The Université Saint-Louis - Bruxelles, began life in 1858 as a Philosophy Department in the Institut Saint-Louis. This department was set up to offer courses that prepared prospective law students for the ‘candidature’ exam, a pre-requisite for law degrees at the time, and which were then based on the study of philosophy and literature. In 1929 Saint-Louis was reclassified as a university-level institution to enable it to award degrees in philosophy and literature. In 1948, the Philosophy Department became an ‘Association without lucrative purpose’ (asbl), adopting the title ‘Faculté universitaire Saint-Louis’.
At Saint-Louis we believe that no academic discipline is an island, which is why our courses and study are intellectually outward-looking, complementary and interdisciplinary. Our approach is designed to enable you to make a smooth transition from secondary to higher education. We will provide you with the basic training, and even a certain level of specialisation in your chosen field. At the same time, we will develop your faculty for critical reasoning; a faculty which is, by definition, the very hallmark of a university education.
Above all, our goal is to provide you with a thorough grounding in the basic academic skills (research, scholarly thinking, and critical reasoning), whatever your chosen discipline. By mastering such skills, you’ll be better equipped to understand the world around you, and make informed choices, in your life, as in your career.
In addition, Saint-Louis provides you with the tools you need to continue to learn after graduating, both independently and through your experience gained at work, and thereby to obtain the specific qualifications you require to pursue a career in the field of human sciences.
And last but not least, your education at Saint-Louis will also provide you with a solid preparation for the exercise of responsibility, whether in a professional or public capacity, or, simply, as a citizen.