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Postgraduate Study
The Netherlands has three streams of higher education that exist alongside each other: - Universities, which tend to train students to be scientists and scholars, but also offer
many programs with a professional component; - Universities of Professional Education, or HBO Hoger Beroepsonderwijs
(http://www.bie.nl/hogescholen/) , which offer study programs that are geared to specific professions; - Institutions of International Education, which offer postgraduate courses in English in
a wide range of fields.
An increasing number of higher education institutions in the Netherlands offer masters degree programs in English. Masters degrees are awarded by universities, universities of professional education, institutions of international education and private institutions. Currently, the higher education institutes are working out a new structure based on the Bachelors/Masters system, which is expected to be implemented at the latest by the end of the year 2009, though it is likely to be in place much sooner. Educational institutions in the Netherlands all have their own rules for admission; therefore it is necessary to contact the institution of your choice to ascertain any information. In some cases, foreign students are eligible for a student grant, based on nationality or residence permit. NUFFIC, (the Netherlands Organizations for International Cooperation in Higher Education) is a not-for-profit professional organization providing accurate, up to date information about Dutch higher education. NUFFIC promotes foreign participation in Dutch higher education and strives to be the intermediary between the education community of the Netherlands and the international community. Competition for places on postgraduate programs is competitive and networking is a highly useful tool for securing places. Postgraduate programs are advertised approximately three months in advance in publications such as NRC Handelsblad (http://www.nrc.nl) and De Volkskrant (http://www.volkskrant.nl) . Useful listings can be found on the websites of the Association of Higher Professional Education (http://www.hboraad.nl) and the Association of Universities in the Netherlands (http://www.vsnu.nl). For UK students, the London-based Royal Netherlands Embassy's Education Department is open from 09:00 to 12:00 weekdays. Individual inquiries can be dealt with if sent in writing.
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