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Louvain School of Management

FAQ / Admissions & Programmes

lsm | Louvain-la-Neuve, Mons, Charleroi

MASTER'S PROGRAMMES

There are 2 Master's degrees in economics dealing with Finance at UCLouvain:

  • Master's in Economics: General

  • Master's in Economics: Econometrics

There are 2 options in the "Master's degree in Economics: General" that tackle Finance (see here):

  • the "monetary" option (at LLN) which focuses on macro-economics matters (monetary policies, international relations)

  • the "market" option (at Namur) which focuses on financial institutions management and corporate finance. This option is close to the "International Finance" option given at LSM.

The "Master's degree in Economics: Econometrics" focuses mainly on econometrics. The courses from this Master's cannot be directly compared to Finance. At LSM however, we offer 11 specialized options in Finance (5 Majors + CFA track).

The entire list of existing majors for our Master's students is available here: INGE and GEST

  • International finance : focuses mainly on financial institutions management, international corporate finance and international treasury management

  • Corporate finance : among other things, it develops the concepts of corporate financial management, choice of financial structures, dividend policy, investment decisions analysis and mergers and acquisitions.

  • Financial Management : focuses on market finance risk and asset management (e.g. managing stock market investments). It is designed to train people who will work as analysts, traders, sales, etc. for specialised institutions, such as asset managers, banks and hedge funds.

  • Financial Engineering : concerns product valuation, risk modelling, and covers specific and innovative quantitative techniques. This major focuses on risk modelling and risk management within financial institutions or specialised consulting firms.

The Financial Management major is more applied (CFA certification, more intensive use of Bloomberg), and the Financial Engineering major is more technical (programming, mathematical models, etc).

  • The Financial Management Track is a double degree (Master's in Management at UCLouvain - Master's in Business Management at ICHEC) that focuses on finance and financial analyses. The objective is to efficiently prepare students to take the CFA Institute's Level 1 exam at the end of their Master's degree (= Chartered Financial Analyst).

  • The Master's in Management, "Accounting and Auditing" oriented (LSM-Mons) allows students who complete the programme to obtain:

    • a complete exemption from the entrance examinations of the Institut des Reviseurs d'Entreprises (IRE) in both Belgium and Luxembourg ;

    • an almost complete exemption for the Institu des Experts Comptables (IEC)

    • only one degree from UCLouvain

  • Very broad opportunities (all management functions in both private and public organisations).

  • There are no real differences between the two Master's degrees in terms of career opportunities.

    • No major difference with the master's degree in economics either

  • The training given in Master's degrees is general and academic; students are first taught to learn, since it is what they will have to do for any job they accept after their studies.

    • It is therefore not a good idea to choose your Major or your thesis according to the possible prospects. You might as well choose according to your tastes (what do I like to learn? What am I curious about?). These choices may well make you want to take up certain jobs (but it's not as if these choices prepare you particularly for this or that job, because training is, above all, general).

In a nutshell, the choices made during the Master's programme (Major, thesis subject, etc.) do not in any way condition future opportunities; they do not close any doors!

There are 2 versions of the Master's degree 60 ECTS in Management (day):

  • The "Classic" Master's 60 ECTS in Management: https://uclouvain.be/en-prog-gest2m1

    • for holders of a graduate degree in other subjects than Management (ex: law, psycology, HR, engineering, ...)

    • there may be additional prerequisite courses (see here)

  • The "Advanced" Master's 60 ECTS in Management: available online soon

    • for holders of a Bachelor's degree in economics and management

Complementary training to another Master's degree

  • The Master's 60 mainly targets students who have previously obtained a Master's degree other than management (ManaMa "Master na Master"). It thus adds management skills to the curriculum vitae of graduates such as engineers, psychologists, lawyers, journalists, physiotherapists, economists, etc. The Master's 120 is mainly aimed at students for whom management is the basic training.

An introduction to management

  • The Master's 60 offers an introduction to management by offering a basic course in each management field (finance, marketing, logistics, IT, human resources and strategy), without the possibility of deepening in one of them, whereas the Master's 120 offers a complete and advanced course in management, after 3 years of the bachelor's degree in management with the possibility of selecting a deepening major of 6 courses (about 20 majors are offered, e.g. corporate finance, digital marketing, ...).

