School of Thinking

Applicants to the programme must fulfil the following admission criteria:

• Formal requirement: A Master’s degree or equivalent.
• Language proficiency: Fluent English is required and is subject to self-assessment of the applicant. Applicants do not need to submit a proof of their linguistic competence.
• Application: A short (e-mail) application letter in which the applicant (1.) provides the reasons for applying, (2.) explains their expectations, (3.) gives a short account of their academic and professional background, and (4.) provides a self-assessment of their English language proficiency.

In order to book a place, please send your application letter to Maciej Świeży. Your short (email) letter should cover the 4 points mentioned above.

The tuition fee for the full postgraduate programme, if completed within one academic year, amounts to €4.490. In case a student does not complete the program within one academic year and needs to continue a second year, a fee of €850 is charged for each additional year.

Please note that if you have a non-Belgian diploma, you will be charged a €50 application fee in the initial steps of your formal registration. This fee will be later deducted from your tuition fee, so the overall cost of participation in the programme will remain unchanged.

The tuition fees are invoiced after the formal registration process is complete (usually no sooner than in October). Tuition fees are non-refundable.

Application letters are being reviewed continuously, on a first-come, first-served basis, until the following deadlines:

• 27 September 2023: for MA/MSc graduates from Flemish universities;
• 29 August 2023: for all other applicants.

Once your place is booked, you will be invited to formally register via the central application system of the VUB.

Thanks to the sponsorship of De Oudstudentenbond VUB, the School of Thinking is offering up to 5 full scholarships for students, graduates, or researchers employed at VUB. To qualify, you must show how participating in the program is going to support your academic or professional exploration of complex, ‘wicked’ problems relevant to today’s society. Download the Call for Applications to learn more.

1. Can I use the Flemish ‘kmo-portefeuille‘ support to participate in this programme?

Yes. We are registered in the ‘kmo-portefeuille’ database of service providers. Here are the details:

• Dienstverlener: Vrije Universiteit Brussel
• Registratienummer: DV.O103793
• Dienst: Opleiding

2. How and when will I receive the invoice?

3. I need to have my employer’s/my company’s details on the invoice. Where should I send the details?

Please send your request to studentenadministratie@vub.be.

4. Can I use the Flemish ‘opleidingsverlof‘ to participate in this programme?

Unfortunately, our programme does not qualify for the educational leave. In its current version, the Flemish educational leave subsidy scheme is meant for more specifically job-oriented competences, with a mandatory component of a practical professional training. Our curriculum is designed in a more generalist way and focuses solely on competences that are transferrable and applicable to any domain.

5. May I see the exact schedule?

Yes, by all means. It is available via the Workflow – section (see the menu in the top right corner or click here). Once the programme starts, your Year’s workflow page will be providing links to all assignment files, reading bundles, and other shared documents.