Study Electrical/Electronic Engineering in the Netherlands
Are you considering studying abroad? Is Electrical Engineering something you have thought about? Read on to find out exactly what studying Electrical Engineering entails and what the Netherlands can offer you as a host country.
First a little about what Electrical Engineering actually is:
The term Electrical Engineering encompasses a number of fields: Telecommunications, Computer Engineering, Microelectronics, Media and Knowledge Engineering and Electrical Power Engineering. These fields all overlap and strengthen each other.
What is electrical engineering used for?
Electrical Engineering is used to improve the quality of our lives and increase our comfort. Modern electronic equipment is used every day, from the simple escalator to the most complex and specialised machinery. For example, hospitals are full of advanced diagnostic instruments. Without electrical engineering, these instruments could never exist. Take the computer tomograph for example; this instrument can be used to locate tumours. This instrument can generate a cross-section view of the body by emitting and detecting ultrasound waves. The image shows all kinds of tissue: skin, bone, muscles, fat etc.
We can also use Electrical Engineering to solve social problems. There has been a lot of research on electromagnetic radiation – e.g. ultraviolet and heat radiation. This has been an essential part of worldwide research on the greenhouse effect, the rising sea level and the melting polar ice caps. Technology has been developed by Electrical Engineers around the world and in the Netherlands to track rain clouds and gain insight into the planet's surface coverage. Also, electrical engineers are responcible for reserch into alternative fuel sources, for example, the development of solar panels for the conversion of sun’s energy into electriacl energy –essential to cut down our reliance of unclean fossil fuels.
How long must I study to become an Electrical Engineer?
So you like the sound of working on projects that will benefit the human race? To receive your Bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering in the Netherlands, you will need to study on a four-year international programme. The structuring of education according to the so-called major-minor model offers a range of new opportunities. This educational model has been in use abroad for a considerable amount of time, and is now being introduced to the Dutch universities of Applied Sciences. The major-minor model insures that students not only study their core subject, but also explore other fields of interest, be it another language, management skills or a minor course in history.
Bachelor/Master
Started September 1st 2002, the structure of Dutch Higher Education has changed quite significantly on some basic issues. Since then, all the educational programmes distinguish a bachelor and a master phase. Graduates from Universities of Applied Sciences will be awarded an internationally recognised Bachelor degree. Besides having good prospects in the labour market, based on this new structure, it will become much easier to follow continued education in order to achieve a Master degree in the Netherlands or other countries. This Master programme can either focus more on a practical field or on a scientific field related to Electrical/ Electronic Engineering.
Educational system
The Dutch-European curriculum uses a variety of didactics. Lectures, classes and project learning go hand in hand with practicals and self-study modules, stimulating you as a student to become responsible for your own education and career planning. Of course a student is guided, counselled and trained during the four years to finally become an all-round engineer ready to face the international market.
Why not have a look at what Fontys University has to offer?
There is also TU Delft which offers excellent Electrical Engineering courses.
Student interview
Hi my name is Yves van Eijs. I come from Panama and I am currently a second year student at the electric/electronic engineering department at Fontys. I am also the public relations manager of FISA, (Fontys International Student Association) which is a student association created to help and join international students together. After I finished high school in Panama I wanted to go study electronics abroad. Thanks to my aunt I heard about the Fontys engineering programs in English. Without any hesitation I decided to look further into this and the further I searched the more I wanted to go study in the Netherlands. My experience at Fontys has been great, being part of an international course has allowed me to meet and make many new friends of different cultures and countries, when compared to my own. About the study, it is arranged in projects, these projects simulate real life projects within a company, making each of these projects a great learning experience. The study is also filled with practical assignments, allowing us not only to know theory on the subjects, but to also get acquainted with different systems and even build some of these. Eindhoven is a great city; it’s what some people call a true student city because most of the people living in it through the week are students, which together, with the fact that almost all Dutch people can speak English, makes communication with other people very easy. The night life is very fun. There are various cafe/discos to choose from where a lot of dancing and socializing takes place.
