Universities of Applied Sciences

The study programmes offered by Universities of Applied Sciences ('hogescholen') focus on the practical application of knowledge. Courses include the acquisition of practical work experience through internships. This is an integral part of the professional study programmes. The country has 45 government-funded Universities of Applied Sciences. The largest enroll 20,000 to 39,000 students. Altogether some 365,000 students are enrolled on professional programmes. These Universities do not offer Doctorates, only Bachelors and Master’s degrees.

Institutes for International Education

These institutes have a 50 year history in the Netherlands. They offer advanced courses taught in English providing what they call an “international education.” There are 15 of these institutes, five of which are large in size. Only the large institutes offer PhD degrees. All offer MAs and MScs completed over 1 to 2 years. The smaller institutes focus on development based issues and work in small intercultural groups. They are taught by teachers with experience in developing countries.

Degrees

The higher degree structure in the Netherlands is similar to that in Australia. Masters’ degrees take 1 to 2 years to complete. PhDs take a minimum of 4 years, which is 1 year longer than is the minimum in Australia. PhDs
The Dutch are strict with regard to quality assurance in their degrees and all degree programmes offered must meet strict criteria regulated by the government. A flip side of this is that universities are not ranked against one another, rather students are encouraged to choose the university best suits their field or needs.

Teaching Style

The Dutch place great emphasis on student self-learning and a focus on problem solving. At the same time students are encouraged to develop both their own opinions and creativity in applying their knowledge. It might be said to be offshoot of the Dutch democratic ethos. Students are also expected to show self-discipline in pursuing their study, though course work also usually involves a large amount of working in groups as well as writing papers or conducting lab experiments.

Admission

There is no centralised admission system in the Netherlands for postgraduate study, you need to approach the particular institution you wish to attend. You can expect to be required to show that you have achieved equivalent qualifications to those required by Dutch students but the similarity of the Australian and Dutch systems means that a degree from an Australian university will have similar value in Holland.

Study in English

English is basically the second language of Holland and there are an extremely wide variety of courses and opportunities to study in the language. The Dutch claim they provide the most courses in English on the European mainland. There are currently over 1300 courses on the Nuffic database for study in English and it is also possible in many cases to gain approval from your university to submit your Doctoral thesis in English. However, you should check this before you enroll!