A more varied audience

  • The Master's 60 aims at students with more varied trainings (and nationalities) than the Master's 120, which requires to be open-minded through group projects where students from various backgrounds collaborate.

Strengthened job prospects

  • Without this being a generality, it appears that the professional prospects targeted by these students remain in their basic field (engineer, lawyer, ...) and that this diploma gives them a relative advantage over other candidates in the eyes of potential employers. In other cases, this training has enabled graduates to reorient themselves towards the field of management. And like the Master's 120, students benefit from job search assistance before the end of their studies.

When the motivations of Master 60 (ManaMa) students remain in their basic degree, the opportunities are greatly improved by holding this additional degree, as it is an indicator of additional openness and motivation. As a result, certain degree combinations offer unique profiles that are highly valued by employers. For example :

  • psychology + management will be highly appreciated in a human resources management department,

  • psychology + management will be highly appreciated in a human resources management department,

  • engineer + management will be sought in consultancy,

  • lawyer + management will be valued in a corporate legal department,

  • ...

When the candidate is moving towards pure management, many employers appreciate the solidity of the training provided by this dual degree, even without a specific area of management being studied in greater depth. In any case, as this degree gives students a wider choice of professional opportunities, it also gives them the chance to select a job they like.

More info on https://uclouvain.be/en-prog-gest2m-lgest202a:

  • The research focus of the Master's in Management differs from the professional focus by its RESEARCH orientation: it is a programme offering a specialisation in research, i.e. both on the theoretical and empirical foundations of management and on the carrying out of studies and research.

  • This training focuses on:

    • The acquisition of fundamental, in-depth and critical knowledge of theories in the field of management and the ability to use this knowledge when facing a concrete problem;

    • Mastery of research methodologies, data collection and analysis systems and scientific communication.

  • Courses content:

    • Theoretical courses oriented towards the discussion of different theoretical frameworks in management and their critical analysis;

    • Introductory courses in research techniques (how to choose a topic, a research method, how to collect data, how to present results);

    • Research seminars in various fields of management;

    • The completion of a research paper. Through their paper, students must demonstrate their ability to raise an issue; their expertise in their field; a good understanding of the research process; their ability to summarize, as well as their critical and creative spirit.

  • What types of internship:

    • Internship in a research center (in Belgium or abroad), for instance within a UCLouvain research team or abroad in a foreign university;

    • Also in the research departments of companies; in a public research centre or in a consultancy firm such as McKinsey, BCG, ... where the "research" dimension is valued.

Access conditions (all conditions must be met):

  • Complete the Bachelor's degree in Economics and management or in Law in maximum 3 years;

  • Follow the Minor in the other field;

  • Complete the Bachelor's degree with honors (average of 68%).

Programme :

This Double Master's lasts 3 years and will differ according to the student's first field (economics/management or Law). Additional courses are added to the programme (25 ECTS for bachelor students from ECGE).

  • For students with a Bachelor's degree in economics/management: https://uclouvain.be/en-prog-gest2m-lgest357r

    • The first year is a "classical" GEST year including the professional focus (30 ECTS), the Philippe de Woot CSR Major (30 ECTS) and 10 ECTS of additional courses in Law (total: 70 ECTS);

    • The second year includes an internship (10 ECTS), the first Master's thesis (20 ECTS), courses in Law ("option in Law-management", 30 ECTS) and 10 ECTS of additional courses (please note that there is no exchange abroad) (total: 70 ECTS)

    • The third and last year is fully organized by the Law faculty and includes the professional focus in company law (30 ECTS), an option to choose (15 ECTS), core study courses (25 ECTS, including the second Master's thesis) and 5 ECTS of additional courses (total: 75 ECTS)

  • For students with a Bachelor's degree in Law: https://uclouvain.be/en-prog-gest2m-lgest358r

INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMMES

NO, if you have the chance to do 2 semesters abroad (+/- 10 students/year), they have to be in 2 different schools.

  • CEMS : yes, there is a mandatory internship during the first year Term 2 part 2 (12 weeks, Belgium or abroad depending on your exchange semester(s) and your nationality)

  • DD : no, there is no internship included in the DD programmes (except with AMU)  but you can add one if it works with your schedule at LSM and the partner school.

  • IB : yes, there is a mandatory internship of minimum 6 months outside Europe during the second year, Term 2

NO, you need to hold a complete Bachelor's degree to enter these three programmes.