This August Fernando Rojas Franco (head of internationalisation at ASIS) attended the official kick-off of the Double Degree program between AVANS and UDLAP in Mexico. With this new addition to the Double Degrees offered, ASIS strengthens its position as a leader in Internationalisation within the Dutch International Business programs.
Alberto Mori and Carlin Schuster, Italian and German students of the IB programme in Breda, will spend the next two years of their careers in Mexico and are looking forward to learning a lot about the culture, the business structure and new opportunities. They will obtain a Mexican Bachelor degree in addition to the BBA of Avans upon graduation.
Mr Rojas Franco was also able to lecture in Sustainability issues in Europe and to give introduction presentations to students from UDLAP who might be interested in an Exchange with Avans.
Every year, dozens of Avans students leave the Netherlands to spend two years abroad studying. When they return, they’ve improved their language skills and broadened their outlook.
“It’s amazing to see how driven German students are”, Thomas Schipperen says when talking about his double degree period in Germany. He felt deeply challenged by his fellow students during the two years he spent earning his bachelor’s degree in Reutlingen.
Read more about the Double Degree
Helicopter view
Not everyone has what it takes to participate in this programme. Regine Bechler, Lecturer at Avans, explains: “We notice that students find it hard to follow a full curriculum in a different language. You have to be driven and decisive.” Partner institutions, whether they are based in Newcastle, Reutlingen or Reims, have a very limited number of places, according to Bechler. “Only students with good grades are considered.”
All double degree students have to write their dissertation in the language of the partner institution in order to qualify for two bachelor’s degrees. But Bechler says it’s all worth the trouble. “Graduates speak a second language at a professional level and have immersed themselves in a different culture for two years. The helicopter view they have developed offers them better career prospects”, she explains.
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