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most people come for the tulips you come for an international experience life and study www.studyinholland.nl

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contents welcome to holland why study in holland the dutch education system scholarships practical matters checklist after your studies where to find more information 2 8 12 15 22 27 30 36

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facts figures about holland geography surface area 41,528 square kilometres one quarter of which is below sea level distance north to south 300 kilometres distance east to west 170 kilometres lowest point 6.76 metres below sea level near rotterdam highest point 323 metres near maastricht climate moderate maritime climate government official name kingdom of the netherlands commonly referred to as holland or the netherlands form of government constitutional monarchy with a bicameral parliament head of state the hereditary monarch of orange nassau head of government the prime minister capital city amsterdam seat of government the hague population total population 16,592,206 march 2010 holland is the third most densely populated country in the world ethnic composition of the current population 19.9 are of recent foreign descent religion 52 identify themselves as christian 40 claim no affiliation 8 belong to other religions national language dutch frisian is spoken as a second language by some 400,000 people living in the northern province of friesland

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welcome to holland the dutch combine history and traditional culture with innovation modernism and an international orientation they have taken to the high-tech world with ease but are equally happy going for a quiet stroll along the beach holland or the netherlands the netherlands is a kingdom its official name is the kingdom of the netherlands it consists of the netherlands itself and the six islands of aruba and the netherlands antilles in the caribbean sea the country s name in dutch is nederland meaning `low country and referring to the fact that much of the land is at or below sea level the netherlands is often called `holland a name that is derived from the names of the two western coastal provinces north and south holland that were the most developed and wealthiest parts of the country in the seventeenth century and played a dominant role in the country s history of the country these barely infringe on the broad unbroken expanse of sky that is so characteristic of the dutch landscape moreover there is water everywhere in the form of lakes rivers and canals holland s relatively small area of slightly over 41,000 square kilometres is home to over 16 million people society dutch society is home to more than 190 different nationalities living in its many cities and villages for decades the country s historical ties with other parts of the world have brought people of non-dutch origin to settle in holland which makes the dutch generally open-minded and tolerant towards foreigners this cultural diversity has made holland a place where knowledge ideas and cultures from all over the world come together although dutch is the national language the majority of the population also speaks english and very often another foreign language such as german or french geography holland is situated in the west of europe and borders germany to the east belgium to the south and the north sea to the north and west what strikes people most when they first arrive in holland is the landscape the country is extremely flat while there are some hilly areas in the southeast corner 2 life and study

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mentality the netherlands is a `self-service country the dutch try to manage most things themselves which makes them very independent and organized another distinctive characteristic of the dutch is their openness and direct manner of acting and speaking you will notice that you can say exactly what is on your mind as the dutch are not easily offended dutch society is organized in a non-hierarchical way for example teachers tend to be very accessible and true interlocutors for their students you will be on familiar terms with most people in almost no time during the second half of the twentieth century you will have plenty of opportunities to practice your own religion if you wish ask the student affairs office at your host institution to help you locate places of worship student life higher education institutions are spread throughout the country only some of them have central campuses however and the buildings of a single university might even be scattered throughout a city nevertheless universities do have a real student culture each institution has a network of associations that bring students together for academic public safety activities sports and recreation all of these holland is a safe country by international associations are run by students and some of standards with low levels of violence and them are internationally oriented students street crime the police are friendly and also have their favourite pubs restaurants helpful they have a duty to and other meeting places protect everyone and you generally speaking the can always feel confident dutch higher education did you know that approaching them for help community seeks to be should you need to contact part of society and is not `the netherlands and them don t worry about isolated from it `holland are both language difficulties as the culture leisure police speak english or will used to describe the holland is more varied find someone free of than you might expect charge who speaks your same country there is plenty to see language in the event of a whether you re strolling life-threatening emergency through town making a or crime you can contact boat trip on the canals or lakes lazing on the the police fire brigade or ambulance by beach or walking in the woods and dunes dialling 112 from any phone free of charge there is no shortage of entertainment either religion major international stars regularly play at holland has a huge religious diversity you dutch stadiums and other venues parkpop in will find churches mosques synagogues and the hague in june is one of the largest free hindu buddhist and sikh places of worship pop festivals in europe musicals and theatre of all the religions in holland christianity performances are also very popular with over has the longest tradition with the first 1,000 museums there is a lot to discover christian missionaries arriving about 1600 and don t be surprised to see people dressed years ago a sizeable part of the population in orange and partying in the street on describes itself as non-religious however and queen s day or when the national football dutch churches lost much of their influence team is playing an important match life and study 3

