Inholland among best universities of applied sciences in the Randstad region
Inholland University of Applied Sciences is one of the best universities of applied sciences in the Randstad region, the Keuzegids HBO 2019 (literally ‘Options Guide for Higher Professional Education’) reveals. Conservatorium Haarlem and the Business, IT & Management programme provided in Diemen were declared ‘Top Programme for 2019’. The latter is even the best within its category nationwide.
There has traditionally been a significant gap between the scores attained by universities of applied sciences within and beyond the Randstad region. This gap was evident this year once more, as the rankings in the Keuzegids show. With its small-scale degree programmes provided at seven sites, Inholland is among the Randstad’s top educational institutions. The Keuzegids praises the improvements made in the education: ‘There has been a tentative increase at Inholland since last year, which is continuing this year as well’.
‘We are on the right track’
‘We were also rated well by students in the National Student Survey earlier this year. Our ratings rose for the fourth year running. In this light, the great results in the Keuzegids serve to confirm that we’re on the right track. We would like to give due credit to our colleagues involved’, responds Inholland Chair Jet de Ranitz. ‘It is a great reward for the work that we are doing to improve the quality of our education, particularly for our up-close and personal approach. Although we’re a large university of applied sciences, our small-scale character is held in high regard by students. The guidance given is personal, as students and lecturers at our sites know one another by name.’
Conservatorium Haarlem high-quality
‘Your predecessors will thoroughly recommend Amsterdam, Groningen and Haarlem for general music education’, writes the Keuzegids. Conservatorium Haarlem is entitled to label itself a ‘top programme’ due to such factors as students being ‘happy with the examination methods’. Haarlem’s facilities are highly rated as well, resulting in a score of 79 points. The Keuzegids points out that while the enrolment process is fiercely competitive, admitted students are assured of a high quality standard.
Top programme in Diemen
Scoring 82 points, the Business IT & Management (BIM) degree programme secures a high place in the rankings for IT programmes in higher professional education. Students rate the programme’s content, examinations, lecturers, skills and facilities as excellent. ‘Diemen is miles ahead when it comes to Business IT & Management.’
‘Everything that we do is geared towards achieving our goal of getting our students to the desired level and having them graduate with everything that they will need. In that regard, we take our responsibility seriously; we do not pass the buck’, says BIM Team Leader Boudewijn Boelman. ‘Our programme takes into consideration the new students’ language abilities, for instance. Many of them come from a family with a background of migration. We create an environment in which students dare to ask questions if they don’t yet know something. In part due to having colleagues with a background in communication and language, our team has the knowledge that it needs in-house to work on improvements in conjunction with students.’
Other Inholland programmes that score above average in the Keuzegids 2019 are Social Work in The Hague (74), Oral Hygiene in Amsterdam (74), Midwifery in Amsterdam (74), Educational Theory in Amsterdam (68) and Tourism Management in Rotterdam (74).
About the Keuzegids 2019
Issued on an annual basis, the Keuzegids is published by the Centre for Higher Education Information (CHOI) and is intended to help applicants choose a degree programme. The editorial team provides an overview of the strengths and weaknesses of Dutch universities of applied sciences as well as their programmes on the basis of various figures and survey results. In terms of students’ opinions, the National Student Survey 2018 was consulted. Expert opinion from the Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders (NVAO) was also taken into account.