European Studies

You can study this programme in 3 or 4 Years.

Application deadline: 1 May 2018

European Studies is a unique, interdisciplinary programme that prepares global citizens for international careers in a variety of fields in both the public sector – government agencies and institutions, international governmental organisations and non-profits – and the private sector – businesses of all sizes. Rather than preparing students for a single, specific career, European Studies equips students with the skills they need to adapt to a dynamic labour market where now, more than ever, it’s true that “it’s not the strongest who survive, but those most adaptable to change.” So, if you know you’d like to pursue an international career, but you haven’t picked out a specific path yet, European Studies will help you find it.

About our Programme

There are two versions of the European Studies programme: a 4-year version and an accelerated, 3-year fast track version for students with an advanced diploma like an Abitur or the International/European Baccalaureate. Both cover the same knowledge and skills and result in the same diploma, a Bachelor of Arts in European Studies, but the fast-track is more intensive and requires more self-study.

Students follow an interdisciplinary core curriculum, introduced in the first year, and have the opportunity to customise their career development from the second year onwards.

Core Curriculum

At European Studies, we offer a core curriculum of knowledge and skills. Students immerse themselves in Europe’s political, cultural and economic frameworks and learn the ins and outs of managing the agencies, institutions, organisations and businesses operating within them. They also sharpen their research and critical thinking skills, which are more important than ever in the 21st century, and practice professional communications skills, including writing, presenting, proposing and negotiating. Along the way, students develop their foreign language skills and their intercultural competences, the tools they need to adjust to new environments and to work with anyone, anywhere.

Customising Your Career Path

Beyond the core curriculum, European Studies challenges students to carve out their own career path by customising their studies. After a foundation year, students choose a specialisation for the public or private sector. They also get to choose extra languages, as well as electives and minors to build up expertise in their own fields of interest and if they choose to go on exchange, they have an even greater variety to choose from.

Students are also given free choice when it comes time to enter the professional world for a 5-month internship at an international organisation or company, and they are free to choose what type of final project they would like to do before graduation.

International Experience

One of our top priorities at European Studies is to give all of our students a truly international education, through our award-winning internationalised curriculum to our multi-cultural classrooms to our popular exchange programme, which allows students a chance to spend 5 months studying at one of over 100 partner universities all over the world. This experience, combined with the development of your intercultural competence – your ability to work and communicate across cultural boundaries – will give you an edge on the rapidly globalising labour market.

Foreign Languages

All European Studies students study foreign languages, in order to make their CVs stand out on the labour market. You will follow one language for the duration of your studies and can choose between French, Spanish and German. You can also opt to add an additional language into the mix starting in Year 2 (Year 1 for the 3-year programme) and you can choose French, German, Spanish, Italian or Russian. Please note that you cannot follow a language of which you are a native speaker.

Studying European Studies

Because of the diverse nature of the student body at European Studies, we use diverse teaching and assessment methods to accommodate different learning styles and to offer cutting-edge content. Knowledge courses are taught with a combination of lectures for big groups and seminars, where small groups discuss the material in more detail, while skills are taught in small, practical workshops. Assessment is done with a mix of multiple choice exams, open questions, reports, essays, projects and presentations, many of which are designed to practice real world skills in a professional context.

Students are placed in classes of no more than 25 people and given personal supervision by members of staff who take the time to get to know them in order to provide personalised coaching.

Studying in English

European Studies is taught entirely in English and you will need a good command of English, but you are not expected to speak perfect English at the start of your studies. Throughout our programme we offer courses to help you polish your English and bring it up to a professional standard.

Some students may require an English proficiency exam in order to enrol at European Studies. The Hague University of Applied Sciences accepts TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), TOEIC, IELTS (International English Language Testing System) or Cambridge ESOL (CAE/CPE).

Students holding a diploma (including English as an exam subject) stated on this diploma list, do not need to take an English proficiency test, nor do students who were educated in the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Ireland, United States, Canada (except for Quebec!), Australia, New-Zealand, South Africa or Malta.

Studying in The Hague

Known as the International City of Peace and Justice and home to over 160 international organisations and companies, The Hague is a top destination for increasing numbers of international students, complete with vibrant nightlife, shopping and entertainment. Our university is just a short tram ride away from Scheveningen’s beaches and just a short walk from trains to Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Brussels and Paris.

