Study overview

Source: https://www.utwente.nl/en/education/bachelor/programmes/public-administration/study-programme/ Parent: https://www.utwente.nl/en/education/bachelor/programmes/public-administration/

In this Bachelor's, you will integrate the core subjects of public administration with profound knowledge of how modern technologies have an impact on society. This modern public administration study is about how to design policies that help solve societal challenges caused by technology transformations. You will learn how to do research, analyse, interpret and contribute to solutions for challenges that governments and public organisations face nowadays.

Contents of the Modules

During this three-year Bachelor's, you will follow twelve modules: four modules per year. Each module covers a theme and brings together all the main aspects of your studies: theory and practice, research and solution design, self-study and teamwork.

Overview modules

Year 1EC
Module 1 | Data security15

In this module, you will dive into computer security and cybercrime. You will understand how hacking technologies work and you will get an introduction to modern public administration. Your project assignment is to map out the high-tech challenges of cybercrime and how these are addressed over the world. - Module 2 | The challenge of mass-migration15

You will look at one of the biggest societal challenges of our time: mass migration. The module lets you design solution proposals for the complex challenges of our time, such as the energy transition or migration. You learn to use descriptive data analysis and data visualisation for your project assignment: describe an aspect of the complex migration challenge. - Module 3 | Smart health policies15

This module makes sure that the solutions you design are also acceptable in the real world. Politicians, opinion makers and lobbyclubs are all trying to make or influence decisions. How does your solution fit in? You will learn how e-health interventions and smart policies can promote health, algorithms can covertly affect our behaviour, and you will learn to design effective policies that are based on solid evidence. Your project assignment is to design a smart health policy that will likely work in practice. - Module 4 | Public management15

Have you ever wondered why ICT projects often fail? This module introduces you to modern theories of public management and program implementation while studying the digital government. You will learn that the organisation of government rapidly changes under new technologies. Think about the digital processing of service requests (passports), or the information exchange between government departments and units to protect our safety. Your project assignment is to study the large-scale implementation of an ICT application in a network of government organisations. - Year 2EC
Module 5 | Sustainable cities15

You will explore the challenges cities face these days: climate change, energy supplies, and housing shortages are examples. You will understand how to bring together the interests of multiple scales of governments and stakeholders. Who makes the authoritative and legitimate decisions that help cities to become “smarter”? Your project assignment is to design a governance structure for a technology-driven city project. - Module 6 | Evaluation of tech-society15

This module closes the circle of six core modules by focusing on evaluation. Using these evaluation outcomes and understanding trends helps you to get a well-informed perspective on the future. For example, by comparing how different countries find different ways to reach the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG's), we can learn from each other and find the best ways for a better future. - Modules 7&8 | Specialisation30

After the core modules you can choose between two specialisations: (1) Public Administration and (2) Global and European Studies. The specialisation takes one semester.

1) Public administration\ The specialisation Public Administration offers students the opportunity to specialise in top-down and bottom-up decision-making. One module focuses on complex collective decision-making. You use rational choice models to forecast the outcomes of collective decision-making by many stakeholders. You learn how to influence these outcomes. The other module focuses on citizen involvement in public organisations. You study how the collaboration between professionals and citizens affects the quality of public services.

2) Global and European studies\ The specialisation Global and European Studies offers students the opportunity to focus on the international and European dimensions of societal challenges. One module focuses on current European crises, such as Brexit. The other module focuses on the position of Europe in the world. You learn how the European Union operates as one international institution among the big powers in the world, such as China or the U.S. - Year 3EC
Modules 9&10 | Electives30

In the first half of your third year, you will take 30 credits’ worth of electives. You can do so by taking modules at the University of Twente or at another university, or by studying abroad.

Additional modules\ You will have the chance to take additional modules at the University of Twente or another university. These could be modules from our Public Administration programme or from a completely different academic discipline. Our aim is to encourage you to further develop your academic skills and learn to think ‘out of the box’. It will also give you the chance to communicate with professionals from different backgrounds, obtaining a broader view of the full range of academic endeavours by exploring a completely new field of specialisation.

Are you eager to connect politics and technology? If you are, the High Tech Human Touch modules offered at the UT may be just up your street! Some examples: From Prototype to Society, Cybercrime & Cybersecurity, Governance of Innovation and Socio-Technical Change. Read more about the HTHT modules.

Study abroad or internship\ You can also devote the first half of your final year to studying abroad or to an internship in the Netherlands or another country. - Modules 11&12 | Bachelor's assignment30

The thesis semester consists of three parts. First of all, you will receive additional training in research methods/academic skills. Secondly, you will prepare for the job market by learning how to write a proper CV and prepare for a job interview. The third part of this semester consists of writing your actual thesis and carrying out the research on which it is based.

You will work individually on your Bachelor’s thesis but with the benefit of expert supervision. The topic of your thesis will be linked to ongoing faculty research, with a wide range of subjects to choose from. After successfully completing your Bachelor’s thesis, you will be awarded your degree and the title Bachelor of Science. You can then choose to enter the job market or pursue your studies at the next level by taking a Master’s programme.

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First time at a university

When you are a first-year student, you experience many new things. Here we start explaining at least a few of them.

You complete modules

The Bachelor's in Management, Society & Technology takes three years and is designed according to the Twente Educational Model. Every year you have four ten-week modules; so, during the course of your studies, you complete twelve modules. In every module, you work on a current subject from society or the business world. Within that subject all the different parts of your study come together: theory and practice, researching connections and designing solutions, self-study and teamwork.

Study points - how do they work?

At university you will come across something called study credit. Also known as EC(s). The abbreviation EC is derived from the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS), which allows you to compare courses internationally. One credit equals 28 hours of work; you need to reach 60 credits each year. You receive credits for every assignment you pass. Your programme decides how many hours it takes to complete an assignment, write a project report or study to pass an exam.

Did you get 45 credit points or more? Then you can continue on to the second year

In order to pass from first year to second year, you have to get a minimum of 45 out of 60 points in the first year. You need at least 45 EC in your first year in order to continue with the programme. At the end of your first year, we will give you a Binding Study Advice (BSA). If you reach 45 EC, you can be sure that you are in the right place and can keep up with the programme. If it doesn’t go exactly as you had planned - because of personal circumstances, for example - then we are of course always available to advise you.