Testimonials

“I will remember my experience as a student of Economic Diplomacy at the Brussels Diplomatic Academy as one of the most formative of my life. I was looking for a post-graduate program that would bring an added value to my CV, and I wanted it to be located right at the heart of Europe and tailored to its students. Being an international student, I needed to make many adjustments to come to Brussels, and therefore I have been very selective in the choice.

From my first meeting with the team, I knew there wouldn’t have been any room for disappointment. The BDA is really dedicated to its students and really listens to their needs, helping them throughout all their journey from tentative possible candidates to graduates – and even afterwards, as the alumni get the benefits of attending interesting lectures and events. You will get help on administrative procedures, you will be able to attend in-house and external events and your doubts or enquires, should you have any, will not only be listened to, but will also obtain rapid follow-up action – and I say this as a student representative for my course, meaning that I had more questions than the average person!

You will also be equipped with all the necessary tools (slides, books and such).

The choice of classes is very broad, and, however unusual that may look at first sight, it is an asset indeed, as it provides students with the capacity of understanding both the needs of private and public institutions. This is a quality that makes your profile stand out and brings an interesting (and quite rare) differentiation to your resume. I can confidently say this as a young professional who got a full-time contract in a Belgian leading company after completing there the academic internship provided by BDA.

Obviously, your personal skills and competences are key to your development… but BDA helps you nourish them with dedicated workshops taught by professionals. I can confidently say that I am not the person that I was as I started, as my teachers put me in the mix and improved the practical faults that I had.

Another important asset are the other students: they come from every background and from an incredibly ample variety of countries. I had just finished a LLM in law, others studied Languages, Political Sciences, Economics and more and that was the strength of the group: the classes were high level but specifically meant to suit every previous education. I can say that I have learned as much from my colleagues as from the professors.

So, if you are thinking about making a valuable choice for a solid future in Diplomacy and International Trade: look you no further than the BDA!”

“The postgraduate program in economic diplomacy and international business gave me the unique experience of taking part in a program that explored the intersect between global business and international diplomacy.

One of the best qualities of the programs is the commitment that the BDA devotes to the students. By maintaining small groups, each student can create a closer connection with both educators and BDA staff who offer their time, effort and network to help you to grow. I got the sense of being viewed by educators as not only a student but an up-and-coming professional. The setting of the BDA classes also fosters the students to think of themselves as professionals as there is a strong focus on practical issues related to business and diplomacy. By continuously solving problems using the framework, you are prepared for managing your working life after graduation.

I think there is only so much that education can do in determining the long-term success of one’s professional life; most is up to the individual. However, at the BDA they make sure that you have a strong understanding of the world that you are stepping into. For instance, I could not count how many times I have been saved from making a faux pas thanks to the course provided in diplomatic protocol, or how useful it is being forced to review your shortcomings in public speaking once you have to make real speeches and need to be on point. By learning directly from professionals, you get a sense of what the standard is, and I know that I grew a lot from the experience of studying at the BDA.

Through the program, I learned many skills that I use daily in my current position as Secretary-General at the Swedish-Portuguese Chamber of Commerce in Lisbon and I firmly believe that the program will be to the benefit of anyone wishing to pursue a career within the realm of economic diplomacy.”

“The International Trade and Investment Program allowed me to deepen my existing skills, and to gain targeted theoretical as well as practical knowledge in this exciting branch.

I am proud to share that the postgraduate has been a most valuable experience that I would definitely recommend to every student. Outstanding teaching by professionals in the field provided me with skills directly applicable to my career. Intensive classes with people coming from all over the world to study at the Brussels Diplomatic Academy gave me the opportunity to make enriching connections.

The program really aims at preparing its students for professional life. The inspiring lectures, the numerous case studies, the various seminars and workshops, the networking events contributed to make me feel confident to start in any position related to foreign trade and investment.

Studying at the BDA was a great chance, and I cannot stress how pleased I am of having taken advantage of it.”

“Studying at the BDA has been an enriching experience. I have a business and communications background and have always been drawn to the fields of Diplomacy and International Relations. 

 I wanted to pursue a course that married my business experience with diplomatic studies and the post-graduate in economic diplomacy was the perfect fit, satisfyingly rounding up my academic parcours. 

Coming from an island nation where diplomacy yet alone economic diplomacy is in its infant stage of development, finding this course was more than satisfying.

The range of business, law and diplomacy-based courses were a balanced blend and has given me a better understanding as to how valuable and necessary skills in diplomacy are to ensure the economic betterment of my country.

The high calibre, experienced lecturers combined with the small group teaching method, has been for me irreproachable! Our lecturers ranged from industry experts to lawyers and have real-life experiences to share with us, which is priceless in a world where experience means everything.”

“The International Trade & Investment programme offered me a new career opportunity where other Master’s lacked the flexibility to do so. After finishing my language studies I ran into quite a wall moving forward, being limited to either proceeding with various forms of translation or retraining with an additional study in communication. The Brussels Diplomatic Academy, as a part of the VUB, was the only institute to offer the level of flexibility where I was encouraged to move into the International Trade & Investment programme with a language background, instead of disheartened or turned down because of it.

Due to the intense nature of the course, and hard work, I quickly caught up with the in’s and out’s of International Trade, and coming from a non-economic study became an advantage, being able to offer different insights and working together with postgraduate students originating from a large variety of backgrounds.

All in all, the International Trade & Investment programme offered me the chance to move into a field I’m really passionate about despite my previous choice of study, where other institutes/programmes didn’t.”