Year 2 
In the second year, you will attend four blocks in which you continue to develop your skills in your chosen role: Data Scientist, Data Engineer or Analytics Translator. During this year, you will also spend two days a week working in the DataLab. 

Year 3 
During the first half of the third year, which consists of two blocks, you will work full-time on projects in the DataLab, specialising further in your chosen role. In addition, you will delve into a specific application area, such as Data Science & Logistics, Built Environment, Media or Games. You will also have the opportunity to go on exchange in the first half of the year. In the second half of the third year, you will do a placement. 

Year 4 
In your graduation year, you will work on two projects. You can choose from several options: work on your portfolio, both individually and as part of a team (with individual assessment), undertake a project at a company where you deliver a concrete result, write a business plan or start your own company supported by our specialists in entrepreneurship, or spend a semester on exchange at one of our partner universities. You can also combine two of these projects into a year-long project. Alternatively, you may gain a year’s work experience in a graduation internship.   

Placement

In the second half of the third year, you will undertake a work placement. What’s more, you can choose to complete a graduation internship in the fourth year. During your placement, you will gain practical experience and discover what suits you best. The programme has an international network which offers a wide range of work placements, both at home and abroad. You can make use of this network or look for a suitable placement yourself. The Student Affairs team will support you in your search for a placement. 

Exchange

Studying abroad is the perfect opportunity to push your boundaries. You build up an international network, learn a new language, and gain insight into intercultural differences. BUas works with universities all over the world, so as an exchange student you have plenty of options. Some examples are: 

• St. Polten University (St. Polten, Austria)
• Jyväskylä University of Applied Sciences (Jyväskylä, Finland)
• Kristiania University College (Norway)
• SUPSI (Switzerland)
• Northern Arizona University (Flagstaff, US)

Minor

With a minor, you choose for yourself: do you want to specialise in your field or broaden your knowledge? You can take a minor at BUas, but you can also choose to do a minor at another Dutch university of applied sciences, or even abroad.

The programme uses the method of project-based education. This means that you gain your knowledge and skills by investigating a complex question, problem or challenge over a period of time. As a result, you learn how to analyse a problem and how to use different resources to arrive at a good solution.   

During this programme, you will develop into a data specialist, AI programmer or project manager/consultant. In a digital learning environment, you will learn to gain knowledge and insights from data using specific methods, processes and systems. You will also gain a broad knowledge of artificial intelligence. 

Depending on your chosen role, you will develop skills in technology and consulting. The study programme has adopted a project-driven education method. Throughout all four years of study, you will work on various data projects in a simulated DataLab, both individually and with other students. 

The Applied Data Science & Artificial Intelligence bachelor’s programme of BUas is the first in the Netherlands to focus on the practical implementation of Artificial Intelligence. The programme is challenging and demanding, requiring long days either on the BUas campus or at a placement host company. Keep in mind that this study programme will take up a lot of your time. We are looking for students who are genuinely interested in the field.

A typical week

Below, you will find an example of a typical week. Keep in mind that this schedule may vary each week, and this example serves as an indication. 

Monday – Independent study day

• 09.00-17.00: You acquire knowledge via the digital learning environment

Tuesday – DataLab day 

• 09.15-09.30: Stand-up session in which we discuss what we worked on the previous day and what we are going to do today
• 09.30-10.00: We plan the week ahead – what do we need to do to ensure that we deliver the project on time
• 10.00-12.00: Project work
• 12.00-13.00: Lunch
• 13.00-17.00: More project work

Wednesday – Independent study day 

• 09.00-17.00: You acquire knowledge via the digital learning environment

Thursday – Independent study day 

• 09.00-17.00: You acquire knowledge via the digital learning environment

Friday – DataLab day 

• 09.15-09.30: Stand-up session
• 09.30-12.00: Project work
• 13.00-14.00: Lecture on the current part of the project by one of the lecturers
• 14.00-17.00: More project work

 

Student well-being
BUas encourages and helps you to make the most of yourself, whatever your circumstances. Maybe you have a chronic illness, are a family carer, a competitive athlete, or juggle your studies with running your own business? Our study coaches, student counsellors and student psychologists are here to help. Do you need extra support or advice? Or extra facilities? Then take a look at the options here.

Team roles
In practice, AI and data projects are not carried out by individuals, but mainly by teams of specialists. Such a team typically consists of a Data Scientist, a Data Engineer and an Analytics Translator. In each project, you choose one of these roles:

• Data Scientist uses statistics and machine learning to make predictions and address key business
• Data Engineer builds and optimises the systems that allow Data Scientists to perform their work
• Analytics Translator delivers value by taking data and communicating the results to help make business decisions

Many of the sectors that BUas trains for are being radically changed by the emergence of AI applications. A few examples:

In urban development, AI applications in smart cities can increase well-being. In logistics, smart inventory management and forecasting, integration of companies through data (industry 4.0) in combination with robotised warehouses ensure more efficient (and more labour-intensive) production. In the media industry, adaptive interfaces ensure that content and advertising are better tailored to individual users. Similarly, the tourism and hospitality industry aim to better tailor their offers to individuals. Chatbots directed by AI contribute to this. AI can contribute to problems such as over-tourism through smart approaches to crowd management.

In the third year, students choose an application area. They are taught relevant sector knowledge and the role of data in workshops. In the DataLab they work on the solution of a problem from the chosen sector. 

During the programme, we combine theory with practice. Students visit companies such as Banijay Benelux and the Netherlands Plant Eco-phenotyping Centre (NPEC), where they see how data science and AI work in practice – from media analysis to high-tech plant research. Inspiring and educational!

Vwo

With a vwo diploma or a diploma from a similar previous educational institution abroad you may obtain your professional bachelor’s degree in three years instead of four. This will save you a year of time and tuition fees! Of course, you have to meet the admission requirements. The selection procedure is the same as for the four-year programme. 

How does it work?
You will start in the field of study for which you have been selected and must pass your propaedeutic phase in one year. After that, you will complete the second year, which has the same content as the second year of the regular four-year programme. In the third year, you will graduate by means of a placement and/or project. You can do such a project individually or in a team. You will always be assessed individually.

If you would like to know more about the three-year track for vwo graduates, please contact us via [email protected].

Hbo propaedeutic certificate

You are also eligible for a three-year track if you have obtained a propaedeutic certificate from a hbo Applied Mathematics / Engineering Mathematics programme. You will then start in the second year of the regular programme. You can submit this fast-track application via Studielink.

If you would like to know more about the three-year track after a hbo propaedeutic certificate, please contact us via [email protected].

At BUas, you develop your entrepreneurial skills in all programmes. You can also join BUas Startup Support (BUSS), where you attend networking meetings and receive guidance from a startup coach. 

Would you like to graduate with your own company? You can do that at any academy, although a selection procedure may apply. Whether you are already generating revenue or just have an initial idea, BUas Startup Support will help you. 

Read more about starting your own business.