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dutch society is home to over 190 different nationalities living in its many cities and villages dutch cuisine the dutch do not have a tradition of fine cooking and hot meals are generally limited to one a day traditionally in the evening a typical breakfast consists of sliced bread with cheese sliced cold meat and/or jam most people have sandwiches for lunch with the addition of perhaps soup a salad or fruit for the evening meal potatoes and vegetables are accompanied by a serving of meat or fish this traditional diet is also the most economical in recent years however dutch tastes have become more international and refined you will find a large variety of products pasta dishes rice curry in the regular supermarkets and many restaurants offer a wide range of international dishes consider buying a discount card for the train it really is worth the investment holland has a dense railway network that offers frequent service and is the quickest way to travel between city centres the bicycle is the cheapest and easiest way to get around especially if you live in a city most dutch people regardless of their profession or status own a bicycle buy a second-hand bike rather than a new one to save money but also be sure to buy at least one strong lock travel once you have arrived in holland you will discover that many european capitals are within easy reach berlin brussels and paris can be easily reached by train and a short flight from amsterdam schiphol airport will take you to london madrid or rome dutch institutions make an ideal starting point for study tours and exchanges to other european countries getting around holland is a small country you do not really need a car to get around public transport will take you almost anywhere you want to go 4 life and study

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business from fashion and architecture to music and the dutch economy is open and new media the sector is filled with talent internationally oriented for centuries politics international trade has been a key element of the kingdom of the netherlands is a the dutch economic system located in the constitutional monarchy with a bicameral delta where several major european rivers parliament and universal suffrage based on a flow into the north sea holland was ideally system of proportional representation this situated to become a centre of trade and system gives a large number of parties the transport for all of western europe the opportunity to win seats in seventeenth century is parliament such that no known as the golden age of single party has an overall dutch history when dutch did you know that majority the monarchy ships carried 90 of all symbolizes national unity goods coming into europe the dutch are and therefore has a more statistically the ceremonial character the today international trade political preferences of the is still the main engine of tallest people in dutch people are much the economic growth in same as is found in the rest holland in fact holland the world of europe the three main is the sixteenth largest moderate political economy in the world tendencies are represented and one of the ten leading by the social democrats the christian exporting nations holland s most important democrats and the liberal parties the smaller trading partners are its neighbours germany parties are generally less moderate variations belgium the uk and france of one of the three main lines service industry agricultural products and the creative sector the dutch economy is particularly strong in the service industry the agricultural products sector and the creative sector in recent years the dutch economy has made a shift from a production-based to a service-oriented economy nowadays over 80 of dutch economic activity is service-based holland is also one of the world s three largest exporters of agricultural produce one-fifth of all dutch exports fall within the food products and flower sector the flower sector owes its strong position to the country s climate the availability of high-tech production methods and the proximity of 500 million consumers across europe in recent years dutch design has become an international phenomenon learn more about holland and the dutch www.nuffic.nl/living-in-holland www.minbuza.nl/en www.dutchdailynews.com www.dutchnews.nl www.holland.com www.rnw.nl/english www.xpat.nl life and study 5

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before arriving in netherlands i was afraid that maybe i would not find people with the same interests because of the difference in culture and that it would be difficult to make friends but all the people that came to study here were really open and from the very first day at university you make friends one must-know tip for new students is to not miss the introduction week this week is really important for building your social network and getting to know lots of people with whom you ll have a lot of fun during your entire study period after arriving in holland the university helped me integrate in the culture and madalina postelnicu romania saxion university of applied sciences deventer bachelor s in tourism and leisure management 6 life and study

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society the first thing i did after my arrival was discover the city i was planning to live in for the coming years what surprised me most about holland and the dutch people is their hospitality i was impressed that no matter where you go there are always people willing to help and support you after one year of living in holland i can say that i know enough dutch to make myself understood in the supermarket and cafés i am not able yet to speak fluent dutch but since all dutch people will speak english to you it is not necessary to know it as regards education the biggest shock for me was the relationship between students and teachers in holland in my culture the teachers are situated up very high but in holland they are almost like one of the students they even have casual chats with us just to ask how we are doing so far i haven t found anything that i don t like about the way of teaching and i hope that it will stay like this what surprised me most about the dutch is their hospitality life and study 7

