Years 2 and 3

After year 1, the main phase begins. In this phase, you will complete three theoretical modules and one practical module (your placement). Years 2 and 3 overlap here as the semesters alternate. This means that you will do your placement either in year 2 or year 3. In year 2, you will take the following modules:  

Developing People and Organisations 
In this module, you will mainly explore people’s behaviour and what that means for an organisation (or for working in an organisation). The courses you take are Oganisational Behaviour, Business Law & Ethics, Research & Design, and Economics. 

Managing Business Performance and Innovation  
In this module, you will learn all about customer relations, service marketing, and pricing strategies. The courses you take are Accounting, Operations Management, Management Information Systems, and Marketing. 

Exploring the International Hospitality Industry (placement) 
During this five-month placement, you will experience what it is like to live and work in an intercultural facility management environment abroad.  

In year 3, you will take the Creating Impact module. In this module, you will work with a group of students to design a sustainable strategic business that creates impact. An engaging challenge where you will put into practice the knowledge and skills you have gained in the first two years of study! This course will immerse you in the industry sustainability debate, develop your strategic thinking skills and expand your knowledge of experience design. Understanding the interrelationship between these aspects will form the basis of your design! 

Year 4

In your graduation year (year 4), you will work on your thesis and you can do another study component of your choice, such as an exchange, a minor, a pre-master’s, an additional placement, or writing a consultancy report or business plan. For your thesis as well as the optional part, you will obviously choose a topic (or context) that suits you perfectly! You will be supported in this process by a study coach, who will guide you through to your thesis defence.  

Placement

The placement period falls in the second semester of year 2 or the first semester of year 3. 

For 24 weeks you will experience living and working in a real-life, cross-cultural facility environment abroad. You work approximately 40 hours per week. During your placement, you may receive a visit from your supervising lecturer, to make sure that you are doing well, that your placement company is taking good care of you, and of course, to discuss your professional and personal development.  

We therefore have a geographical cluster of placement destinations: Australia (Sydney), Austria, Belgium, Dutch Antilles (Aruba, Bonaire, St. Martin), Germany, Ireland, Finland, Malta, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, UK, United Arab Emirates (Dubai). Please note that these destinations might change due to unforeseen circumstances. 

Exchange

Spending time studying abroad offers you the opportunity to push your boundaries, both literally and figuratively. You expand your international network, learn another language and gain more insight into intercultural differences (and similarities!). Breda University of Applied Sciences has contacts with numerous universities all over the world where you can go as an exchange student. 

Minor

During a minor, you can choose whether you want to delve deeper into your current field of study or broaden your horizons in a different subject. You can choose to take a minor at BUas. Check out all the minors that BUas offers here. You can also choose a minor at another university of applied sciences in the Netherlands or go abroad.

Pre-master

We offer all students the chance to attend the academic pre-master Strategic Business Management and Marketing (SBM). This pre-master gives you direct access to Master of Science programmes in business-related studies at our university partners, such as the University of Amsterdam, Maastricht, Tilburg, Brussels (B) or Warwick (UK). After this pre-master, you also have direct access to our academic master’s programme of Leisure and Tourism Studies. In this way, you can obtain an academic master’s degree in just five years, or even in four years (if you opt for a three-year bachelor’s track)!

Options for personalised education

Facility services are everywhere, so it makes sense that this programme allows you to integrate with specialisations from our Tourism and Leisure & Events programmes! You make this choice at the end of year 1. Instead of continuing with the standard Facility Management curriculum, you will then embark on a specialisation from the perspective of Facility Management.  

Attractions & Theme Parks Management (English)

In year 2 you can specialise in Attractions & Theme Parks Management. This is an English-taught study track that you will complete in years 2 and 3, together with students from Leisure & Events Management and International Facility Management.

Attractions and theme parks are continuously innovating and diversifying. For instance, attraction parks are evolving into complete holiday resorts offering accommodation and entertainment at the same time. Shopping centres nowadays often have additional attractions such as food courts or simulators, zoos are expanding to include more facilities (e.g. climbing parks), and museums are adding entertainment and experiential elements to their cultural and educational offerings.

