European Studies stands out in internationalisation

During an ‘Assessment of Internationalisation’ seminar on December 15, the European Studies programme received a special certificate for Internationalisation from the Dutch-Flemish Accreditation Organisation (NVAO). The programme was also given a rating of ‘good.’ Amsterdam ’s University of Applied Sciences is the only the other school to earn this extra certificate.

Rajash Rawal lecturer at European Studies

Rajash Rawal, lecturer and team leader at European Studies is proud of the outcome. ‘We were evaluated on six points and the areas where we earned a score of “excellent” are the exact areas that are important to us and where we want to stand out.’ He is referring to the areas of “Teaching & Learning”, and “Students.” According to Rawal, ‘With us, you learn about internationalisation, you live internationalisation and you experience it completely. It’s that combination that sets the programme apart.’

What could be improved, in Rawal’s view, is internationalisation at a university-wide level. ‘You can’t establish a vision on your own,’ he says. ‘To develop joint degrees, double degrees, minors and masters, you need to work with other academies.’ He says that ‘we a broader approach in the school,” but also notes that “more is already being done.’

The accreditation of Universities and Universities of Applied Sciences by NVAO and the special certification are part of a pilot programme. It is an extra accreditation that goes beyond the evaluation of a study programme where Internationalisation is involved. Now, European Studies can even go a step further and compete for the ‘European Certificate.’ Rawal describes this as being ‘the Champions League of Internationalisation.’ We will find out in this summer if The Hague University is able to earn this special certification as well.

Source: H/Link

To find out more about the European Studies (ES) programme please visit this page