More students qualify for bachelor titles
The Dutch system of certification led to quite some confusion abroad. Students that go to ‘HBO’, Dutch universities for applied science, were allowed to call themselves ‘bachelor’, but not ‘bachelor of arts’, bachelor of laws’ or ‘bachelor of science’. Only students that go to universities were allowed to do that.
From now on, the rules are changed. All students that receive the title ‘bachelor’ can use the internationally accepted titles. This only applies for students that still have to graduate, so the business cards of graduated students won’t change.
The decision to change the rules wasn’t made overnight. Critics worry that students at universities will have lesser changes to get a job when the difference between the two different diplomas disappears. In the end, the fact that the old rules cause confusion abroad was decisive.
