What is a Studio at HvA HBO-ICT?

Studios

Studios are designed to align with industry practices, both in methodology and content. Through this approach, our program aims to remain substantively relevant and current. Our goal is to educate students to become future-oriented, entry-level professionals competent in their field.

From fall 2025 you can do your exchange semester by joining one of our studios.

The studios for fall 2025

- Studio Smart cities
- Studio Data driven Business
- Studio Immersive Tech
- Studio Impact Apps 

Part of old semesters will be continued in a studio in fall 2025:
- Big Data -> Studio Data driven Business
- Cloud Solutions -> Studio Data driven Business
- Internet of Things -> Studio Smart cities
- Mobile Development -> Studio Impact Apps 
- Virtual Reality -> Studio Immersive Tech

In addition to choosing a studio, you need to choose a learning profile to focus on. Each studio has a number of profiles from which you select one. Learning profiles can be:

• Frond-end Developer
• Back-end Developer
• Game Developer
• Embedded Engineer
• Artificial Intelligence Engineer
• Cloud Engineer
• Creative Technologist
• Security Specialist
• Business Analist

Studio vision

We strive for inspiring and activating education, where students feel connected to the program, the field of study, and each other. Where the drive and expertise of the teachers play a crucial role in motivating and inspiring students. We create a place where students, teachers, the professional field, and research come together to work on current challenges around a specific theme. We call this a studio. The sense of community and the thematic content of a studio creates an energy that contributes to the motivation and involvement of students.

Studios are designed to correspond in both methodology and content with the practice of the professional field. With this, we aim as a program to remain relevant and up-to-date in content. Our goal is to train students into future-oriented, job-ready professionals.

Students enter the main phase after the Propedeuse (first year) with a common foundation. From the main phase onwards, the student's playing field is enlarged; students have the freedom to direct their development by either deepening or broadening their knowledge.

Also within the studio, the education is based on the three didactic principles of HBO-ICT: authentic professional education (create something!), development-oriented learning and assessment, and student ownership of their own learning process.

For our students, who seek motivating and challenging education, studios offer a form of education where students from various disciplines and levels collaborate on real societal challenges using innovative technologies. Unlike prescribed learning paths, students have an influence on what they want to learn and work in a professional authentic environment.

A coherent studio palette

Each studio is an inspiring place with its own identity where intensive collaboration takes place on challenges from the professional field. All studios together form a coherent palette that collectively covers the relevant and current challenges of the professional field and society. By working on challenges with societal impact, such as sustainability and responsible digitization, students learn not only technical skills but also how they as professionals can contribute positively to society. In addition to the development of students, the studios collectively contribute to a positive impact on the Amsterdam region.

Authentic challenges from the professional field

Just like in practice, students within studios work in multidisciplinary teams on real, preferably open-ended, challenges from the professional field or research institutes. All necessary knowledge and skills come together integrated in these challenges. Within a studio, we aim to 'bring the world inside' and utilize various expertise from the professional field, research institutes, and our own teachers. Working on challenges and 'learning by doing' promotes creative solutions and a continuous interaction between theory and practice. Students experience why certain knowledge and skills are important in professional practice, which enhances their motivation and involvement.

Education within a studio is organized authentically in terms of profession; it reflects the working methods and methodologies of the business world. This approach enriches the learning experience of students and prepares them for the demands of the labor market. Learning within the studio Within the studios, we create a community where everyone can learn from each other. The multidisciplinary setup ensures that each student has their own added value, talent, and goal within a challenge. The complex problems the world faces increasingly demand solution-oriented collaboration. Students learn from each other within a studio (for example, through peer feedback, demos, and presentations). By going through the same challenge multiple times within a studio, students can grow from a junior to a medior or senior role within a challenge, which stimulates their development and contributes to the functioning of the studio. The education focuses on the development of students. We continuously challenge them to take the next step in their development and support them on their way to independence. Students have (a degree of) freedom to choose what they want to learn and what tasks they want to work on within a challenge. In addition to teamwork, we also want to create space for individual learning and development, allowing students to further explore and expand their own interests and talents.

The role of the teacher

The role of the teacher within the studio is that of a 'didactic coach,’ each from their own expertise. The teacher has high expectations of the students and stimulates learning through feedback, questions, and guidance. Within a studio, teachers with different expertise collaborate, giving students access to a wide range of knowledge and skills. Not every teacher needs to master all areas of expertise; there is room for them to develop and apply their own talents. This creates a complementary team in which all necessary knowledge and skills are addressed, contributing to a rich learning environment for the student.

Questions and Answers

Q: Do we understand correctly that a studio and its attendant deliverables will represent 30 ECTS for the semester, and that there will be no further breakdown of courses or of ECTS within each studio​

In other words, is this an "all or nothing" proposition? 30 ECTS validated or 0 ECTS​

​A: Yes. We award either 30 or 0 ects​. However we do not see this as an all or nothing. ​Programmatic assessment gives continuous feedback & assessments to guide the students towards a succesfull end goal​

Q: We have understood that students will choose a studio during the application period. Learning outcomes will be defined, and the means necessary to reach those learning outcomes, with the person running the studio once students are on campus.​

​A: No a student will choose a studio / profile combination. A student will know the context (studio) and learning outcomes (profile) beforehand​
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In the studio we will create teams and assign them to challenges of our external partners

Q: Does this mean that from the partners point of view, we will not have a clear idea of the skills and knowledge the student will gain until after the semester begins and this meeting has taken place?​

A: The profile will give a clear indication of what a student will do, be graden on and will learn during a semester

Q: Do we understand correctly that a studio is a kind of team, and that students will be working on projects in teams? How many members are foreseen per team?​

​A: A studio is a learning community where students work in teams of 3-6 people on unique assignments linked to one of our partners; companies / public sector / research departments

Q: Do we understand correctly that the survival Dutch course and the intercultural skills course have been eliminated? ​

​A: These courses where part of our old curriculum and will not be continued in their current form. However that does not mean we will not give attention to these subjects. They will be part of our studio education.

More Questions?​

Please send an email to International.it@hva.nl(opens in new window).​