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Ever wondered how IKEA managed to become the largest and most popular furniture retailer in the world? Well, it might have had something to do with the fact they let groups of users share their experience of the products and create sustainable furniture to suit their needs.

Co-creation has become a reality for every professional designer. And it’s second nature to our IDE students at The Hague University of Applied Sciences (THUAS). Anyone can come up with a ground-breaking idea. But IDE teaches you to funnel your creativity by collaborating with all stakeholders, taking ethics and other cultures into account and making a positive impact with the launch of your project. 

You could design a solution for cleaning plastic waste from the city canals based on nature’s principles (biomimicry). You could design and engineer a sun visor or windshield wiper for the car of the future. Or you could create a lighting solution that is sustainable and helps students and young professionals keep a healthy daily rhythm.
 
The first semester at IDE provides you with the Basics of IDE: the methods, knowledge and skills that you apply immediately in your first design project for an external client. The next three semesters you can choose from the different semesters on offer. All IDE semesters are integrated projects for real clients supported by training in skills and methods. Your fifth semester is for the minor space; you can choose a minor at THUAS or elsewhere, do an internship or go on exchange. In the final semester you’ll put your skills to the test in in individual innovation project for a client. 

Admission requirements

You have a Dutch diploma

 

Preliminary education  Required profile
Havo (senior general secondary education) Does not qualify for admission 
Vwo (pre-university education)
  • Economics & Society 
  • Nature & Health 
  • Nature & Technology 
Mbo (senior secondary vocational education and training) Does not qualify for admission 
You have a non-Dutch diploma

To enrol for the IDE 3 year programme you will need a secondary school diploma comparable to a Dutch VWO diploma and a good command of English. 

Also, you need to have passed your exam in mathematics. 

Before we can decide on your eligibility, we’ll need to assess your secondary school certificate. 

To make sure your certificate is evaluated fairly, we work with NUFFIC, an organisation that specialises in the assessment of international education qualifications. 

Language requirements 

If you were not educated in the Netherlands you usually have to submit a language test to be admitted. Depending on the type and country of your diploma you may however qualify for exemption. Please check our entry requirements page for more information. 

Don’t meet the entry requirements?

Perhaps your academic background is not quite the right level. Or you need some help improving your English skills. Don’t worry. There might be some alternative options to help you get in, and prepare yourself for a successful start of your studies at The Hague University of Applied Sciences (THUAS). 

Admissions Test 21+ 
If you’re 21 years old before 1 September 2022, but don’t have a diploma or a qualification that meets the entry requirements, you can take the 21+ Admissions Test. The 21+ Admissions Test is offered at several dates between January and the start of the academic year, and consists of a digital general capacity test. Please note that you can only participate if you have an EEA-nationality or residence permit for the Netherlands that is valid on the test date. 
 
English Academic Preparation Programme 
Need help with your English? If you haven’t quite reached the right level of English for your chosen Bachelor’s or Master’s degree programme, you can enrol for English Academic Preparation Programme. After the successful completion of this programme, you’ll be ready to start your degree at THUAS and you will already have a good taste of studying and living in the Hague. 
  
  The Hague Pathway College 
If you’d like to apply for a 3-year bachelor programme but don’t meet the academic entry requirements, you might be interested in joining The Hague Pathway College. This foundation programme has two intakes, one in September and one in January. It offers you the chance to bring your academic level up to the required level and work on your English at an academic level at the same time.Please check www.thehaguepathway.nl for more information. 

Decisions regarding your qualification for admission

There are no exceptions to the official admission requirements. The Enrolment Office is the only party that can make decisions regarding your qualification for admission based on official regulations. You can’t rely on any other sources of information for your qualification for admission. 

Study choice activities

Join one of our study choice activities to find out if THUAS is the right fit for you.

groep studenten in atrium

Open Day

Friday 5 April 2024

Go to Open Day

Open Day

Friday 5 April 2024

Is THUAS right for you? A visit to an Open Day is the perfect way to find out.

Go to Open Day
Groepje studenten zit buiten bij elkaar

Shadow a student

On request

Go to Shadow a student

Shadow a student

On request

This is not a custom programme, but a regular school day. Spend the day attending classes together with a student. 

Go to Shadow a student

Degree programme in figures

60

credits per year

24

hours of lectures per week

16

hours of independent study per week

45%

of the curriculum are projects

Programme content

What will you study each year?

