Mission statement
The primary missions of the Faculty of Economics and Business are education and research.
A FEB education aims to prepare students for successful entrepreneurial endeavours and careers in the corporate world, in national and international public policy-making, or in research. To achieve this the FEB offers high-quality, research-based degree programmes in the fields of both economics and business, and from Bachelor to PhD.
Secondly, the FEB wants to foster research with high academic and societal impact, and high visibility in the corporate world.
FEB’s ambition is to be a leading learning and research community in Europe and to excel in the different research subfields the School hosts, thereby deserving its high rank among the top of European schools of Economics and Business.
To achieve these twin primary objectives, FEB wants to develop a stimulating environment for staff and students, in which they feel free to develop their innovative, ethical and entrepreneurial expertise in education, research and business, whilst emphasising the role of economic policy and business in the greater society and keeping a global focus through international exchanges and cooperation.
RANKINGS & ACCREDITATIONS
THE and QS World University Rankings
KU Leuven is consistently ranked among the top-ten European universities in terms of scholarly output. The University is ranked 45th in the 2021 THE overall ranking, 66th in the THE business and economics ranking, and 84th in the QS World University Rankings 2021. On the latter’s Faculty ranking for Social Sciences and Management it is listed 65th (2020). The Faculty of Economics and Business holds top 51-100 positions in all subject-specific QS rankings (Accounting and Finance, Economics, Business and Management, etc.); in Statistics and operational research it is ranked 30th.
EQUIS
In 2017 the Faculty of Economics and Business achieved a 5-year renewal of the EQUIS accreditation after an extensive accreditation process. The accreditation places the faculty amongst an elite circle of accredited business schools and faculties. There are only 184 accredited business schools in 44 countries. EQUIS accreditation is awarded by the EFMD, recognized globally as an accreditation body of quality in management education with established accreditation services for business schools programmes, corporate universities and technology-enhanced learning programmes.
The Faculty of Economics and Business was able to deliver on the high standards set out by EQUIS. The faculty balances high academic quality with professional relevance provided by close interaction with the corporate world. It creates an effective learning environment which favors the development of students’ analytical, managerial and entrepreneurial skills and fosters their sense of global responsibility, thanks to a high degree of internationalization. Finally the faculty offers innovation in all respects, including research programmes, curriculum and course design and pedagogy. This resulted in the EQUIS stamp of approval.
Reuters
Reuters ranks KU Leuven as Europe's most innovative university for the 4th year in a row in the ranking of Europe's top 100 innovative universities. KU Leuven earned its first place, in part, by creating a high volume of influential inventions. Its researchers submit more patents than almost any other university in Europe, and outside researchers frequently cite KU Leuven inventions in their own patent applications. Those are key criteria in the Reuters ranking of Europe’s Most Innovative Universities, which was compiled in partnership with the Intellectual Property & Science division of Thomson Reuters. Furthermore, in the ranking of Reuters Top 100: World's Most Innovative Universities, KU Leuven holds the 7th position
NVAO
Between 2013 and 2015 the Faculty of Economics and Business achieved the NVAO accreditation (Dutch-Flemish Accreditation Organization) for all its bachelor’s and initial master’s degrees. With regard to teaching, the faculty ranked first in NVAO's assessment of the economics and business degrees of Flemish universities. In addition, the BSc and MSc in Environment, Health and Safety Management and the BSc and MSc in Business Engineering (Brussels Campus) have been awarded the Special Quality Characteristic of Sustainability, based on the two-star AISHE certificates these programmes received after an external audit by the Dutch organization Sustainable Higher Education (Duurzaam Hoger Onderwijs – DHO)
