Masters in Business Analytics & AI

Our Masters in Business Analytics and AI is developed in collaboration with top AI and business experts — including ML6 (Google’s machine learning partner), Imec, Johnson & Johnson, KBC, Allianz, and more. The programme consists of the following:

Design of the programme:

 Dual Essentials pathways

Choose (at least) one of the following depending on your previous study background:

• Data Science Essentials: if you are new to programming. Learn Python programming and data science fundamentals, accelerated with genAI support.
• Business Essentials: if you are new to business. Acquire core business knowledge in finance and operations to contextualise analytics skills.

Data & Analytics Strategy

• Gain a strategic perspective on creating business value with data analytics & AI
• Collaborate with business executives to identify analytics & AI opportunities

Analytics & AI for Business

• Build a data platform with cloud technologies and visualise business insights with Business Intelligence tools
• Create business value with machine learning and optimisation algorithms
• Leverage discriminative and generative AI technologies to create image/audio recognition systems, self-driving prototypes, chatbots or AI agents

Business Management with AI

• Apply technical skills to real-world business challenges shared by managers from various domains
• Explore AI applications in finance, operations, marketing, and HR
• Build trustworthy and sustainable AI practices

Electives

• Personalise your journey through three electives covering a wide range of business topics in strategy, entrepreneurship, innovation, leadership, sales, and many more. Or opt for the Quantitative Finance track to deepen your Finance knowledge.

Hackathon

• Apply all your knowledge and skills acquired over the year in a hackathon-style challenge, where you need to deliver and pitch an end-to-end solution

AI Study Tour

• Immerse yourself in a study tour to Amsterdam with company visits to Google, Bol.com, ABN AMRO, Celonis, Mindvalley, Plug & Play, Capgemini, and more

Quantitative Finance track (optional)

Combine courses in the field of Finance and graduate with a specialisation in Quantitative Finance (21 ECTS)

• Financial Mathematics
• Bloomberg Market Concepts
• Combine 3 electives in the Quantitative Finance field
• Choose 1 bootcamp in Quantitative Finance
• In-company project at the intersection of finance, data and/or AI

Career enhancement opportunities (optional)

• Career Acceleration Track

By following our optional programme, you can opt for our Career Acceleration Track, where you can add an internship of up to six months, allowing you to gain relevant industry experience and stand out from the competition.

• Double Degree

If you’re looking for extra international experience, you can opt for one of our two double degree programmes. You can either choose a Double Degree with the Darla Moore School of Business (USA) or opt for a Double Degree with the Hong Kong School of Science and Business (Hong Kong).

Get a full overview of all the different courses here

Action Learning: From theory to practice

At Vlerick, you don’t just learn, you put knowledge into action. Tackle real-world challenges, apply what you learn, and build the experience that matters.   

• Learn from faculty with extensive business experience, bringing real-world insights into highly interactive and pragmatic classes
• Engage in business simulations that sharpen your analytical and decision-making skills
• Tackle real-life cases and challenges shared by managers from diverse industries
• Participate in a full-scale hackathon to design and pitch innovative, data-driven solutions
• Gain insights through company visits, seeing first-hand how analytics and AI are applied in business
• In-company project: Over two months, you’ll apply everything you’ve learned to a real business challenge of your choice through in a consultancy project for a company or a scoial-profig organisation

Personal development: from student to business leader

Beyond hard skills, you will develop the mindset, confidence and skills to grow, lead and shape your career.  

• My Vlerick Development Portfolio: Built on your strengths, address weaknesses, and take ownership of your growth path
• Management Skills: Three days dedicated to responsible leadership and digital-age management skills
• Presentation & Communication Skills: Transform complex data into actionable insights and compelling stories
• Decision-Driven Analytics: Connect business decisions with the right AI tools
• Career Coaching: Align personal goals with global job market opportunities
• Networking Opportunities: Build meaningful connections with peers, alumni, and industry leaders

Exchange opportunities

At the beginning of the academic year, you can apply for an international exchange at one of our exchange partner business schools, including Bocconi University (Milan, Italy), ESMT Berlin (Berlin, Germany), emlyon business school (Lyon, France), ESSEC (Paris/Cergy, France) Frankfurt School of Finance and Management (Frankfurt, Germany), Nova School of Business and Economics (Lisbon, Portugal), Polimi Graduate School of Management (Milan, Italy), Skema Business School (Paris or Sophia Antipolis, France).

Practical information

The programme runs full-time from early September to the end of June, totalling 60 ECTS credits. Classes take place from 9am to 5:30pm and combine interactive lectures with hands-on business cases, company visits, hackathons, and in-company projects, giving you practical experience throughout the year.