Year 1
Year 2
Year 3

Career perspective

What you might become

  • Innovation manager 

  • Product designer 

  • Industrial designer 

  • Multimedia designer 

  • Service Designer 

  • Design thinking advisor 

  • Smart interior designer 

  • Open source designer 

  • User researcher 

     

  • Entrepreneur 

What you won’t become

  • Software developer

  • Mechanical Engineer

  • Graphic Designer

  • Architect

     

Continue studying

If you’re academically inclined, you may want to follow a masters after graduating from IDE.  From September 2023 THUAS offers the Master Next level Engineering that can complement IDE. Several universities in the Netherlands offer interesting and fitting masters. You should note that some universities in the Netherlands, e.g. TUDelft,  require you to follow a pre-masters course after graduating from THUAS. At others you can get in right away based on your diploma and portfolio and/or motivation. You can take a masters in design after graduation just about anywhere else in the world where a bachelor of science is accepted. 

Practical information

What else do you need to know?

How to apply

Your enrolment request must be submitted through Studielink. Before you do, please check the official name of the programme below. Would you like to find out more about the application process first? Check our page How to apply . The key deadlines are listed here as well. This degree programme starts in September and there is no intake in February. 

Tuition fee

You will have to pay tuition fees when you enrol on a bachelor's programme. You can pay in one or more instalments. If you pay in more than one instalment a small administration fee is charged. 

More information about tuition fees 

Scholarships 

Find out more about scholarships for international students. Please note that these scholarships are one-off scholarships only, meaning that if you obtain them it is only for your first year of study. 

Student finance 

Dutch students qualify for extra financial support via a loan. Dutch students automatically qualify for this financial assistance and international students may be eligible if they have lived in the Netherlands for at least five years or are employed for at least 56 hours per month. 

Additional Costs 

You must also budget for books, excursions and field trips. You can expect to pay approximately €800 per year to cover these additional costs. During your semester abroad, you will also need to pay for tickets, housing and insurance. 

Visa and residence permit 

More information about the visas and residence permits. 

Help in choosing your study

We would like to help you make the right decision 

It takes a bit of thought and research to find the right programme. The Hague University of Applied Sciences organizes various activities throughout the year to give you the best possible idea of the various studies offered. You also learn what it’s like to study at THUAS. This way, you can click on the registration button without a doubt in mind. Or you’ll know for certain it’s not right for you.   

Walk in at our Study & Career Centre for…  

Assistance during your studies

Study coaching and advice 

We do everything we can to make your time on IDE run smoothly. You’ll have the support of an academic career coach, who’ll guide you as you choose semester options and develop your design portfolio and professional profile. If you’re experiencing any study problems, your coach will help you develop effective learning strategies. They can help you improve your time management skills, or find the right person to answer more complicated questions. They’ll also support you if you have any personal problems that may affect your schoolwork. For more information about student counsellors/student psychologists, high-performance sports, Dutch language support or studying with a functional disability, go to our page about support during your studies. 

Official details of the programme

This degree programme is registered in the Central Register of Higher Education Programmes (CROHO) as follows:  

Official Dutch name of degree programme: Industrieel Product Ontwerpen 
Official international name: Industrial Design Engineering 
Programme code (Isat): 34389  
Institution code (Brin): 27UM  

Both the official Dutch and the official international name of the degree programme (current at the time of your graduation) will be printed on your diploma. 
 
For more information on the accreditation of this degree programme, see the website for the Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders (NVAO)

Downloads
Binding Study Advice (BSA)

To continue your degree programme after the first year, you need to earn 50 of the 60 credits (EC or Credits). In some cases, the degree programme may also require that you pass a specific subject as pEuropean art of the credit requirements. We call this a qualitative requirement. If you meet the credit requirements as well as the qualitative requirement where applicable, you will receive a positive binding study advice (BSA) from the Examination Board at the end of your first year and you will be able to continue your degree programme. 

If you earn less than 50 credits or don’t meet the qualitative requirements where applicable, you will receive a negative binding study advice and will have to leave the degree programme. This is why this advice is called a Negative Binding Study Advice (NBSA).  

Your academic progress may be affected by personal circumstances such as illness or the professional practice of a sport. It is important that you inform the Examination Board immediately of any personal circumstances that might apply to you. The Board can take these into account when issuing its study advice. 

Read all the rules for the binding study advice in Chapter 7 of the Programme and Examination Regulations (PER) for your degree programme.