Open University in The Netherlands - Study Programmes

Study Programmes

The Open Universiteit offers three types of study programmes:

1) Bachelor and Master degree programmes. The Open Universiteit offers fully accredited Bachelor or Master degree programmes in Law, Economics, Business and Public administration, Engineering, Environmental science, Cultural studies, Psychology and Education. The university converted its programmes to the Bachelor-Master structure in September 2002.

2) Short programmes. Students can also follow short programmes. These include short vocational training courses, postgraduate courses and short undergraduate programmes, which are developed in co-operation with universities of professional education, academic universities, professional bodies or commercial companies.

3) Courses. Besides these academic programmes, students can choose from over 300 modular courses. This modular course system implies that student can enrol either for full-length degree programmes or choose to study one of over 400 individual courses.

Most course-material is in Dutch, but more and more material is becoming available in English. Examinations are in general in Dutch and have to be taken at one of the locations of the Open Universiteit, that is, either at a study centres or at a support centres in the Netherlands, Flanders or the Netherlands Antilles. For individuals there are possibilities to have (under strict supervision conditions) an exam taken at an alternative location, such as at Dutch embassies, in prisons or on a ship.