For whom

Would you like to understand and speak the Dutch language better in order to perform well in your internship? Are you curious about the Dutch culture that surrounds you in your day-to-day life in the Netherlands? This one-year minor provides international students the opportunity to learn Dutch for use in their daily lives, at their internship and/or work in the Netherlands.  

This minor is an intensive 30 EC course that can be demanding but also rewarding. It requires a proactive attitude, both in skills labs and during independent study.  Skills labs are online on Tuesdays and in class on Thursdays. Please note that a minimum attendance of 75%  is required to complete the minor.

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In addition to the Minor Market on March 12, this minor organizes an online information session on March 17th from 16.30 hrs to 17.30 hrs. Registration is not needed. Use the link to go to the information session.

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Content

In this one-year minor program, you will improve your Dutch language skills while exploring the culture and educational systems in the Netherlands.

This minor offers a diverse program that includes self-study, interactive skills labs, and self-organized immersion activities.

You will use a digital learning platform for self-study and skills lab preparation. In the skills labs, we will work on portfolio assignments designed to deepen your understanding of Dutch culture and education

Self-study (Link+) 

• 2 units per week
• Preparation: 4 hours per week
• Grammar, writing assignments, self-tests
• Reading, listening, vocabulary, grammar, self-tests

Skills labs

• Practicing conversation situations
  Receiving feedback on pronunciation,
  vocabulary and grammar
• Experiencing various cultural aspects of
  the Netherlands offered through news media,
  music and literature
• Sometimes includes excursions

Immersion 

• 6 hours per week
• Rich learning environment
• Self-organized
• Reflections and final presentation 

The minor in Dutch language and culture helps  international students to further develop their Dutch proficiency for the following purposes:

Functioning in the Dutch society and culture

• Having informal conversations with acquaintances and strangers on familiar topics at a minimum B1 level;
• Preparing for a job interview in Dutch to secure an internship;
• Discussing recent societal developments in the Netherlands, with a focus on Dutch education;
• Speaking about selected Dutch cultural aspects, including cultural heritage and artistic expressions;
• Functioning at a minimum B1 level in a Dutch speaking environment, such as in a part time job, volunteer work or a sports club/ gym.

Functioning in a Dutch educational workplace for secondary or vocational education (VO or MBO)

• Understanding language expressions, including common words and phrases used by the youths at a minimum B1 level;
• Employing classroom management language in Dutch;
• Giving instructions, including common grammatical terms;
• Understanding and writing on common topics and contributing to team meetings;
• Consciously applying didactical work forms and language development methods during in class activities and in practice;
• Reflecting on one’s personal experiences as a language learner and one’s own cultural background.

* Or more general goals focused on your future workplace

• You are an international student and have completed a propaedeutic year;
• Your working language is English; your native language is English, French, German, Spanish, or another language excluding Dutch;
• You did not attend secondary education at a Dutch-speaking educational institution;
• You have basic language skills in Dutch (level A2). You may have attained this level through the Dutch course in the propaedeutic phase of Teacher Education, or through a Dutch course previously taken outside the HU. Your Dutch language level will be tested during the minor’s intake;
• You are willing and able to dedicate time to learn Dutch to at least B1 level for a year alongside the main phase of your Bachelor program.

The minor is suitable for part-time students, provided you can attend a minimum of 75% of the skills labs.

If you’d like to see if this minor is a good fit for you, feel free to use this intake without any obligation.

• LINK+ (A2>B1) online learning environment: https://www.nt2.nl/nl/100-641_LINK-voor-theoretisch-geschoolden-A2-B1-jaarlicentie
• Canvas, the online digital platform used by the HU, University of Applied Sciences in Utrecht providing supplementary materials for portfolio assignments.
• Dutch cultural aspects such as Dutch news media and accessible (popular) culture and literature. You will learn Dutch through authentic texts and apply the language in your own course/ study program and in daily life.
• By giving presentations, participating in conversations and attending excursions and other activities, you will continually improve your Dutch.

The skills labs in period A, B, C & D will be online on Tuesdays from 09.00- 11.00 in class on  Thursdays from 09.00-11.00. If you are planning a Stay Abroad, you will complete period D a year later.

With the exception of the first teaching period of the academic year (starting September), the skills labs and test schedules are always posted on Mijn Rooster four weeks before the start of each teaching period. The schedule for the first teaching period of the academic year can be found on the site three weeks before the start. The most up-to-date schedule is always visible on Mijn Rooster. 

At HU, full-time education may be scheduled between 08:30 and 19:00. 

The minor program aims to develop skills at CEFR B1 level. At the end of the year, you will take a listening test at B1 level and deliver a final presentation about the immersion experience to demonstrate your speaking proficiency at B1 level.

You finish each period with a dossier with a couple of portfolio assignments (such as a presentation of your oral skills or developing a mini lecture) and a language proficiency test (curriculum-dependent).

Please note that attending the skills labs is necessary in order to practice your skills and get feedback from your classmates and the teacher. Therefore 75% of the skills labs is mandatory.

Option
You can take the State Examination NT2 – Program 1 at the end of this minor if you wish. An independent exam provides proof of language proficiency as an independent language learner and is a prerequisite for possible naturalization. Participation in this exam is your own responsibility and falls outside the minor organization. You will have to pay the costs for the NT2 State Examination yourself.

Signed learning agreements can be uploaded up to and including 3 July 2026 in Osiris Registration, see the instructions on the learning agreement or check our site. Learning agreements that are received after 3 July will not be processed.  

Please note:
Learning Agreements will be considered in order of entry in Osiris Application (first come, first serve). A submitted learning agreement will not entitle you to a spot within a minor unless the following is the case: 
* The minor is not yet full: each minor has a maximum number of places per period. 
* The student has submitted the learning agreement in full (including his/her own details and signature and the stamp of the examination board). 
* HU has signed and stamped the learning agreement.