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why study in holland holland was the first non-english speaking country to offer courses taught in english dutch higher education institutions offer a large number of international study programmes and courses this makes holland the frontrunner in continental europe great variety in international study programmes the international study programmes and courses cover a broad range of fields curricula are intensive and practice-oriented they are taught at an advanced level and are designed to meet the expectations of students seeking specialized knowledge courses alternate theory with practice in real or simulated work situations most programmes and courses lead to a bachelor s master s or phd degree a diploma or certificate international study environment for a small country like holland an international orientation ­ extending into education and training ­ is a must to be a successful competitor in our increasingly internationalized world the dutch education system is interactive and focuses on teamwork which makes it easy to meet other international students studying in holland means developing an open mind and increasing your international orientation excellent education and research the dutch system of higher education enjoys a worldwide reputation for high quality this quality is achieved through a national system of regulation and quality assurance the times higher education supplement even ranks eleven research universities in holland among the top 200 in the world the dutch way of teaching respect for each individual s opinions and convictions is a national virtue that gives strength to the fabric of holland s diverse and plural society this is the foundation of the teaching method used at dutch education institutions the teaching style can be described as interactive and student-centred providing students with both the attention and freedom they need to develop their own opinions and creativity in applying new knowledge 8 life and study

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a dominant feature of higher education in holland is the problem-based learning system which trains students to analyse and solve practical problems independently through an emphasis on self-study and self-discipline all programmes place a significant emphasis on writing papers working in groups to analyse and solve specific problems acquiring practical work experience through internships and conducting laboratory experiments programmes also have a professional component and most graduates actually find work outside the research community the universities vary in size with enrolments ranging from 6,000 to 30,000 altogether they enrol some 230,000 students for more information visit the website of the association of universities in the netherlands www.vsnu.nl universities of applied sciences programmes offered by universities of applied sciences hogescholen focus on the practical application of knowledge acquiring practical work experience through internships is an integral part of professional study programmes holland has 41 governmentfunded universities of applied sciences the largest of these enrol 25,000 to 40,000 students altogether some 400,000 students are enrolled in professional programmes for more information visit the website of the netherlands association of universities of applied sciences www.hbo-raad.nl dutch higher education system holland has two main types of higher education research universities focus on independent research-oriented work in an academic or professional setting while universities of applied sciences focus on the applied arts and sciences preparing students for specific professions a third smaller branch of higher education is provided by institutes for international education which offer programmes did you know that designed especially for international students you most dutch people can find an overview of all speak at least one research universities universities of applied foreign language sciences and institutes for international education on www.internationalstudy.nl institutes for international education research universities there are fourteen government-funded research universities in holland three of these specialize in engineering one in agriculture and there is one open university these institutions train students in academic study and research although many study holland has been offering another form of higher education for more than 50 years referred to as `international education ie international education offers advanced training courses taught in english originally designed for people from developing countries whose jobs require highly specialized knowledge there are five large ie institutes and a number of smaller ones all of which focus on courses relevant to developing countries life and study 9

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for more information visit the website of the platform for international education www.pieonline.nl study options holland offers a large variety of study programmes in different disciplines degree programmes short courses summer courses training modules and so on whatever type of student you are chances are that you will find the programme that matches your preference and situation you can find an overview of the study options on www.studyinholland.nl for international education will require one two or sometimes even three years 60-180 ects to complete degrees in engineering agriculture and mathematics and the natural sciences always require 120 ects graduates from a research oriented master obtain a master of arts or master of science ma/msc degree a master s degree awarded in the applied arts and sciences results in a degree indicating the field of study for example master of architecture m arch phd doctoral degrees phd are offered by research main degrees universities and require four years to bachelor complete the aim of doing a phd is to completion of a bachelor s programme at a complete a dissertation based on original research university requires three years of research only the research universities can full-time study 180 ects while bachelor s award phd degrees however since other programmes at universities research institutes generally of applied sciences require work in close collaboration four years of full-time study with these universities they did you know that 240 ects upon can also provide research completion of a bachelor s positions to phd candidates in 2009 there programme at a research were over 76,000 university you will receive in addition to the standard a bachelor of arts or a phd degree the three international students bachelor of science ba/bsc universities of technology degree depending on the also offer design and in holland discipline a bachelor s technological design degree programme offered programmes in a number by universities of applied of engineering fields these sciences will result in a bachelor s degree consist of advanced study and a personal indicating the field of study for example design assignment technological design bachelor of engineering b eng programmes require two years of study to a bachelor s degree gives you an excellent complete graduates obtain the degree of basis for your future career if you wish you professional doctorate in engineering can continue with a master s programme pdeng once you have a bachelor s degree the site www.euraxess.nl provides all sorts of master practical information useful for researchers depending on the discipline master s including phd candidates coming to programmes offered by research universities holland universities of applied sciences and institutes 10 life and study

