Global Consulting Program Location: Belgium

Located in the northwest of Belgium, this picturesque medieval city has amazing architecture, sparkling canals and excellent gastronomy. Students participating in OHIO's Global Consulting Program (GCP) may spend their free time kayaking the Moat of Gravensteen, Ghent’s medieval castle of the counts, visiting historical sites, or strolling through cobblestone alleys to the many restaurants and boutiques. OHIO's partner, Vlerick Business School (opens in a new window), is the #1 ranked provider of executive education in the Benelux.

Program Dates

May 10 – May 24, 2025

Travel to Belgium will require participants to depart the U.S. 1-2 days prior to program's start date to ensure they arrive on time. Participants should allow for at least one full travel day when returning to the U.S.

Note: Program dates may be adjusted slightly. Students will book flights when instructed to do so by program directors. 

Academics

Students participating the in OHIO's GCP will complete 9 credits of undergraduate course work: 

• BA 2290 Cultural Explorations through Global Consulting (3 OHIO credits) is taken the semester before travel
• BA 4920 International Business Experience (6 OHIO credits) is earned during travel, and includes:
  • College of Business internship credit
  • Two OHIO Bricks requirements: Experiential Learning and Cultural Perspectives

Program Information

• Partner University: Vlerick Business School (opens in a new window)
• Site Directors: Dr. Adam Rapp, Kristin Hepworth and Greg Scott

Highlights and Excursions

Students will have the opportunity to participate in day and weekend excursions to the Gravesteen Castle (opens in a new window), Belfry of Bruges (opens in a new window), Sint-Baafs Cathedral (opens in a new window), Bruges, Brussels, Celtic Towers (opens in a new window), watch a KAA Gent (opens in a new window) football/soccer match, spend 2 hours with Vlerick students and faculty, and visit Saint Nicholas Church (opens in a new window). "Excursions" may vary from year to year.)

Living Arrangements

Hotel accommodations are paid for by the program general fee and arranged after registration.

Eligibility and Requirements 

• Open to all OHIO Athens Campus Undergraduate Students.
• Admission to this program is selective and based on a multitude of factors including but not limited to GPA, interview, class rank, Cluster experience.
• All participants are required to pay a non-refundable deposit of $500 (to be credited to student’s program fees) as part of the acceptance process. 
• Students who will be on probation at any point during the travel portion of program for a conduct offense that took place less than a calendar year from the program start date are ineligible for the GCP.   

Read Entire Conduct Policy  

Cost  

If you are nominated to this program, you will be required to pay a deposit to confirm your participation or sign a waiver. The deposit is a down payment on the total costs to be billed by OHIO and is determined by the total cost of the program. 

Non-resident surcharge is offset for the credit hours associated with the travel portion of the program. 

Student Budget Worksheet [PDF] (opens in a new window)

Funding Opportunities

Scholarships awarded by CIBED are contingent upon participation in the GCP, applied to the student account the semester of travel and cannot be used as the program deposit or transferred to another program. Students who have accepted a position on the GCP will receive an application for scholarship consideration. There is no guarantee that a student accepted into the GCP will receive a scholarship.

Students may also apply for additional scholarships offered at OHIO:

• The Office of Global Opportunities
• The Office of Experiential Learning