The Civil Engineering and Geosciences (CiTG) faculty will finally offer an MSc programme in English, possibly bringing the faculty into competition with IHE.
CiTG’s new MSc program begins in September.
The Dutch enjoy a good reputation around the world for their water management, bridges, infrastructure and waterways. Consequently, foreigners have long wished that Civil Engineering offered an English-language MSc program. But only now has the TU decided that the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences (CiTG) should offer all their MSc courses in English.
“We never had a MSc programme in English because another institute in Delft, IHE (Institute For Infrastructure, Hydraulic and Environmental engineering), offered English-language MSc programmes in the field of infrastructure and water,” says Ellen Touw, head of the education, research and student affairs department. “Somehow, working together never seemed to be an option because the TU’s and IHE’s administrative machinery was always kept separate.”
IHE offers various postgraduate programmes in the fields of water, environment and infrastructure. Its focus is on human resources and institutional development in developing countries. Every year between 100 and 150 students graduate with MSc degrees from IHE. Comparing the IHE and TU MSc programmes, the latter is a more ‘European thing’. The European BSc-MSc system is designed to make it easy for every student with a BSc degree from a European university to do their MSc study in Delft or another European country.
Ellen Touw doesn’t believe the TU and IHE need compete, because both institutes specialize in different areas. She hopes (“with a capital H”) that CiTG is able to deliver 200 MSc students a year, and of these, thirty students will be foreigners. “That would be very nice. But I don’t have high expectations. In the first year it’s important that everything just runs, and then we’ll see what happens.”
Jolanda Boots, of IHE’s student affairs department, isn’t sure whether IHE’s MSc programs will suffer as a result of competition from the TU: “We focus especially on water; that’s what students come to us for. And we seldom accept Western students. Our students are non-Western students with a BSc degree and three years working experience in a related field.”
Summer
CiTG hasn’t yet begun a publicity campaign to attract foreign students. “We’ve told exchange students, you’re welcome, but it’s our first year, a transition year, so you’ll have to help yourself”. For our second MSc year, 2003-2004, we’re going to do some advertising and PR. The TU has it’s own campaign for attracting MSc students, and we’ll take part. And we’ll inform our exchange partners. But for now, we can’t start a campaign because we still don’t have anything to offer!”
Touw is now busy preparing the time-tables for the next academic year. “We owe it to our Dutch students to finish this as soon as possible, so they can start planning. Regular students who want to study abroad next year or be a committee member of their student club, must know the timetables in advance. I’ve promised the student council that I’ll finish the study guide before July 1st. We’re a bit behind schedule now, but I’m confident we’ll be finished before the summer holiday.”
The Civil Engineering and Geosciences (CiTG) faculty will finally offer an MSc programme in English, possibly bringing the faculty into competition with IHE. CiTG’s new MSc program begins in September.
The Dutch enjoy a good reputation around the world for their water management, bridges, infrastructure and waterways. Consequently, foreigners have long wished that Civil Engineering offered an English-language MSc program. But only now has the TU decided that the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences (CiTG) should offer all their MSc courses in English.
“We never had a MSc programme in English because another institute in Delft, IHE (Institute For Infrastructure, Hydraulic and Environmental engineering), offered English-language MSc programmes in the field of infrastructure and water,” says Ellen Touw, head of the education, research and student affairs department. “Somehow, working together never seemed to be an option because the TU’s and IHE’s administrative machinery was always kept separate.”
IHE offers various postgraduate programmes in the fields of water, environment and infrastructure. Its focus is on human resources and institutional development in developing countries. Every year between 100 and 150 students graduate with MSc degrees from IHE. Comparing the IHE and TU MSc programmes, the latter is a more ‘European thing’. The European BSc-MSc system is designed to make it easy for every student with a BSc degree from a European university to do their MSc study in Delft or another European country.
Ellen Touw doesn’t believe the TU and IHE need compete, because both institutes specialize in different areas. She hopes (“with a capital H”) that CiTG is able to deliver 200 MSc students a year, and of these, thirty students will be foreigners. “That would be very nice. But I don’t have high expectations. In the first year it’s important that everything just runs, and then we’ll see what happens.”
Jolanda Boots, of IHE’s student affairs department, isn’t sure whether IHE’s MSc programs will suffer as a result of competition from the TU: “We focus especially on water; that’s what students come to us for. And we seldom accept Western students. Our students are non-Western students with a BSc degree and three years working experience in a related field.”
Summer
CiTG hasn’t yet begun a publicity campaign to attract foreign students. “We’ve told exchange students, you’re welcome, but it’s our first year, a transition year, so you’ll have to help yourself”. For our second MSc year, 2003-2004, we’re going to do some advertising and PR. The TU has it’s own campaign for attracting MSc students, and we’ll take part. And we’ll inform our exchange partners. But for now, we can’t start a campaign because we still don’t have anything to offer!”
Touw is now busy preparing the time-tables for the next academic year. “We owe it to our Dutch students to finish this as soon as possible, so they can start planning. Regular students who want to study abroad next year or be a committee member of their student club, must know the timetables in advance. I’ve promised the student council that I’ll finish the study guide before July 1st. We’re a bit behind schedule now, but I’m confident we’ll be finished before the summer holiday.”
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