Case study
Camilla is in the final year of Social Work. Working with young people in forensic care really appeals to her. She has been looking at a master’s in Forensic Psychology. Her bachelor will not get her admission to the study. Also, there is no switching path for that master’s. So Camilla has to do the bachelor’s in Psychology at university. That takes time, but most of all a lot of money. During a slb interview, Camilla asks me if I know any other options.
Reasons to continue studying
With a college degree in their pocket, students can start working. However, many students choose to continue studying. There are several reasons to continue studying:
- The student has not yet finished learning and wants to deepen or broaden their knowledge in a subject.
- The student has found out that another direction is a better fit.
- The student wants to improve employment opportunities.
- The student wants to enjoy student life for a while longer.
What options are there after the hbo bachelor?
A master’s programme after a hbo bachelor is an often a logical choice. There is a wide range of masters on offer at hbo and university level. Bachelor’s masters can be divided into transfer masters and masters for working professionals.
Premaster
For a university master’s degree, an hbo is often an insufficient qualification. Admission then requires a premaster. In certain cases, this premaster can already be taken in the profiling area of the hbo bachelor’s degree.
University bachelor’s programme
Sometimes it is more favourable, or even necessary, to take the university bachelor’s programme instead of a premaster. This route to a university master’s may be longer, but it is less intensive. This gives students more time to get used to academic learning. The study funding for a master’s programme depends on the type of undergraduate programme and how long the student took. More information on this overview can be found at DUO.
A second bachelor
A second study in higher education allows students to develop more broadly or in a different direction. Or perhaps a bachelor is needed to go on to a specific university master’s degree. A second bachelor counts as a second study and the student pays institutional tuition fees in many cases. Institutional tuition fees are often higher than statutory tuition fees. This usually does not apply to a second bachelor’s degree in the field of healthcare or education. (The condition is that the student does not yet have a degree in that field.) It also does not apply if the student started the second study during the first bachelor, and the second study is not interrupted afterwards.
DO!
Take these steps through with a student
A student is considering continuing their studies. As a counsellor, you can help a student think about where he/she wants to work towards in the (study) career. To this end, you can go through the following steps with the student.
Step 1 Orientation
The student looks at which master’s programmes match his/her own interests and abilities. As a supervisor, you can ask which subjects the student liked best during the bachelor’s programme and which went well. Let the student also think about what motivates him/her to continue studying. For example, does the student want to specialise, develop further or change direction?
Stage 2 Explore
The student has a clearer idea of the field of study. Now they can start exploring connecting master’s programmes. Useful sites that help in the search for masters:www.studiekeuze123.nl/opleidingen Students can see which hbo and/or wo master’s programmes are on offer by discipline.
www.icares.com Students can search the masters on offer in various ways. For example, which masters match their interests and qualities. It is also possible to take a study test to find suitable bachelor’s and/or master’s programmes.
At master’s open days, students can get more information. The websites of the educational institutions provide information about the master’s programmes and the admission requirements.
Step 3 Deepening
With knowledge about master’s programmes, students make a comparison on key points from step 1. Students can then enquire whether there are taster days, or contact a master coordinator for specific questions.
Step 4 Decide
Has enough information been gathered? A request for enrolment is the next step. For more support, a student can contact Choice Advice. This website also has an online decision aid for master’s choices and further study questions.
Further case study
Camilla soon notices in our conversation that she is not keen on a second bachelor’s degree. Since she would like to work with young people, I pointed her towards the profession of a remedial educationalist. That really appeals to her and she immediately started looking on university sites for suitable masters. She discovers that there is a degree in Forensic Orthopedagogy. There are also masters that focus more on social issues of parenting and youth care. This also appeals to Camilla. She sees herself later going into politics to change things at the national level. For more information, including on programme requirements, Camilla plans to go to the open days.