HAN University of Applied Sciences

The HAN University of Applied Sciences, mostly referred to as HAN, is one of the largest universities of applied sciences in the Netherlands. It offers bachelor's and master's degree programs to over 36,000 students. HAN is a knowledge institute for higher education en research in the Dutch province of Gelderland, with campuses in Arnhem and Nijmegen and a research center in Doetinchem.

History
In the 1980s there were many small universities of applied sciences in the Netherlands. The government at the time believed this was inefficient, both in terms of the financing and organizing of education. In 1983 the government pushed smaller universities of applied sciences to merge. The Netherlands Association of Universities of Applied Sciences agreed, and gradually more and more universities of applied sciences in Arnhem and Nijmegen merged.

On 1 February 1996, the HAN conglomerate was finally established and it became a large, broad-based educational institution. Since then the number of students has grown while costs have been reduced, entirely in line with the goals of the government and the Association of Universities of Applied Sciences.

In June 2019, HAN changed its name. Formerly known under its Dutch name Hogeschool van Arnhem en Nijmegen, it now bears the name HAN University of Applied Sciences. In the process, HAN also changed its logo and corporate identity.

Organization
Thera are 14 HAN schools:


 * School of Built Environment
 * School of Business and Communication
 * School of Education
 * School of Engineering and Automotive
 * School of Finance
 * School of Health Studies
 * School of IT and Media Design
 * School of Social Studies
 * School of Organisation and Development
 * School of Allied Health
 * School of Law
 * International School of Business
 * School of Sport and Exercise
 * School of Applied Biosciences and Chemistry

The degree programs, research and consultancy are organized by these schools. All supporting services are incorporated in the Services Department, divided over seven Service Units.

Management layers
The organization has three management layers:


 * The university of applied sciences under management of the Executive Board
 * The schools under management of the Executive Board / the Services Department under the management of a director
 * The degree programs under management of the schools / the Service Units under management of a head

Participation
HAN has a structurer in place for staff and student participation and representation in decision-making. This involves:


 * A central participation council. This council is a member of the Intercity Student Consultation and the Dutch Association of Participation Councils for Universities of Applied Sciences.
 * Fourteen school councils and one Services Department council.  These councils also receive support from the Student Consultation on Participation.
 * Degree committees for each of the degree programs. The degree committee deals with the operational policy of a degree program and supports the program manager in this.
 * The class representatives form the basis for the participation structure.

In 2010-2011, HAN decided not to split the participation council up into a separate student council and a works council, and so instead of following the Works Councils Act they adhere to the Higher Education and Research Act (Wet op Hoger en Wetenschappelijk Onderwijs). At the same time, however, it was decided that each employee participation body may determine its own rules of procedure about whether the student and employee sections within that council convene separately or jointly.

Degree programs
HAN offers bachelor, master and post-graduate programs and courses for professional in various fields, such as economics, management, education, health, ICT and technology.

Bachelor programs
The school offers around 64 bachelor programs in the following fields:

There are also 9 English-taught bachelor programs for international students:
 * Business, Management and Law
 * Engineering and Life Sciences
 * Information Technology, Media and Communication
 * Education and Training
 * Behavior and Social Studies
 * Health
 * Sport and Exercise


 * Automotive Engineering
 * Chemistry
 * Communication
 * Electrical and Electronic Engineering
 * Embedded Systems Engineering
 * International Business
 * International Social Work
 * Life Sciences
 * Mechanical Engineering

Master programs
HAN offers 18 master programs in the following fields:


 * Business, Management and Law
 * Engineering and Life Sciences
 * Information Technology, Media and Communication
 * Education and Training
 * Behavior and Social Studies
 * Health

Research
HAN supports companies and institutions with innovation through its research groups in various fields. They conduct research on issues from professional practice and they develop practical solutions together with the work field. This includes:


 * Research groups and knowledge networks (50 research groups)
 * PhD research

Post-graduate degrees, professional courses and consultancy service
HAN offers over 150 practice-based post-graduate programs and courses for professionals. It also offers internships, projects and graduation assignments.

Masterclasses
Three times a year HAN also organizes Creative Masterclasses. These are lectures, masterclasses and seminars with international speakers on the theme of economy and creativity.