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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).
One the hardest things to explain in Dutch higher education is the difference between a traditional research university education (called WO in Dutch) and a ...
Because of this HBO's are 4 years, while a WO bachelor takes only 3 years. You can get into a HBO with the intermediate level of high school education in the Netherlands, called HAVO. You're only allowed into a WO with the highest level of high school edu in the Netherlands (VWO), or after an HBO.
WO is research university, HBO is applied sciences. The first one has a higher entry requirement, focuses more on research and concepts. The second one more on applying existing concepts into the real world.
Higher professional education (HBO): Concrete, practical. 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.
I did an hbo bachelor and a wo master, in slightly different fields of study, therefore there could be other factors that explain the differences I experienced. But these are the things that stood out most to me:
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.
