Since 2019, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU) and the University of Twente (UT) have been working together to put technical academic programmes on the map in the Randstad conurbation and to offer a solution to the structural shortage of technical professionals. By offering technical academic education in this region as well, VU Amsterdam and UT hope to motivate more pre-university students to apply for technology. "In the regions with a technical university, almost twice as many Dutch pre-university students (vwo) as pre-university students in the Amsterdam region apply for a technical bachelor programme. This leaves a lot of technical talent unused," says VU president Mirjam van Praag.
The universities hope to change this with the versatile bachelor Creative Technology. For example, Creative Technology in Twente also appears to appeal to many female students. This programme is also accessible to pre-university students without a technical profile. Moreover, with a degree in Creative Technology, students are also eligible for a technical master's programme. " Even with a less technical profile you can become an engineer, due to a thorough assembly programme. Because we admit all profiles, you get an interesting mix of students, which usually results in many wonderful new insights,," says Alma Schaafstal, programme director Creative Technology.
Van Praag is enthusiastic about the new programme that will be added to the collaboration with Twente. "The programme is really the best of both worlds at VU Amsterdam and UT. A technical bachelor programme where design and technical solutions for today's societal challenges meet." Since 2010, the programme has been offered at the UT. The unique multidisciplinary nature of the programme and the international learning environment in which intercultural, creative, technical and professional skills are developed previously resulted in the prestigious ECA Certificate for Quality in Internationalisation. Programme director Schaafstal: "We are extremely proud that we can now also offer this in Amsterdam. Although all students eventually receive the same diploma, the two branches will give their own colour to the programme. In Amsterdam this will be more about the input of the humanities, in Twente the embedding in the technical environment will leave its mark on the programme."
Both universities have already indicated that they want to further expand the cooperation in the future. In June, the first fruits will be reaped from the collaboration with the first group of students who graduate from the UT bachelor's programme at the VU: Mechanical Engineering.
UT’s Creative Technology programme now also at VU Amsterdam
30 June 2022
A technical academic programme where design and technology meet and where students are also admissible without a technical profile. As of academic year 2023-2024, this is possible at VU Amsterdam. This week, the technical bachelor programme Creative Technology is officially approved by the Committee for Marco-efficiency in Higher Education and will also be offered at VU Amsterdam.