Fontys ICT launches Master of Applied IT

Master's programmes within hbo

For a long time, a master's programme was mainly the business of the wo (scientific education), aka universities. This can be traced back to the 1999 Bologna Declaration, which split study programmes into a European bachelor/master structure. Since then, students at HBO follow a four-year bachelor, and at university a three-year bachelor and a master with a duration of one or two years. hbo master's programmes were legally restricted for a long time, with the exception of first-degree teacher training courses and vocational master's programmes.

That is now changing, explains Senior Consultant Quality Sylvia Haerkens: "There has been a call from the professional field for quite some time, which is why the Association of Universities of Applied Sciences is pushing for more hbo masters. Masters offer Fontys growth opportunities and are an impactful product and an extension of our education. Fontys Pulsed preceded us and initiated the Master Digital Technology Engineering. We took many lessons from that that helped us formulate our own broad Master of Applied IT." With the addition of a master's programme (level 7), alongside the bachelor's (level 6) and associate degree (level 5), Fontys ICT completes its higher education offering.

Favourable climate for an IT master's

Fontys ICT had a strong story in establishing the master's, notes Haerkens. After all, the need for IT graduates in the region is huge and the frameworks for a hbo master's are becoming clearer: "Fontys wants to train professional experts and a master's has a lot of potential in this as an addition to the existing offer. It also fits well with the growth of research in hbo."

Broad master fills gap between hbo and wo

Nico Kuijpers is coordinator of the master of Applied IT and has extensive experience in higher education. He explains why this master's is an important addition to education: "Ambitious students who want to do a master's now only have the option of doing it at university. They then have to catch up on their theoretical knowledge and mathematical skills, which creates a barrier. At ICT, we train students to learn in practice by doing, together with our partner companies. As a result, they develop their knowledge by gaining practical experience. Our hbo master's degree is in line with this, making it easier for students to obtain a master's degree. But from the knowledge and experience built up in the hbo bachelor's degree." An additional advantage of the master's is that it plays an important role within applied research. Students contribute effectively to research projects and thus increase the clout of the professorships.

Market and student needs

The beauty of the master's programme is that it not only answers the learning needs of students, but will also help the professional field, Kuijpers believes: "Our master's programme offers every student the opportunity to go in-depth within their own expertise. In addition, they acquire broader knowledge in the other ICT disciplines. They engage in multidisciplinary work, and learn to look beyond problem solving. They come up with results that are broadly applicable. In doing so, you sort for a management role, as you see more often in larger organisations of system architects, project leads and team leaders. Large organisations in the region in particular are in great need of staff with strong analytical skills and practical know-how. With a Master of Applied IT, you get both."

The festive kick-off of the master's programme took place on 7 February at the Fontys ICT InnovationLab. More information about the master's programme can be found here. If you have any questions, please contact Nico Kuijpers, coordinator of the Master of Applied IT.