The Dutch is a polyglot country. They are proud of their own language and culture. But travellers soon find out that anyone - from shop assistants to prime ministers - switch to English as soon as non-Dutch speakers are present.
It is quite simply a matter of hospitality. If you switch on a TV set or visit a cinema, you see that anything from abroad is shown in the original version with Dutch subtitles. The Dutch hate dubbing, mocking French and German networks for that practice. They receive those networks in their homes, because the Netherlands is heavily cables and almost anyone has a broad choice of international channels. You should not be surprised to find a Chinese channel, when you are languidly zapping along!
So it does not come as a surprise that switching to English is quite common in higher education. Together, the institutes of higher education offer more than 500 courses in English. No country on the European continent can match that, not even France, Germany or Italy.
Those courses are meant for an international audience. Most institutions do not aim at undergraduates, but organise special programs for graduates, who are seeking specialisation. The duration of those programmes varies from a few weeks to two years. Some programmes bring you a diploma and some credits, which you add to your study results at your home universities. Others lead to a master's degree. That depends on the length and depth of the course.
Why is this? In this day and age, it is not enough to be better. You must be different too. Most Dutch institutions of higher education do not compete by mirroring their regular curricula for a Dutch audience, but by finding special niches. They offer specialized education in specific fields, which cannot be found elsewhere. They also adapt course content to international needs. The curricula are flexible, offering ample room for students who want to include subjects which are specifically relevant to themselves or their home countries.
Author
Han van der Horst
NUFFIC
