10 - Netherlands - Branches of study, specialisation
Fields of study
Bachelor-master system
The bachelor-master system was introduced in 2002. The distinction between higher professional
education and university education in terms of their respective goals remains. By now, all 4-year HBO
courses and a majority of university courses have been converted into bachelor’s and master’s degree
programmes. A bachelor’s programme at university takes three years and a master’s degree takes one
or two years. Within the HBO system, all bachelor’s degree courses take four years, and there are now
(2007) 130 accredited master’s degree programmes.
The introduction of the bachelor-master system and accreditation system is part of the move towards a
common open system of higher education in Europe. Students have a greater degree of choice and
can more easily attend a master’s degree programme at a different institution (in the Netherlands or
abroad) from the one where they obtained their bachelor’s degree.
Accreditation
The main task of an accreditation body is to accredit existing degree courses and assess new ones.
Internationally accepted criteria have to be used in order to ensure that Dutch degrees are comparable
to those awarded elsewhere. The Netherlands-Flanders Accreditation Organisation (NVAO) has been
monitoring the quality of bachelor’s and master’s programmes since 2003 on a 6-year cycle. NVAO
accreditation is not compulsory for master’s programmes that existed before 2003, though they may
apply for it on a voluntary basis.
Accreditation is an indispensable element of the bachelor-master system. This entails giving an official
stamp of approval to programmes of study that meet certain quality standards. Accreditation is an
independent form of certification based on an integrated assessment of the quality of an entire degree
course. Bachelor’s and master’s degrees may be awarded for accredited courses and students on
accredited programmes are eligible for financial assistance, subject to the terms of the Student
Finance Act.
Bachelor’s degree programmes
There are two types of bachelor’s degree course in the Netherlands: broad and narrow. Narrow
courses target a specific subject area. A broad bachelor’s degree is multidisciplinary (i.e. it contains
elements from several fields of study). Students choose a main subject (major) and a number of
optional subsidiary subjects (minors). There are no special regulations governing the major-minor
system. Some institutions offer both broad and narrow bachelor’s courses, but an increasing number
are opting for the broad variant.
Post-initial master’s degrees
The new master’s degree programmes (for example in Finance, Fine Arts, Health Administration, Real
Estate or Theology) do not follow on directly from a specific bachelor’s course. They are primarily
designed for people who already have an HBO or university bachelor’s degree and relevant work
experience. These programmes do not receive any government funding. However, students who have
not yet used up all the financial support to which they are entitled, can still make use of it, on condition
that the new course is accredited by the NVAO. In order to be admitted to a post-initial
master’s degree programme, applicants need not necessarily hold a bachelor's degree in a related
subject. Since the number of places is limited, candidates are individually selected. Post-initial master’s
degree programmes are offered by some universities as well as by HBO institutions.
Higher professional education
All existing first degree courses were given the status of bachelor’s degree programmes by law as of 1
September 2002. HBO master’s degree programmes are also recognised by law, providing they are
accredited by the NVAO, and HBO institutions can now develop their own master’s programmes for
accreditation by the NVAO. Master’s degrees may only be awarded for accredited courses.
The existing advanced courses will remain in their present form until they are
discontinued by royal decree and upgraded to master’s degree programmes. Many of them already
have master’s degree status.
A bachelor’s degree awarded by an HBO institution will qualify its holder for admission to a master’s
degree programme at either an HBO institution or a university. However, universities will usually
require holders of such degrees to complete a bridging programme. HBO institutions and universities
set their own intake requirements.
Government-funded higher professional education courses cover the following seven areas:
Education, Economics, Behaviour and Society, Language and Culture, Engineering and Technology,
Agriculture and the Natural Environment, and Health Care. Most HBO institutions offer courses in
several of these fields. There
are full-time and part-time courses and dual forms of training combining study and work experience.
Initial teacher training courses at HBO level are dealt with separately In.
University education
Most university courses have already switched to the bachelor-master system. This usually takes
places in two stages, resulting in differences within and between institutions.
Of the 14 universities, ten teach and carry out research in a broad range of disciplines spanning seven
sectors: Economics, Health, Behaviour and Society, Science, Law, Engineering and Technology, and
Language and Culture. Three – the
universities of technology in Delft (TUD), Eindhoven (TUE) and Twente (UT) – focus predominantly on
engineering and technology. The Agricultural University in Wageningen provides courses in agriculture
and the natural environment and comes under the Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality.
Besides the 14 universities, there are a number of approved institutions, including
six offering theological courses, one offering a degree course in humanism, and Nyenrode Business
University. There are both full-time and part-time courses, as well as dual courses combining learning
and working.
University students are entitled to complete their studies under the old system. Each university may set
a reasonable period within which they may do so.
University master’s degree courses
Master’s degree courses at Dutch universities are academic in character and last one or two years. As
a rule, students are eligible for a year’s financial support. However, two years’ financial assistance may
be granted at the Minister’s discretion, for instance for certain courses in science, technology and
education. It is expected that in future this arrangement will also apply to research programmes at
master’s degree level and to courses which have proven to take longer than one year to complete.
Master’s programmes vary in focus, and may prepare the student for:
a career in business or society
the teaching profession or
an academic career (for instance via a PhD).
Eurydice - the information network on education in Europe
Date: 2009
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