Sustainable Business and Innovations

In the first two years, you will discover what the field of sustainable project and change management entails. Year one will introduce you to key areas of project management and professional skills. You will get acquainted with the industry and discover which skills you need. In year two, you continue to build your skills and deepen your knowledge. You will study modules designed to embed key knowledge in managerial and sustainable practice, while at the same time working on practical skills, such researching, communication and presenting.

Global Project and Change Management is based on four principles:

• Business Skills
• Research
• Global Challenges
• Project and Change Management

Throughout the programme your personal and professional development will always be at the forefront. With the support of your career counsellor, you get the opportunity to explore your strengths and passions, and work on your personal and professional skills. You can work on this during one-on-one coaching sessions, workshops, the 7 Habits course based on Covey and by exploring your talents in our bi-annually Personal Development Weeks.

Our teaching consists of assignments, projects, online activities, lectures and events. Every semester you will work in a small group on a large project that has been put forward by local businesses, organizations or the government. By collaborating with different clients, you get a direct glimpse behind the scenes. That way, you will find out what types of jobs and organizations suit you best.

Your timetable and assignments will give you a study load of roughly 40 hours a week. Our teaching style is interactive. This means that we expect you to pro-actively collaborate with your lecturers and fellow students, instead of only listening to presentations.

Year 3 and 4: learning beyond the classroom

The last two years (consisting of four semesters) of your degree allow you maximum flexibility to plan your own learning journey and to further increase your employability. The focus in these years is on change management. You may plan the four semesters listed below in the order you prefer.

During this semester you will work in small and diverse teams on complex assignments from an organization in the Netherlands or abroad. We have, for example, implemented and executed projects in Uganda, Kosovo, Ghana, Aruba, Hong Kong, Philippines and Chili. During the first half of the semester, you will prepare your plan and research proposal and engage in coursework at Windesheim. This is followed by an 8-week stay in your destination country, where you will work on your results. The semester ends with presentations and assessments at Windesheim.
The assignment is broadly related to one (or more) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that have been set by the United Nations. While putting your knowledge and project management skills into action, you will also be developing '21st century skills', such as collaboration, leadership, critical thinking, problem-solving and creativity.

Value Creators invites you to become a change agent by addressing the United Nations' SDGs in collaboration with professional networks. Together with other students and professional partners, you will tackle wicked challenges and co-create various solutions for a more sustainable, inclusive society.

This semester lets you immerse yourself in world issues that are close to your heart. You will take ownership of your learning path by choosing your own classes, attending conferences and building your own network. You will also be trained in Theory U methodology, enabling you to make a change in society and work on complex issues in direct contact with local, national or international communities.

Value Creators is an educational concept developed by Windesheim Honours College.

We encourage you to go abroad and choose your own set of elective courses and specialize on a topic of your choice. Windesheim has more than 100 partner universities worldwide you can choose from. Previous students have, for example, chosen subjects in the field of Global Health, Communication and Psychology in Amsterdam, Sweden, Mexico and South-Korea.

In your final semester, you will do an internship of approximately 17 weeks. We encourage you to find an organization abroad or an international organization in the Netherlands. You are free to choose the company and the topic of your research. We have, however, guidelines to ensure that your organization allows you to meet your learning objectives. Together with a lecturer (your coach) and your in-company mentor, you will carry out independent research that will lead to a professional product that meets the clients’ needs. The last two weeks before graduation, you will be back at Windesheim to prepare for graduation. You will now demonstrate that you have achieved all set competences. Together with fellow students you will work on your professional portfolio and defend your final thesis. Have you completed everything successfully? You have then obtained a Bachelor of Business Administration!