Studying at our International Campus at The Hague University of Applied Sciences

The Hague University of Applied Sciences is home to around 24,000 students, spread out across over 40 bachelor programmes, 11 of which are international and offered in English. There are over 150 nationalities represented among staff and students, so it’s not uncommon to year two or three different languages spoken in the elevator at the same time. Our main campus is located downtown, next to a major train station, and offers state-of-the-art facilities, including computer labs and an Innovation Playground.

Graduating from European Studies

All European Studies students must complete a professional internship in order to graduate. This involves working for 5 months at an international organisation, institution or company. Because of the interdisciplinary nature of the programme, there are many possibilities and students are even encouraged to find their own placement, provided that it meets certain criteria.

Students also need to complete a major research project before graduating, so that they leave school with a professional piece of work that they can show to employers. This is another area where we allow students to make their own choices. They can write a theoretical, academic ‘dissertation,’ or they can carry out applied research on behalf of an employer to produce a marketing plan, export plan or policy paper, to demonstrate their skills.

Career Options

Because European Studies combines the disciplines of public administration with business management and adds international professional skills and foreign languages, students have a wide range of career options, but most graduates go on to a wide range of jobs in the following fields:

• Management of an organisation
• Marketing
• Communications & Public Relations
• Policy Advice

They work for non-profit organisations, private businesses of all shapes and sizes and political institutions at the local, national and European level, where they help run the organisation, help the organisation reach its customers, represent the organisation or advise the organisation on its policy decisions. Here are some of the most common job titles:

• Account Manager
• Ambassador’s Assistant
• Business Development Analyst
• Compliance Officer
• Consular Officer
• Corporate Communications Officer
• Event Planner
• Marketing Coordinator
• Online Marketeer
• Operations Analyst
• Parliamentary Assistant
• Policy Officer
• Political Advisor
• Public Relations Officer
• Recruitment Officer
• Sales Manager
• Social Media Analyst
• Social Media Coordinator
• Social Media Marketing Officer

Master

Roughly half of all European Studies graduates go on to pursue a master’s degree before entering the workforce. Our Bachelor of Arts is accepted internationally but some Dutch universities may require a pre-master programme first. Because of the interdisciplinary nature of the programme, students choose a wide variety of master’s programmes, but here are some common choices:

• Crisis and Security Management
• European (Union) Studies
• Intercultural Communication
• International Business
• International Development Studies
• International Journalism
• International Marketing
• International Public Management
• International Relations
• Marketing Management
• Master’s in Business Administration (MBA)
• Political Science
• Public Administration
• Peace and Conflict Studies
• Russian and Eurasian Studies

Testimonial

Lena Cordes – Graduate of 2017
"When I first started looking into potential study programs, I realized that I had a broad range of interests that seemed to be fairly difficult to combine: Business, Languages and Politics. A friend of mine had an older sister who just started a European Studies degree and told me that European Studies might just be what I have been looking for. I also knew that I wanted to study abroad, as I wanted to study in English and because I felt like German Universities would, for my liking, be too theoretical in their approach. As I informed myself about European Studies I found out about THUAS and fell in love with the curriculum and the possibility to join a fast-track 3-year program. Additionally, I loved the idea that a semester abroad and a practice semester were already included, while organizing these things is normally quite a hassle in Germany and often requires you to study for seven semesters instead of 6. I graduated this summer and couldn’t be happier with the choice I made. THUAS is such an international institution, my classmates came from various backgrounds and I know have friends from South Africa to Italy, to Slovakia. I went on exchange to South Korea and did my internship in Spain, all while simultaneously completing my degree in one of the most fascinating studies."

More Information about the 3- and 4-year programme:
3-Year Bachelor of Arts
4-Year Bachelor of Arts

Contact

The Hague University of Applied Sciences (De Haagse Hogeschool)
Johanna Westerdijkplein 75
2521 EN The Hague
The Netherlands

Dave van Ginhoven
phone: +31 70 445 8711
mail: d.vanginhoven@hhs.nl
Web: www.thehagueuniversity.com

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