• Lead AI-powered transformation: Develop the strategic, leadership and change-management skills to turn AI opportunities into business impact
• Understand how business creates value with data and AI: Build broad business knowledge, tackle real-world cases and specialise through electives, including Quantitative Finance.
• Build practical AI skills: Gain hands-on experience with GenAI, data analytics and AI through real-world applications, consultancy projects and an AI study tour to Amsterdam visiting AI-driven companies such as Google, ABN AMRO, and Capgemini. In a hackathon experience, you'll be able to test your skills in a high-energy, team-based environment, solving complex, real business problems 
• Make better decisions with data and AI: Connect business needs with technical possibilities and turn data and AI into meaningful business decisions. Learn from a curriculum developed with ML6 (Google’s machine learning partner), imec, Johnson & Johnson, KBC and Allianz—organisations at the forefront of data and AI innovation.
• Accelerate your career: Build your network through company visits, a 2-month in-company project and alumni connections, benefit from career coaching, and join the Strategy Consulting Club to prepare for top-tier consulting roles.
• Gain international exposure: Enhance your learning journey by going on a short-term exchange throughout your programme at one of our partner business schools or expand your global perspective even further by earning a double degree with the Darla Moore School of Business (USA) or the Hong Kong School of Science and Business (Hong Kong)

Curious to find out what life at Vlerick is really like? Discover what it’s like to study in Belgium and get practical information on how to organise your stay. 

Want to know what our Masters students are up to? Check out the Masters stories page.

 Career services

We offer individual career support, helping you to identify your strengths, reflect on your career ambitions and make a plan for where you want to go. You’ll also have access to our job board and opportunities to connect with top employers.

Find out more about our career services 

Career paths

With the Masters in AI & Analytics (MAI), you’ll gain the tools, projects, and industry connections that prepare you for careers in consulting, strategy, analytics, and data science.

Take a look at some examples of career paths pursued by our Masters in Business Analytics & AI graduates:

• Digital/AI Solutions Consultant: Advise businesses on leveraging technology, data, and AI for better decision-making. Assess needs, design AI strategies, and implement solutions.
• Business Analyst, Data Strategist & Data Translator: Bridge the gap between business stakeholders and technical team by identifying business needs and design solutions that meet the business objectives.
• Management Traineeship or Graduate Programme: Launch yourself into leadership by rotating, learning and leading across company departments. Through this type of full-time paid position, you’ll gain practical experience, tailored training and mentoring from day one.
• Functional Data Analyst: A data-savvy role in one of the functional areas of an organisation, such as a demand planner, digital marketer, CRM specialist, people analyst, financial modeller, etc. 
• Data Scientist, AI engineer: Identify and develop relevant and innovative business solutions by leveraging machine learning, optimisation algorithms, advanced AI and prompt engineering.

Here are some examples of companies where our Masters in Business Analytics & AI graduates work:

Designed to welcome ambitious graduates from any background, our Masters in Business Analytics & AI turns your curiosity and analytical mindset into high-value business impact. 

Whether you come from business, economics, engineering, or any other field, the programme bridges your unique starting point with hands-on AI fluency, strategic management, and real-world problem-solving through our dual pathways. If you have the drive to learn and the ambition to lead in a data-driven world, this programme is built for you.

Are you:

• A recent graduate with strong savviness for analytics?
• Are you a graduate looking to apply AI to your field?
• Looking to gain practical AI skills to empower businesses?
• Driven to shape and lead change in the future of business?
• Eager to deepen your expertise in finance through a dedicated Finance track?

Then you’re a perfect fit for the Masters in Business Analytics and AI at Vlerick. A background in the analytics field is not mandatory. You’ll join an incredibly diverse group of students who all share a passion for technology – and an analytical mindset. 

Educational background

Across all Masters, we currently welcome over 35 nationalities:

Start date: 1 September 2027 
Duration: 10 months (from September until June)
Location: Brussels
Application deadline non-EU citizens: 30 April 2027

The tuition fee for the Masters in Business Analytics & AI is €21.500.

This includes:

• Amsterdam AI-study tour (programme and accommodation)
• One year of full online access to the Financial Times and The New York Times

The fee does not include the cost of travelling abroad for the study tour, visa costs, living expenses or costs related to any optional modules abroad that you take as part of your programme.

Financing your Masters

Joining a Vlerick programme can be a significant financial investment. But there are many financing options available to help towards your tuition fees – and we’re here to help you explore what types of support you might be eligible for. We process applications for our Masters programmes on a rolling basis as of October, for the September intake. If you want to be considered for one of our full scholarships, make sure to submit your scholarship application together with your programme application before February.

