Six University of Twente bachelor programmes have been awarded the Top rated programme status by the Keuzegids, one of the Netherlands’ most important information source for study seekers. The average score of all 20 bachelor programmes has increased by a point over the last year, to 68.5 points. This leads to a second place in the ranking of all Dutch universities. Wageningen UR heads the ranking, the distance education provided by Open Universiteit completes the top three. The Keuzegids praises the University of Twente as Best Technical University in the Netherlands. For that, the Keuzegids compared the UT score to the results of the technical universities in Eindhoven (59.5 points) and Delft (58.5).
In the latest edition of the Keuzegids Universiteiten, all bachelor programmes offered at a Dutch university have been examined, including the 20 programmes offered at the University of Twente. The UT programmes are doing really well, as the score increased from 67.5 points (on a scale of 1-100) last year to 68.5 this year. Fifteen programmes received the highest (or shared highest) score in their scientific discipline, four programmes came in second.
All UT bachelor programmes at a glance
Top rated programme
For bachelor programmes that perform extraordinary, the Keuzegids awards the Top rated programme seal of distinction. It is presented to all programmes with a score of 75 points or higher. For determining the score, the judgement of students in the National Student Survey and expert judgements have been taken into account.
Six UT programmes have been awarded the Top rated programme seal: Applied Physics (90 points), Communication Science (80), Technology and Liberal Arts & Sciences (80), Industrial Engineering and Management (78), International Business Administration (76) and Chemical Science and Engineering(76). The 90 points acquired by Applied Physics is an exceptional achievement, with only one bachelor programme in the Netherlands rating higher.
Applied Physics - 90 points
“Applied Physics in Enschede is one of the highest scoring programmes in this study guide”, the Keuzegids writes. The programme has been scoring very well over the years. Stefan Kooij, programme director Applied Physics: “It is awesome to receive such a high score in the Keuzegids! We do question ourselves why students are so positive of the education they are receiving. What I think is decisive in their judgement, is the ‘typical Applied Physics-mentality’ in Twente: small things matter. Becoming a Top rated programme is surely a great achievement, but staying on top year after year is only possible with the highest care for every detail. A top sport mentality is needed, with a clear focus on the optimal learning experience for every individual student. It requires from us to continuously improve and reinvent the educational programme, critical self-reflection and in the end, putting those improvements into practice, together with staff and students.”
Communication Science - 80 points
On Communication Science at the UT, the Keuzegids writes: “For the regular communication science programmes, the study in Enschede is the finest.” Jordy Gosselt, programme director Communication Science: “Over the last few years we have been working hard on a more technical profile for our bachelor programme. We are very pleased this has led to a strong educational programme that receives appreciation from our students. It is also an incentive to continue in our development plans in which technology becomes more and more prominent in various modules. New ways of interaction between humans and machines are emerging. Our students study the actual impact of technology and are finding ways how technology can strengthen our interactions.”
Technology and Liberal Arts & Sciences (ATLAS) - 80 points
Remarkably, almost all Dutch university colleges perform really well: eight out of eleven are being awarded the Top rated programme seal. Keuzegids advises study seekers to further look into the specific focus of the programmes that are offered. “Some UC’s are focused around a specific theme or domain. (…) In Enschede the focus is on technology. You may choose from beta sciences or social sciences.”
Jasper Homminga, acting Programme Director Technology and Liberal Arts & Sciences: “The entire ATLAS team is happy to hear that students and experts value the programme so much and we are proud to be rated a top programme again. Within ATLAS we continuously try to challenge the students to leave their comfort zone and learn, and the students challenge us about our education. Together with the students we thus keep improving the programme.”
Industrial Engineering & Management - 78 points
Industrial Engineering & Management is also one of the bachelor programmes that maintained its Top rated status. “From all related programmes with a more engineering approach, the UT is doing really well. According to students, this Top rated programme is practice-oriented, doable and has excellent facilities”, the Keuzegids states.
Marco Schutten, programme director Industrial Engineering & Management. “We are putting a lot of effort into offering quality education and this is a great way for being recognised for that. It is great that we have been able to hold on to our Top rated programme seal. As our master programme is also a Top rated programme, we can truly say we have been setting up a quality programme within our discipline.”
International Business Administration - 76 points
“This year, also the ‘regular business administration programme from the UT is a Top rated programme”, Keuzegids says about newcomer IBA. “Finish your study within a reasonable time span should not be a problem and students are on average satisfied or very satisfied with all aspects of their study.”
Michel Ehrenhard, programme director International Business Administration: “From 2014 onwards, our programme has been increasing its score on students appreciation. Last year, we reached the first place in our scientific domain, this year we were named Top rated programme. And we have another recognition coming up as we will receive the ‘special recognition Internationalisation’ from NVAO. After ‘the only way is up’ in 2014, our new motto seems to be ‘the sky is the limit’. This is a great compliment for the teaching staff involved, study association Stress, but also the previous programme director and advisor, and in particular programme coordinator Corrie Huijs. We are confident in continuing towards a more High Tech Human Touch profile, attract more business involvement and an increased focus on skills development.”
Chemical Science & Engineering - 76 points
According to the Keuzegids, the most distinctive feature of the CSE programme is the fact that is doing well in every aspect. “The numbers show that students from the Chemical Science & Engineering programme in Enschede are appreciating just about every aspect of their programme.”
André ten Elshof, programme director Chemical Science & Engineering: “We are delighted with our programme to maintain its Top rated status. It is a great reward for teachers, students and other staff and their efforts to keep on working on improving the programme. The recognition by students as reflected in the Keuzegids shows that we are able to keep up the quality of our porgramme, while transforming to an English-taught bachelor programme with a more diverse international student population.”
About the Keuzegids Universiteiten
In the Keuzegids Universiteiten study guide, all bachelor programmes offered at the Dutch universities are rated. The scores are based on data from the National Student Survey, reports of the Accreditation Organization of the Netherlands and Flanders (NVAO) and other national educational statistics. For more information visit the website of the Keuzegids Universiteiten (in Dutch).
