Dutch gov't working on doctoral degree options for Universities of Applied Sciences

Students in the Netherlands will soon be able to obtain a doctoral degree at a university of applied sciences (HBO). The Cabinet is working on amending the Higher Education and Research Act to facilitate this, RTL Nieuws reports.

With this amendment, the Cabinet is introducing two new degrees. The first is a Professional Doctorate (PD), a four- to six-year program focused on practice-oriented research. The second is the Engineering Doctorate (EngD), which will be legally established for technological design courses at universities of applied sciences.

Obtaining a doctorate at a university typically revolves around theoretical and fundamental research. The government intends for the new degrees to emphasize practical research.

According to Education Minister Rianne Letschert, it is high time that the Netherlands takes this type of research more seriously. The government will put the legislative proposal to amend the law out for consultation on Monday. The Council of State will assess it first, then parliament and the Senate will debate and vote on it.

In recent years, universities of applied sciences have been running a pilot program in which researchers could pursue a “professional doctorate.” Researchers worked on long-term research projects, often in collaboration with professionals from the field.

These courses are not yet recognized as official doctoral degrees. Participants currently receive a certificate, but not a legally protected title. The legislative amendment will change that. If the bill is passed, students with a master’s degree will be able to start a PD or EngD course in the 2027/28 academic year.