I just would like to tell my personal experience with this LLM.

The first class of this LLM was the one that graduated in 2017. The program has 3 classes of graduates as of this day.

This means that the program is a bit “new”.

ULB: the university is quite nice, everything works mainly good and it has a good reputation. The Solvay building where the classes take place is the most modern one and it’s really nice.

Most of the lecturers are not university guys but important partners from law firms. The good side of it is that they are quite practical and they have a lot of experience. The bad part is that some of them are not very used to teach. I think that the balance at the end is quite good.

Subjects to value in terms of quality of education:
-investment law. Both lecturers are extremely good, ones of the best I had in my life. They make the LLM worth it.
-company law: one of the two teachers adds a lot of value.
-arbitration: same, but one of the others is terrible.
-international commercial transactions: really good (but tough) lecturers.

Then there are some quite decent guys (trade, tax, banking, IP...)

And some that we did not love much, but not many.

Overall, it’s quite good quality of education for a quite low price. It’s worth it.

The thesis process is a lottery depending on who is your supervisor. Some were much more involved and helpful than others.

There are some nice activities, visits, and guest lecturers.

The coordinator is helpful.

The city is quite nice, besides its not so good reputation. Simple but good social life.

At my class, the level of the students was quite high. Much better than I expected. Some (good) competition among students.

The program has things to improve certainly, but considering it’s a new program, it seems it will get very good. I don’t regret it.

Most of the european students from the LLM were hired after the program. But if you want to use it for getting a job in Belgium, they’ll ask you to speak french or dutch. If you are not european, it may be a bit less easy, but it may help. It won’t necessairly assure you to get the job you want, though.

You can just ask anything if you want more precise info.

Best!

[Edited by _O_ on Oct 25, 2019]

Thank you so much for sharing! I want to apply to ULB and I was looking for some comments. I live in Turkey and I'm interested due to the low price and location of Belgium. Do you think is it the best option with this price? Or maybe you can suggest another school you've heard about? I searched the other schools in Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland but they are quite expensive. (Some of them gives different price students who are not EU citizien) So, what do you suggest?

Thank you so much for sharing! I want to apply to ULB and I was looking for some comments. I live in Turkey and I'm interested due to the low price and location of Belgium. Do you think is it the best option with this price? Or maybe you can suggest another school you've heard about? I searched the other schools in Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland but they are quite expensive. (Some of them gives different price students who are not EU citizien) So, what do you suggest?

KU Leuven (Belgium) provides an LL.M. Program focused on International and European Law. You choose an area of specialization: International and European Business Law or International and European Public Law. Tuition fee is EUR 6000. QS University ranking of KU Leuven is 80, QS Law School ranking of the Law Faculty is 37. Leuven is just 15 minutes from Brussels, and is a very cosy and safe place to live. For the past few years, KU Leuven has always welcomed at least one student from Turkey in the LL.M. programme.

Hi, you have to take into consideration that LLM in Business Law at ULB is not a real master degree, it is a certificate program. You would not have a student status in Belgium with all the privileges it provides. You would be considered under category “adult continuous education” If I were you, I would choose KU Leuven, VUB or other programs at ULB (check status before)

This is not totally accurate. There is a technical explanation which is that KU Leuven falls within the scope of the "flemish" education system which happens to be very different from the "walloon" educational system. And if I am not mistaken in Wallonia the program should be, at least partially, taught in french for it to technically qualify as a master degree.

In addition, for the walloon system (idk how it works in the flemish system), a "master 2" is still undergratuate education, just like in France. That is why the program technically qualifies as a post-graduate course, but it does gran 60 ECTS points which corresponds pursuant to the european legal system to one full time academic year of post-graduate education, just like any LLM. 

In summary, I don't think it really matters, you graduate as an LLM notwithstanding how the program qualifies from a technical standpoint.

This said, KU Leuven is a great uni which has a really good ranking. But that does not mean that the program from ULB is not a real LLM, and I find quite unfair to all graduates from the program for someone else to be spreading that idea around when it is not accurate.

Hi, you have to take into consideration that LLM in Business Law at ULB is not a real master degree, it is a certificate program. You would not have a student status in Belgium with all the privileges it provides. You would be considered under category “adult continuous education” If I were you, I would choose KU Leuven, VUB or other programs at ULB (check status before)

In simple terms:
Question: Is it a master degree program? Is it a degree program at all?

Answer: No, it is not.

There are other 60 credits programs in Brussels, which are DEGREE programs. They are called "specialised masters" and are also taught in ENG

I would really recommend for all incoming students to contact ULB admissions (not LLM administrators, but ULB admissions) just for information to understand if conditions proposed are ok with them. As a practice-focused program it is alright, but it might not be fare for those who expected to have a degree and it is not a degree

[Edited by Stranger on Jun 10, 2022]

I have a question I got acceptance from ulb in LLM program but I have a confusion that this LLM qualify me to enroll in PhD or not because i want to pursue PhD in law in future

This is not totally accurate. There is a technical explanation which is that KU Leuven falls within the scope of the "flemish" education system which happens to be very different from the "walloon" educational system. And if I am not mistaken in Wallonia the program should be, at least partially, taught in french for it to technically qualify as a master degree.

In addition, for the walloon system (idk how it works in the flemish system), a "master 2" is still undergratuate education, just like in France. That is why the program technically qualifies as a post-graduate course, but it does gran 60 ECTS points which corresponds pursuant to the european legal system to one full time academic year of post-graduate education, just like any LLM. 

In summary, I don't think it really matters, you graduate as an LLM notwithstanding how the program qualifies from a technical standpoint.

This said, KU Leuven is a great uni which has a really good ranking. But that does not mean that the program from ULB is not a real LLM, and I find quite unfair to all graduates from the program for someone else to be spreading that idea around when it is not accurate.

Hi, you have to take into consideration that LLM in Business Law at ULB is not a real master degree, it is a certificate program. You would not have a student status in Belgium with all the privileges it provides. You would be considered under category “adult continuous education” If I were you, I would choose KU Leuven, VUB or other programs at ULB (check status before)

It is not possible to directly do a PHD after the LLM according to the website. But the credits you earned (60) count to the required credits you need to enter a PHD program, which are 300, also according to the website. So, you will probably need to do another degree or your past degrees gives you enough credits for the PHD program.

[Edited by Ivo Hélory on Mar 21, 2023]