Bestuurskunde @ VU Amsterdam

Why did you choose this study?

I have several interests besides aviation. For example, I am also very interested in political-administrative relations, politics an sich, how policies are created, society building, etc. Those kinds of subjects. That comes back to Public Administration. You also look at sectors in a policy-oriented way. That is fairly abstract, but I thought it was valuable to take a trip out of Aviation's operational thinking and also look at the sector from a different perspective.
You also learn a lot about history and politics, which I think is very valuable for general knowledge, so the two years of Public Administration have definitely been an enrichment on a personal level.
Public Administration also has a safety direction. Surely the common thread in my studies is the subject of security.

Could you progress directly from the Aviation Academy or did you need a premaster, for example?

I did a premaster. This was compulsory. It was the general premaster of the Faculty of Social Sciences (which includes Public Administration). This was because the two studies do not have a direct connection/connection in any capacity.

Are there any points that you can focus on while studying at the Aviation Academy that would be in favour of a subsequent study?

Content-wise, not really. Experiences from internships maybe, because that's what daily practice is about. That way, you can reflect on explicitly those periods in your follow-up study and thus understand daily practice even better.
The example from the question about the minor does. That is, of course, an advantage.
In particular, the work ethic taught at Aviation is very relevant. It is a very general point, but fundamental. In fact, it benefits any further study and then work life. It also helped me a lot in making the master's a success.

Why would you recommend this study?

See above. General knowledge enrichment, highlighting sectors from a different perspective and personal political-administrative interests.

What, if anything, would you do differently?

Honestly, I don't think anything. I tried to make the choices as deliberately as possible and I think they were the right ones.

Are there any critical points on your subsequent studies?

An academic study is and always will be abstract. In Public Administration, they did their best to make it as concrete and applicable as possible, but it remains a theoretical and also very 'broad' course. As a result, 'the dot on the horizon' (the concrete/tangible) is not always in sight. I think this is evident in generalist training directions.

More information about this study: https://vu.nl/nl/onderwijs/master/bestuurskunde