Affordable and clean energy

Major of Global Project and Change Management

Application deadline: 1 June

Only 80 students are accepted via a selection procedure. We work on a first come first served basis.

About Global Project and Change Management

Do you want to change the world and are you looking for an international challenge? Are sustainability, human rights, global health, social responsibility, the increasing divide between rich and poor, global warming, civil society and advocacy for minorities themes that you care about? Do you want to contribute personally and professionally to a better world? In our four-year English-taught programme we teach you how you can make a difference.

We combine theory and practice, project management, business and research with global issues. The programme consists of courses, real projects with companies from the first year onwards, an international internship and professional career counselling. In the end you'll know how to lead a project team and how to put innovative ideas into practice. You'll become a change maker, aware of your own strengths and ambitions, able to create sustainable value for society.

Here you find a video testimonial of Rebecca Verwijs and Elise Eichler.

Affordable and clean energy

‘To ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy’, is one of the United Nations’ sustainable development goals. These goals are a prominent part of our programme and each of them can be chosen as a specialization during one semester.

Energy is central to nearly every major challenge and opportunity the world is facing today. Be it for jobs, security, climate change, food production or increasing incomes, access to energy for all is essential. Focusing on universal access to energy, increased energy efficiency and increased use of renewable energy fuelled by new economic growth and job opportunities is crucial to creating more sustainable and inclusive communities and resilience in facing environmental issues like climate change.

Although a great deal of progress has been made in the past decade, the challenge facing us is still to increase access to clean fuel and technology and to step up progress made in integrating renewable energy into end-use applications in buildings, transport and industry. Public and private investments in energy also need to be increased and a greater focus is required on regulatory frameworks and innovative business models to transform the world’s energy systems.

In this semester, we will teach you how to make a difference. We will take you on a shared learning journey and put you to work on affordable and clean energy. You will be doing this together with students, lecturers, researchers, practising professionals, citizens and other stakeholders.

Honours programme

Global Project and Change Management is a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) offered by the Windesheim Honours College, the only honours college in the Netherlands.

Career prospects

After graduating, you can start your career for example as a:

• Project manager/advisor at international NGOs like Red Cross and Doctors without Borders
• Project manager in slave-free clothing or food industry
• Project manager for businesses aiming to introduce sustainable production
• Project manager/advisor with governments or political institutions
• Communication advisor on healthy lifestyles with an insurance company
• Project manager reducing food waste in cities or at large popular events
• Advisor with local developers to promote imperfect food rejected by large grocery stores
• Advisor improving communication on scientific results on Global Warming (IPCC)
• Advisor improving Corporate Sustainability like Coca Cola with Coca Cola Green
• Advisor on Corporate Social Responsibility with TOMS Shoes
• Social entrepreneur

Also, many students continue with a Master’s programme at one of the Dutch or other international universities, for example:

• United Nations University - Merit (Maastricht)
• Master of Organic Agriculture - Wageningen University
• Master of Cultural Policy, Relations and Diplomacy - Goldsmiths, University of London
• Master of Global Health - Copenhagen University

Programme overview

In the first two years you will learn everything about the basics to be a Project and Change Manager. In your last two years you have the opportunity to choose your own profile and develop your own learning path based on your own interest within our ‘Value Creator’, combined with an internship abroad.

Years 1 and 2
In year 1 and 2 you will complete five courses per semester. Most courses last fourteen weeks and in between you will take tests to see how you are performing. Some courses run for seven weeks. Tests can be written exams, an essay but also a presentation or a video blog. You will have classes every day of the week; one course a day so that you can focus and obtain depth. Each semester you will work in a small group on a larger project with a real-life client. Due to your schedule and the assignments, your study load is roughly 46 hours a week. At Windesheim Honours College we teach in an interactive style, expecting you to work together with a teacher instead of only listening to a lecture.

At the end of each semester (in January and in June) you will have the opportunity to work further on your personal development. At the end of your first semester you will engage in the ‘7 Habits for Highly Effective College Students’ training.

Some of our students struggle with the courses ‘Managerial Accounting’ and ‘Financial Analysis’. That is one of the reasons we offer the mathematics summer course, which we discuss with you during the interview selection. Due to the intensity of the programme we have extended Career Counselling to give you additional help and guidance in your own development.

