prepared to embark on an international career.