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the dutch teaching style can be described as interactive and student-centred admission requirements international students wishing to apply for a programme at a higher education institution should first contact the institution offering the programme the main requirement for admission to a bachelor s programme is a secondary school diploma at the appropriate level international students must have a diploma corresponding to a certain level as well as good grades in relevant subjects applicants to a master s programme must have at least a bachelor s degree or its equivalent in certain popular fields the number of places is limited and quotas are set it is essential that international students are able to speak read and write english well students must have passed an english language test ielts and toefl are commonly accepted but institutions may accept other tests as well for the toefl the required scores are at least 550 paper-based 213 computerbased or 80 internet-based for the ielts a score of at least 6 is required for more information visit www.studyinholland.nl diploma evaluation when you apply for a study programme in holland your host institution may want to have your diploma compared to the dutch education system to see if you meet all the admission requirements recognized higher education institutions can send your diplomas to nuffic to be evaluated free of charge nuffic has a number of in-house experts who are specialized in the education systems of specific countries where possible a foreign diploma is compared to a dutch diploma if this is not possible because your prior study programme is unique a comparable level is indicated in addition individual courses or modules that were taken the study load and the academic level of theprogramme are taken into account you can find more information on diploma evaluations on www.nuffic.nl/diploma-evaluation life and study 11

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the dutch education system research universities doctorate phd most master s degrees offered by research universities require completion of 60-90 credits those in engineering mathematics natural sciences and agriculture require 120 credits in pharmacy dentistry medicine and veterinary medicine 180 credits some research universities offer 2-year professional doctorate programmes in engineering pdeng most master s degrees offered by universities of applied sciences require completion of between 60 and 120 credits programmes in architecture urban planning and landscape architecture require completion of 240 credits indicates a right to access a solid arrow indicates that some form of selection or a dotted arrow bridging requirement may be applied professional doctorate in engineering pdeng medicine veterinary med pharmacy [180 credits dentistry [120 credits ma/msc [120 credits ma/msc [60 90 credits universities of applied sciences master s degree [120 credits master s degree [60 90 credits ba/bsc [180 credits bachelor s degree [240 credits associate s degree [240 credits senior secondary vocational education and training mbo 1-4 years 1-4 years level 4 3 4 years level 3 2 4 years level 2 2 3 years level 1 0,5-1 year higher secondary university preparatory education vwo 6 years senior general secondary education havo 5 years preparatory vocational secondary education vmbo 1-4 years primary primary education 7/8 years 12 life and study

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accreditation and quality control higher education in holland enjoys a worldwide reputation for high quality this quality is achieved through a national system of regulation and quality assurance the ministry of education culture and science www.rijksoverheid.nl/ministeries/ocw is responsible for legislation pertaining to education for more information visit the website of quality assurance in dutch higher education www.qa-in.nl responsibility for accreditation has been allocated to the netherlands-flemish accreditation organisation or nvao www.nvao.net students are awarded recognized degrees only after completing an accredited degree programme accredited programmes are listed in the central register of higher education programmes croho responsibility of individual universities and cannot be accredited by the nvao institutions may also offer bachelor s master s or other programmes that have not been accredited by the nvao but by a body in another country in these cases the degree may be recognized in that country but not necessarily in holland an example would be a master s programme offered by a dutch university of applied sciences that has been validated by an accredited british university that awards the degree quality control of specialized courses a specialized course does not lead to a degree but to a certificate or diploma as these courses do not lead to a bachelor s or master s degree they cannot be submitted for accreditation by the nvao the fact that a specialized course has not been accredited does not mean that it does not meet quality criteria the quality of specialized courses that are part of an accredited master s programme is assured through the accreditation of the main programme the quality of other types of specialized courses is the responsibility of the institutions themselves accreditation of degree programmes degree programmes lead to associate s bachelor s master s or phd degrees the system of accreditation in higher education aims to guarantee that study did you know that code of conduct programmes meet the holland is the on 4 december 2009 the highest standards dutch revised version of the code law the higher education world s 7th largest of conduct with respect to and research act requires international students in that all degree programmes exporting nation dutch higher education offered by research came into effect this code universities and of conduct lays down universities of applied standards for dutch higher sciences are evaluated against a specific set of criteria bachelor s and education institutions in dealing with international students by signing the code master s programmes that meet these criteria of conduct the institutions are offering are accredited by the nvao i.e officially international students a guarantee of the recognized phd programmes are the life and study 13

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