Possibilities within the Honours Programme
The Honours Programme is an addition to your study programme in which you are challenged to surpass yourself. You will work on interesting projects and issues relevant to the professional field. You get to work together with students of other study programmes, lecturers and people from organisations and businesses. In doing so you will develop a broad view of your own field and work on your personal and professional development. Ask your HP Coordinator about the possibilities.
Do you want to find out if the Honours Programme is something for you? Choose an Honours Elective or another Honours activity available at your study programme.
Within the Honours Programme there is ample possibility for personal development in a field that appeals to you. Together with your HP Coordinator, you will define your course.
Competence Profile ‘Learning to Innovate’
If you participate in honors education, you work on making the competence profile “Learning to innovate” your own. The competence profile, see "Das Leben ist eine Baustelle" consists of the following five competences:Innovation-driven
You show that you can act entrepreneurially in complex practical situations. You investigate such a practical situation and look for new solutions that are not always obvious. You show this by looking beyond the boundaries of your own discipline. You show guts and daring to experiment; you can sift through an issue in creative ways and show possible solutions.
Demand-driven
You demonstrate awareness of your surroundings by exploring current trends and developments; you are also able to connect their significance to the problems you are working on. You are able to identify an issue and specify questions relevant to the profession, in other words, you investigate the problem that is outlined. You demonstrate that you are able to make the question explicit by exploring what is already known about the question through dialogue with the relevant stakeholders. Is the question in fact the question for which solutions need to be found?
Collaborative working
You demonstrate that you can work towards solutions together with others, such as external clients, professors, students from other study programmes, other professionals. You demonstrate to be able to concentrate on the issue and can let general, shared goals take precedence over individual ones. You are open to the possibilities of giving and receiving feedback. You build functional networks and contribute constructively to the final result.
Knowledge creation
You are capable of guiding the further development of your learning capacity. You are able to reflect on your own work and actions and determine the progress of your development. You are therefore able to determine your next steps. You can analyse what is effective and what is (or was) less effective or ineffective. Based on this you can redirect. You are aware of your personal standards and values and demonstrate a willingness to discuss them.
Participating in the Honours Programme
Are you enthusiastic? Do register with your HP Coordinator. During the admissions interview we are eager to find out why you want to participate in the programme, and we will answer your answers. Honours education at the Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences is organised small-scale and we work on challenging, complex issues. You will work on these issues with different partners from
diverse fields. In this way you will learn to look beyond your field and collaborate with students and experts from other disciplines in order to arrive at innovative solutions for issues. Most study programmes start with Honours education in the second year. You can participate in the programme as long as you do not have a study delay. There are no extra costs for participation.
Watch a number of videos about honours on our Youtube channel here.
Graduating with the Honours degree
You will receive an Honours degree if you meet the following criteria:
- You have graduated with a Bachelor degree
- You have met the conditions set by your study programme with regard to the Honours programme
- You have successfully completed the Final Assessment Honours
Final Assessment Honours
You compile a portfolio for your final assessment interview. In "Handbook Final assessment Honours - Instruction portfolio" you can read how things work. If you show in the final assessment that you have mastered the competency profile Learning to Innovate, you have successfully completed the last part of the program. If you have met all of the above conditions, you will receive an Honours degree in addition to your diploma. You will also receive an explanation of the honours program with your diploma.
For the composition of your portfolio use the following document “Final Assessment Honours Portfolio”.
For the three people that you ask for 360 degree feedback, you can download the form here.
After graduation
An Honours degree is a great addition to your CV and an extra preparation for the labour market. You can use the Honours degree to distinguish yourself throughout future employment: ‘you have taken your studies into your own hands’. The competencies that you have obtained with the Honours Programme will be useful throughout your career. Your certificate will have an extra reference. In addition to your diploma you will receive the Honours degree.
Graduated honours students can compete for the annual Exceed Expectations Scholarship, with which you can continue to develop along a self-formulated course.