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Hbo Bachelor's programmes take four years (240 ECTS). Wo Bachelor's programmes take three years (180 ECTS). The minimum admissions requirement for an hbo Bachelor's programme is a diploma at Dutch mbo level 4 (senior secondary vocational education) or Dutch havo (higher general secondary education).
Higher vocational education (HBO) The 43 HBO institutions in the Netherlands together offer 200 programmes in a wide range of disciplines. They provide theoretical and practical training for occupations for which a higher vocational qualification is either required or useful.
Research university (WO): The emphasis is on learning to look analytically and critically at the way a certain field can be approached. Higher professional education (HBO): Higher professional education trains for a specific profession. You apply your knowledge and work in a solution-oriented way.
HBO. Universities of applied science (hogescholen) offer higher professional education (hoger beroepsonderwijs, HBO) is more practically-oriented than WO. HBO consists of 7 sectors: economics; healthcare; agriculture; education; social and community work; art; technology
Tu Eindhoven, JADS, Twente University, Nijmegen University, Wageningen University and the Open University are WO institutions. The rest are not. Usually at HBO institutions - of applied sciences is added.
In higher professional education (hbo), a bachelor’s degree lasts four years, in research university education (wo) three years. The master’s phase comes after the bachelor ‘s phase and lasts at least one year in both HBO and WO.
HBO or Hogeschool institutes are focused on applied higher education and usually offer 4-year Bachelor programs geared more towards the practical labor market. The academic universities (WO) are the highest possible level of education in the Netherlands.
