The first general ideas for a broad English-language Bachelor program are currently being worked out; the Rector is responsible for the effort. According to Van Dam, this will be the first broad English-language Bachelor program at TU/e. A specialized Industrial Design Bachelor program has been operating in English since the founding of this Department.

“Some of our examples are the University College Utrecht and the Roosevelt Academy in Middelburg”, says Van Dam. Half of the students at these colleges are from abroad. The Engineering College would be set up according to the American system, where students do not have to choose a major during their first year at university. Graduates would have the right to continue their education with various Master programs at TU/e. Master programs at TU/e have been taught in English for the last few years.

New engineer
“We want to train a new type of engineer at this college. Graduates should have a wider vision, work well in teams and in an international setting. A lot of attention will also be paid to communication skills and to the individual development of students as academics. The program will be strongly directed at the business community. I expect that this kind of set-up will attract more female students than the average program at TU/e”, states Van Dam. The percentage of females in the student body is currently 15 percent.

Requirements
Admission to the program will be based on the usual requirements. “But we will be selecting students on more than grades. English-language skills will be far more important in this program than generally at TU/e. We could for example use an interview and an essay in the admission process as they do at universities in the United States. We could also look at the extracurricular activities applicants have taken part in”, the spokesman explains.

Special student housing with communal spaces will be a part of the way this college will be organized. The specifics will depend on the choice of location, possibly on campus, but all options are still open at the moment.

According to Van Dam, it is still too early to speculate on when exactly the broad English-language Bachelor program could start. “First, we have to map out precisely what it is that we are discussing when we talk about an Engineering College at TU/e. Then we must calculate both the necessary one-off investments and initial costs. We have to see if external parties such as government bodies can provide financial support, as we will need millions of euros to get a college like this off the ground. We definitely need the help of others in this.”/.