European Studies - English - 3 years
European Studies doesn’t prepare its idealistically minded students for one specific career. Instead, it gives them the tools to excel in an international playing field. You will learn about management and marketing, international culture, communication, applied research and above all critical thinking. But you will also get the opportunity to master at least one foreign language. The group projects you will complete in the first two years will develop your organisational skills and test your ability to advise real companies and organisations on their international strategy and policies. A mandatory exchange for Dutch students, a five-month internationally orientated internship and a thesis will conclude the European Studies programme. And will end your development as a professional, able to operate in a global workplace.
Contact the study
For questions about European Studies, feel free to visit our Facebook page where questions are answered 365 days a year. You can also contact the programme directly.
For questions about admission requirements, enrolment or related matters, contact the Central Enrolment Office: csi@hhs.nl.
Structure of European Studies - English - 3 years
Lectures
20hours per week
Self-study
20hours per week
Projects
10hours per week
Study credits
60in year one
Year 1
The first year is the foundation (propaedeutic) year
In year one, you will be introduced to three ways of looking at Europe: from a political, business and cultural perspective. Insightful courses include: The Cultural and Business Dimensions of Europe, Modern Foreign Languages and IGOs & NGOs: World Citizenship at Work. During this first year, ES students will explore their employment options by zooming in on businesses, institutions and non-profit organisations in Europe’s public and private sector. Eventually, you will be able to choose a specialisation in one sector for the remainder of your studies. Already worried that this variety in courses will make your career choice all the more difficult? Luckily, we came prepared. We also offer a career development trajectory in the first year. Nowadays, professionals switch careers seven or eight times in their lives. And why not? After all, it’s the years of experience you acquire in an international working environment that influences your perception of ‘the dream job’.
Timetable
Year 2
Delve deeper
The second part of European Studies is all about putting your critical thoughts into practice. Year two revolves around the question of what your added value would be for employers. These include small, large and multinational companies, governments and non-profit organisations. Starting in the second year, students specialise in the public or private sector, either following courses in practical politics or export and business strategy. At the same time, they continue to explore the interaction between the public and private sectors with courses like Strategic Planning, and further develop their knowledge of Europe with European Public Policy. You will learn, for instance, that the refugee crisis is not all about Geert Wilders, complex EU diplomacy and counter-terrorism. ES also asks you to consider the many young Syrians who may actually provide part of a solution to the problem of an ageing workforce.
Once you have figured out how you would tackle today’s burning economic and political questions, the second semester will follow up with an extensive group project. In this project, students carry out an external research for real companies. Last year, for instance, five groups pitched a social media campaign to a British council, with the aim of improving the health awareness of elderly people. In year two all Dutch students are expected to go on an exchange. In addition to attending our acclaimed international classroom, we want all our students to have had the experience of adjusting to an unfamiliar international environment. After all, it’s quite likely that you will actually have to do so after landing your first job. But ‘expect’ can sound a little daunting. Don’t worry, you won’t have to do all the legwork to arrange such an exchange yourself. At THUAS we have a large network with 100 partner universities in Latin America, Japan, Korea, the US, the UK, Turkey, Indonesia, South Africa and Australia. So we will definitely be able to help out.
Year 3
Internship and graduation
Ah yes: year three, the year in which students get to write the ‘dreaded’ thesis. Well, that might be the case if you are writing a 30,000-word literary masterpiece on a subject you don’t particularly find interesting. But at ES, you will get a choice. You can write a theoretical dissertation, for example, and students who want to kick-start a career in the public sector or continue with a Master after graduation usually do so. Alternatively, you can do an applied research for an external assignment provider, such as the organisation where you do your internship. Last year, an ES student wrote an export plan for a manufacturer of allergy-free baby products, advising her host company how to gain a foothold in the Mexican market. Another young lady analysed what European governments should do with Muslim boys and girls who have second thoughts about joining ISIS and want to return to their country of origin. All interesting stuff, but ultimately, how you approach your thesis depends on your interests, as well as your specialisation in the second and third years.
We have a network of respected professionals working at international companies, NGOs and European tribunals. In addition to frequently visiting European Studies as guest lecturers they also regularly provide internships. This is why we can offer our students high-end internships at the Canadian Embassy, Shell, BMW or the International War Crimes tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, to name but a few.
Minors
Shape your degree
Not a single ES student enters the workforce without some form of specialisation. This is what minors are all about: giving your ES degree an edge. The list of minoring options at European Studies is endless. You might want to sharpen your linguistic skills with courses like Italian Studies, Spanish or Mandarin, for example, or see what the international art world has to offer. Or you could approach European Studies from a more philosophical standpoint. How have our historical roots defined how we deal with international problems today? How do political ideologies take shape? You could even put your knowledge of the private and public sectors to good use by becoming a journalist. You will learn to question the conduct of those very organisations you will be dealing with after graduating European Studies.
Working methods
Lectures, seminars, study visits, self-study, group activities and project work
Many people might say European Studies sounds very theoretical. True, it is. But with THUAS’ ES programme you won’t learn theory for its own sake. At ES, all theoretical courses have a practical component and all of them are directly linked to your projects, placement and final paper. It means you won’t just learn about general marketing theories, as is the case with most universities. After graduation from ES you will know how to write a marketing plan, draw up a budget for it and then pitch it to real Ecuadorian businesses in Spanish. This interdisciplinary approach certainly requires a lot of commitment from our students. Luckily, we have lots of activities in and out of the classroom to nourish your enthusiasm. From regular guest lectures by business leaders to debates, panel discussions and company visits, as well as an important excursion to Brussels during the first year.
Assistance during your studies
Study coaching and advice
We assume your time at ES will run smoothly. But, if you are experiencing any study problems, we offer personal assistance. A coach can help you keep track of your study progress and further guide your career development. He or she can help you improve your time-management skills for example, or find the right people within the programme to answer more complicated questions. He or she will also support you if you have any personal problems that can adversely affect your schoolwork.
Collect ECTS
Binding Study Advice (BSA)
In the first year, you are expected to earn at least 50 of the 60 credits available. In some cases, as part of the 50 credits, you will need have passed a certain subject.
If you fulfil all requirements, the Examination Board will issue a positive study advice and you can continue with your degree programme. If you fail to meet these requirements, you will be issued a negative binding study advice and will be required to leave the degree programme.
The Examination Board may take personal circumstances into consideration, such as illness or participation in professional sports. This will be considered on a case-by-case basis. The study advice may be deferred, possibly with certain conditions attached that must be fulfilled during the following academic year.
You are personally responsible for your academic progress, so make sure to contact your academic career coach early on if things are not going well.