Academic Excellence Scholarships

Academic Merit Scholarship

• Purpose: Reward students with an excellent academic track record
• Requirements:
  • Belgian degrees: Study results equal to great or greatest distinction at Bachelor’s level.
  • Non-Belgian degrees: Study results within the top 20% of the class at Bachelor’s level.
  • Outstanding GMAT/GMAT Focus (> 700/> 655) or GRE (> 164 quantitative and > 163 verbal) scores.
• Scholarship: Up to 50% of the tuition fee.

Diversity & Equality Scholarships

Women in Analytics

• Purpose: Encourage women to enter fields in which they are underrepresented.
• Requirements: Outstanding academic record, leadership potential, and passion for specific fields.
• Scholarship: Up to 50% of the tuition fee.

Equal Opportunity Scholarship: 

• Purpose: Encourage social diversity and individual commitment.
• Requirements: Represent diversity (e.g., minority group, underprivileged community) or actively promote diversity and inclusion by engaging in long-term initiatives that have a clear social impact.
• Scholarship: Up to 50% of the tuition fee, with a chance to receive one full scholarship sponsored by the Jan Toye Fund. Applicants who fit the criteria will be automatically considered for this full scholarship.

European Talent Scholarship: 

• Purpose: This scholarship specifically aims to promote educational mobility within Europe and to strengthen cultural diversity among our student population.
• Requirements: For students with citizenship in an EEA country (outside of Belgium) or in Switzerland
• Scholarship: This is an automatic scholarship amounting to 4000€ and is combinable with other scholarships. To be considered, candidates must tick the consent box in the application form and submit it before 30 April 2027.

Need-based Scholarships

Financial need scholarship: 

• Purpose: Support students with financial need.
• Requirements:
  • A realistic financial plan.
  • Proof of financial need (e.g. previous scholarships or grants).
  • This scholarship can be combined with any other scholarships
• Scholarship: Amount and allocation decided on a case-by-case basis. Full scholarships sponsored by MGM alumni, and 3D Investors. Applicants who fit the criteria will be automatically considered for this full scholarship.

If you're planning to apply for a scholarship, make sure you apply early and submit your scholarship applications alongside your application file. Please check the application form for full conditions.

Loans

You could also consider getting a loan to cover your programme fees.

• Regular loans: A loan from your bank could cover your tuition fees – get in touch with them for more information.
• Lendwise loans: Lendwise provides loans to international students at the world’s top business schools. Lendwise loans cover your living expenses and up to 100% of your tuition fees minus your course deposit (which must be paid by you), less any scholarship you may be awarded. Click here to learn more.
• Boost your Vlerick journey with Lendorse: Lendorse offers German students at Vlerick Business School between €3,000 and €20,000 to cover tuition and/or living costs. In return, you commit to repaying a fixed share of your future income. Learn more

Paying in instalments

You can choose to pay your tuition fees in four separate instalments in October, November, January and March.

If you want to pay by instalments, you need to sign a contract and pay an admin fee of €250. 

There are four steps to applying for a Masters programme at Vlerick: 

1. Check your eligibility 

What you need: 

• Candidates studying in Belgium need a Masters degree from a recognised institution  
• Candidates from outside Belgium can apply with a Masters degree or a 3 to 4-year Bachelors degree from a recognised institution (there may be additional requirements too)

Our Masters programmes are designed for young graduates, with an average age of 23 and little to no professional experience. If you have questions about your eligibility, please contact our admissions team. 

2. Submit your application 

We process applications on a rolling basis from October for the 2027-28 September intake. If you need a visa to study in Belgium, we expect your application by 30 April at the latest.

Complete your personal details and upload all necessary documents to our application tool. If you don’t need a visa to study in Belgium, you have until June to apply. However, we advise early application as we allocate places on a first-come, first-served basis. 

3. Take your admissions test 

There are two elements in your admissions test:  

1. Online test: We accept our own in-house analytical test (i.e. numerical reasoning and abstract reasoning test), GMAT (minimum 555) or GRE (157 verbal and 158 quantitative). 
2. Interview:  We will look at your motivation, academic background and understanding of business analytics and artificial intelligence. Show us clear goals, curiosity for management, and awareness of business news. This interview takes place online and lasts about 30 minutes.

Want to prepare for your admissions test? Discover our tips and tricks.   

4. Register for the programme 

We’ll let you know within a week of your interview whether you’ve been admitted. You can request feedback on your application, whatever the outcome. Once you’ve been admitted, you can go ahead and register.

Discover what it’s like to study in Belgium as well as practical information on how to organise your stay.