Years 3 and 4
The last two years of our curriculum, are designed to allow the maximum flexibility in order for you to address your own individual interests and prepare you for the biggest challenges ahead. You have the opportunity to plan your semesters yourself. You will:

• further develop your project management skills in an interdisciplinary and (inter)national group internship: Managing Project in a Globalised World.
• join one of the Value Creators teams in one of the areas of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: poverty, hunger, health, education, gender equality, water and sanitation, clean energy, decent work and economich growth, innovation and infrastructure, reduced inequalities, sustainable cities, responsible consumption, climate action, life below water and on land, peace and justice and partnerships.
• follow an elective abroad at one of our partner universities.
  

It is up to you! You are the architect of your own learning journey.

International Internship and Capstone

In the last semester of our programme you will do an international internship of about 15 weeks. We want you to have an international experience, so we expect you to find an organization abroad or an internationally focused organization in the Netherlands. You are free to choose the organization and the topic of your research, however we have guidelines to ensure the organization will allow you to meet your learning objectives. Together with a coach at WHC and your own in-company mentor, you will carry out independent research, which forms the foundation for a professional product the client wants answers to. There are three internship orientations:

• Academic (an essay or case study)
• professional (e.g. a policy brief for a NGO)
• entrepreneurial (e.g. a business plan for a social enterprise)

The last two weeks before graduation you will be back at the College and meet with all your fellow students to prepare for graduation. You will demonstrate that you have achieved all competences set by WHC. Together with fellow students you will work on your own professional portfolio and organize a mini-symposium to defend your final.

Student Facilities

Windesheim is a vibrant place to learn. All over campus, there are areas for private study and for group work. You’ll find all the facilities you need to realize your potential. We have student counselling, a media centre, intranet packed with news and information, a Virtual Learning Environment, computer rooms, an audiovisual centre for borrowing laptops and AV equipment, a copy shop, a shop for office supplies, sweets and gifts. Our students are impressed by our great, state-of-the-art sports facilities on campus: we have gyms, fitness rooms, a dojo for karate and judo, indoor football halls, a heated swimming pool and a climbing wall.

You're always more than welcome in our restaurants and cafés. We don't provide free meals, but prices in our campus canteens are altogether reasonable. Moreover, we have a sports café and our own Grand Café with the highly appreciated Starbucks coffee. And in case you’re really going for the Dutch experience by riding a bike, we also have a bike repair shop on campus.

Windesheim provides housing for international students in a student residence close to campus and to the city centre, where you can live and study together. Besides, all new students start with an ‘Introduction week’ to learn about Windesheim, the facilities on campus and the city of Zwolle. A ‘Dutch language’ course is offered to all students, so they can learn about the language and typical habits of the Dutch.

About Windesheim

Windesheim is in the top three of broad-based Universities of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands; we are highly ranked by both students and experts. Students appreciate our personal approach, allowing them to work in small groups and making each talent count. At Windesheim you are not just a number. Our lecturers are coaches as well and they challenge students to reflect and think critically and get the best out of themselves. Windesheim is also renowned for its innovative and entrepreneurial approach. We work in close collaboration with businesses and institutions, so the knowledge we gain and share is of instant practical relevance. This method of working empowers the professional field around Windesheim and our graduates.

About Zwolle

Zwolle is a lively and welcoming medium-sized city only one hour’s drive from Amsterdam, with reasonable prices for living expenses. About 30,000 students study in Zwolle, at one of its four Universities of Applied Sciences. As well as a beautiful historic centre, the city has lots of parks (really nice for picnics!) plus atmospheric cafés and places to eat. Zwolle is also a great place to shop, with all the big chain stores and loads of independent boutiques. It's also a safe city: once you’ve learned how to ride a bike, it's easy to get around.

Student life in Zwolle is focused in and around the city centre, which is packed with attractive cafés and restaurants. Zwolle has lots of cultural activities too, including music and cultural festivals, theatre shows, movies and museums. Zwolle is also famous for its annual Liberation Festival (free access), the Rhythm & Blues Night and a wide variety of sports events. There are student clubs and societies for just about anything from rowing to socializing with other international students.

Contact

Register here  | To programme website