International Courses in the Netherlands

This meant a minor setback in Ms Aguilar’s research: a study of how stingless bees choose their partners. Ingrid Aguilar is Colombian, but she is conducting her research at Utrecht University, in the centre of the Netherlands. Here a special room is kept at tropical temperatures in order to duplicate the habitat of stingless bees native as they are to Latin America. Ms Aguilar is working on her master’s degree under the supervision of biologist and bee expert Marinus Sommeijer.

The bees lab was typical for Dutch higher education. Both research and researchers are international. The facilities are outstanding. Nevertheless, things happen unexpectedly. At first these might seem like setbacks but they could well open a door to new insights.

Ingrid Aguilar is one of thousands of young scholars who come to the Netherlands each year to learn about the very latest developments in their field. Most of them have already earned a degree in their own country. They have chosen a Dutch university or institute in order to acquire a certain specialisation, to earn a master’s degree, or to work for a PhD.

These international scholars are part of a long tradition. For many years Dutch higher education institutions have been welcoming students and scientists from other parts of the world. Recruitment was never necessary. The reputation of the institutions and their teachers was enough. ‘To Boerhaave in Europe’ was the way a Chinese emperor once addressed a letter to Leiden University’s famous professor medicine. The letter arrived without any problem.

But respected professors and modern facilities for education and research are not enough to attract foreign students these days. It takes more than that. It takes a good location, for example – a good location not only in terms of geography, but in a cultural sense as well.

The Netherlands is a small country on the North Sea, in the heart of Europe. With Schiphol Airport and the huge port of Rotterdam – the biggest in the world – it is easy to understand why the Netherlands is Europe’s main centre of the international distribution of goods and services. By road or ship, you can get to Paris, Berlin or London within a day. By air you are there in an hour.

The Netherlands lies exactly at the point where the cultures of France, Germany and Britain meet. Nevertheless, the country and its people have a character and language all their own. One characteristic is an openness to what other cultures have to offer. For higher education, this creates the ideal international climate. A Dutch institution for higher education does not need an interface in order to follow what is going on elsewhere in the world. It has immediate access, which is what keeps Dutch education and research so very up-to-date.

Speakers of Dutch have no choice; they must learn foreign languages, and they do. In secondary school, all pupils are taught English, French and German, and all will master one, or more often two of these. Most Dutch people, especially if they have gone on to higher education, are quite good in English. This asset has been put to creative use as a way of making higher education accessible to people from other countries. The universities and other institutions that offer regular higher education are setting up more and more programmes and courses conducted in English. In general, these are internationally oriented, highly specialised and they vary in length from a few weeks to two years. The master’s programme that Ingrid Aguilar is enrolled in is a good example.

In addition to these courses offered at the regular institutions, there is an entire system of courses and institutes for International Education, which dates back to the l950s. Here too, instruction is in English and courses have a special character. They are oriented towards finding specific solutions to practical problems – generally problems that affect society. In most cases, candidates are required to have more than just a solid educational background. They must have had several years of work experience as well. Many of the people who attend these courses come from developing countries, and a growing number come from the former East Bloc.

The variety of these international courses – courses offered in the Netherlands but conducted in English – is extremely broad. They are in the fields you would expect if you know about the Netherlands’ struggle against the sea – civil and hydraulic engineering, for example. But they are also in such fields as business and economics, the media, remote sensing, public administration, agriculture and fine arts.

Students attend the courses in an English-speaking environment. They live in a tolerant society that is accustomed to foreigners – in a society where they are made to feel welcome, and where they know they are not alone. Foreign residents are constantly reminded of this as they sample the international cuisine that can be found even in the smallest Dutch villages, as they hear the many languages in which programmes are broadcast every evening on television, and as they examine the international selection of books that is available in the average bookshop.

For anyone who is looking for a truly international experience while sharpening their knowledge, the Netherlands is an excellent choice.

For a free copy of the 102 pages information packed guide Study in the Netherlands, contact Nuffic Information Department, PO Box 29777, 2502 LT The Hague, The Netherlands, phone: 31704260207, fax 4260229, e-mail: mknaapen@nufficcs.nl