Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering

Are you interested in contributing to the construction of the largest lock project in the world? In determining how high and how strong dikes should be to ensure flooding does not take place? Or would you like to make sure that people and animals can continue to live safely near coasts and rivers despite climate change? If your answer is ‘yes’ to the questions above, the Civil Engineering programme at HZ may be the right choice for you!

It is expected that by 2050 80% of the world's population will live in delta areas. In these areas, where rivers meet the sea, there are increasing challenges due to climate change. With your expertise as a civil engineer, you will tackle problems such as coastal safety and urban flooding and contribute to safety in deltas around the world. During your study, you learn everything about the design and building of large constructions and managing huge international projects. Examples include the Panama locks in the Panama Canal; the Channel tunnel that connects the United Kingdom with France; and the magnificent Palm Islands in Dubai, a design that could have been yours if you were already a civil engineer!

Doing Civil Engineering at HZ means you are studying in the middle of a delta area: when walking out of the University of applied sciences, you will encounter your field of work all around you. Did you know that the Dutch Eastern Scheldt storm surge barrier is one of the seven modern wonders of the world and that this construction can be found 30 minutes from HZ?

Employers are lining up for you as a graduate because at HZ you are not only trained theoretically, but also practically. Right from the start of your study, you will be applying the theory of your future work field in the actual practice. During the lectures you will work on (international) assignments from the professional field, you do two internships with organisations in the Netherlands or abroad and you choose a minor: a half-year programme whereby you further specialise yourself in a company of your choice. In this way, you already gain ample work experience during your studies, and you will be optimally prepared for your career.

HZ University of Applied Sciences is located in the South-West of the Netherlands. With a population of some 4,800 national and international students, we are a small university with a personal approach. HZ offers high-quality study programs. Since 2011 - so for the past eleven years - HZ has been in the top three Dutch multidisciplinary universities of applied sciences.

As a university of applied sciences, we focus on practice-based education and research opportunities. Our close cooperation with the business world, various research centers, and our global network of partner universities are of paramount importance.

About us

HZ has around 4,800 students divided over four study years and some 25 bachelor's degree programs, eight of which are taught in English. Some 500 students come from outside the Netherlands, so we have a great mix of Dutch and international students. Easy mathematics will tell you that with such numbers, classes are going to be small.

Where students matter

Teachers and staff put great emphasis on individual coaching. Your study coach will help you choose courses and explore your career possibilities. Ask any international student and they will tell you the lecturers and tutors are readily available to assist you when needed. HZ also has facilities and individual services for students with a disability or chronic illness.

Our professional expertise

As a university of applied sciences, we have positioned ourselves as experts in Water, Energy, and Vitality. Our programs are fully in line with these spearheads.

At the top

Every year the ‘Keuzegids Hoger Onderwijs’ (Guide to Higher Education) holds a survey of higher education in the Netherlands. Since 2011 the guide has ranked HZ in the top 3 multidisciplinary Dutch universities of applied sciences. The quality and accessibility of our lecturers and the small student groups are among HZ’s assets. But also the classrooms, workspaces, and computer facilities were rated as excellent.

Quality & Accreditation

HZ in the top 3

The Netherlands consistently ranks among the best education systems in the world. Every year the ‘Keuzegids Hoger Onderwijs’ (Guide to Higher Education) holds a survey of higher education in the Netherlands. HZ has ranked in the top three multidisciplinary universities of applied sciences since 2011.

Accreditation

HZ is a government-funded University of Applied Sciences (HBO). To obtain government funding in the Netherlands, institutes must continually meet a number of quality requirements. The quality of the departments and programs is regularly evaluated by acknowledged VBI’s (Visiting Assessment Organisations) of the Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science.

The Bachelor's programs, including the English-language programs, taught at HZ have been accredited by the NVAO (Netherlands-Flemish Accreditation Organisation) based on international agreements.

Mission statement

We are a knowledge institute with a worldwide orientation, with a specific orientation within durability & water, safety, innovation & enterprise knowledge domains.

The various target groups can master their chosen competencies via custom-made education, for a lifelong career in a multicultural and multiform society. We want to be a partner to companies, institutes, and authorities, in order to look after their every knowledge and innovation need. We, therefore, focus on a number of spearheads, which makes us attractive to a market that goes way beyond the regional and even the national borders. These spearheads are durability and water, safety and innovation & enterprise. This is also re-emphasized by the existence of lecturers in these specific areas.

Every person counts

A mission is also constantly embedded in a set of ‘values’, which provides direction for thoughts and actions. Our core values are quality, personal development, mutual respect, and professional orientation. Various HZ places and documents also emphasize the required attention for ethnic and interpretation issues, both in general and in professional situations. We want to be a community where every person counts and where every person is seen as an individual, where working together is high on the list of priorities, and where there is mutual respect for the development possibilities of all involved.