Achieved a Dutch degree and wish to follow the master's in Mechanical Engineering? Find out if you need to follow a pre-master's first.
After you have sent in your application for the Master's in Mechanical Engineering, a committee will check your eligibility. An outcome of this assessment may be that you first have to complete a pre-master's before being admitted.
What is a pre-master's?
A pre-master's is a transfer programme for students of a Dutch university of applied sciences ('hbo' in Dutch) or a Dutch research university who cannot be admitted directly to the master's they wish to follow. The goal is to bridge the gap between your current bachelor's (in a related field) and your future master's. Learn more about pre-master's in general.
Questions on Mechanical Engineering? Visit the Open Day on 16 November
Join the Online Open Day for Mechanical Engineering on 19 November
Visit the HBO master's evening on 6 June
A small-scale event about transferring from hbo to university
What applies to you?
Do you want to get insights into the pre-master's? The programme you need to take, depends on your previous or current education. What kind of education do or did you follow?
As a bachelor's student from a Dutch university of applied sciences (HBO), it is mandatory to follow a pre-master's first to prepare you for this master's. You can start the pre-master's during your bachelor's as a transfer minor or after obtaining your bachelor’s degree. During the pre-master's you are taught various scientific research skills and your knowledge in mathematics and statistics is raised to an academic level.
Contents
The content of the pre-master’s is the same for all specialisations of the Master’s in Mechanical Engineering:
You have the option to follow the pre-master's during your current HBO bachelor's within a transfer minor. It's an option worth considering as it saves you time and money: the programme of 30 EC fits within your minor space and you do not incur any extra costs because you have already paid tuition fees for your bachelor's. A second option is to first get your bachelor's degree and then transfer to this Master's via the Pre-Master's.
Study load
The pre-master's is a 49 EC full-time study programme, which you must complete within one academic year and with a maximum of two exam opportunities per course.
If you follow the pre-master's during your HBO bachelor's transfer minor, you must complete an additional 19 EC of pre-master's courses during your master's programme.
Admission deadlines
Before starting the application procedure you should always check the application deadlines.
Costs
You pay a fee per EC. Each academic year, the amount per EC will be reassessed. Visit the tuition page for the current fees.
If you choose to fit your pre-master's into your current HBO bachelor's, you can avoid extra costs; after all, you already pay tuition fees for your current bachelor's.
Depending on your pre-education, the pre-master's is a 15-60 EC full-time study programme, which you must complete within one academic year and with a maximum of two exam opportunities per course.
Application deadlines
Before starting the application procedure you should always check the application deadlines.
Costs
You pay a fee per EC. Each academic year, the amount per EC will be reassessed. Visit the tuition page for the current fees.
If you choose to fit your pre-master's into your current bachelor's, you can avoid extra costs; after all, you already pay tuition fees for your current bachelor's.
As an international student, you first check whether you meet the admission requirements. If so, you need to sign up for the Master's in Mechanical Engineering, as it is not possible to apply for the Pre-Master’s directly. The admissions committee assesses your enrolment and checks whether your prior education is sufficient to successfully complete the Master's. Perhaps you need this Pre-Master's to enhance prior knowledge. In this case, your Master’s application will be converted into an enrolment for the Pre-Master's in consultation with you.
The content and study load (number of EC) depend on the prior education programme and can vary. To follow the Pre-Master's, you have to pay an amount per EC. The total amount is based on the number of ECs of your Pre-Master's.
START DATE
The Pre-Master's starts every September.
What is expected of you?
The pre-master's is designed not only to address any deficiencies in your prior knowledge, but it is also an effective way to find out whether studying at a research university is right for you. Therefore, the following rules apply:
You have to complete the pre-master’s successfully within one academic year.
There is a maximum of two exams per course.
Contact
For questions about your admission to this pre-master's, contact the coordinator mentioned below. For general information about the Master's in Mechanical Engineering, you can contact our Study Information Centre.