If you choose this area of specialisation, you will gain insight into marketing, finance, staff planning, hospitality and security and safety. You will also have the opportunity to do a work placement at leading parks such as Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Europa-Park in Germany and Efteling.

More information on this study track can be found on the website Discover Attractions and Theme Parks Management.and in the video below.

Transformative Aviation & Airport Management (English)

From the second year, you can choose Transformative Aviation & Airport Management (TAAM). This is a specialisation for students from the Tourism Management, Facility Management, and Logistics Management and Engineering programmes. This specialisation trains you to become a manager or policy-maker in the aviation sector, a sector that is grappling with sustainability challenges due to growing air traffic. Teaming up with companies in the aviation industries, we will explore innovative approaches and find new ways to do things differently. 

You will learn about climate change and aviation challenges, exploring solutions such as air-rail integration and electric flight. We will also examine alternative growth perspectives and try to find ways to guide travellers towards more sustainable options. As well as learning theory, you will also gain hands-on experience working with leading aviation companies. 

You will work on assignments related to passenger transport, logistics and facilities processes. By attending modular terms alongside students from various programmes, you will benefit from mutual learning experiences. You may also choose not to do the entire specialisation, but just one or two terms. 

This study programme uses a variety of teaching methods. You will attend lectures, workshops, practical sessions in Sibelicious, and be given many group assignments. You will be assessed during four examination periods per year, give final presentations, and submit portfolios. The Facility Management programme is characterised by small-scale education and you will have several one-to-one meetings with your coach.  

In this programme, you are trained to become an all-round facility manager. First, you will work on your development. In our learning community, you will not only acquire knowledge, but also develop competencies. We will help you learn what you need to know and be able to do, and we will give you practical, on-the-job training. It is about the right mix of qualities, attitudes and skills you need as a professional. This programme will give you everything you need to get the international job of your dreams!   

Study load 
On average, you will spend 32 hours per week on your studies. You will attend lectures and work on projects, and prepare for examinations and assessments. Classes take place between 9.00 and 17.00 hrs. During practical weeks, you will work full-time in the kitchen, restaurant or at the Visitor Centre on campus. Class hours are then between 8.00 and 22.00 hrs.   

Study coaching 
Throughout your studies, you will work on developing your personal and professional skills in the Management Development Programme. You will do this together with your study coach. Topics covered in this programme include time management, communication skills, teamwork, learning styles, leadership styles, report writing and referencing, digital skills and working with specific computer programmes. 
 
In your second year of study, you will start working with Lumina Spark, gaining insight into your strengths and your areas for development. 
 
In the final stages of the programme, the focus shifts to the industry, where decision-making, senior leadership, negotiation, and entrepreneurship are key topics. Part of the Management Development Programme is your Personal Development Plan. You will create this plan yourself, guided by your study coach. Based on this plan, you will review your study progress and development together with your study coach. 

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. 

To experience your theory in the real world, you will go on three international field trips, during your facilities management programme. Only then you can see, look and feel what it’s like to work in the facilities management business.

The main goal during the field trip in the propaedeutic year is to introduce you to the international facility management industry and to familiarise you with the various aspects it consists of. Special attention is given to facility / service concepts, cross-cultural aspects, and sustainable development within the facility industry. Getting in touch with the industry and reflecting on the observations and interactions with it, are an important part of the activity.

The field trip in main phase I focuses on project management in a cross-cultural context, in which group dynamic skills and leadership skills are (further) developed within an international setting. You will be introduced to or get in contact with the international facility management industry.

Together with your fellow students of Hotel Management, you will take part in the third study trip during main phase II. In this trip you will further experience the way in which several departments work together, with overlapping disciplines such as finance, marketing, revenue and sustainability. 
 

You will benefit from the intensive three-year programme in two respects: you gain one year in time, and save one year of tuition fees.

• after vwo (pre-university): you will start in year 2 and also receive basic knowledge and skills from year 1.
• after propaedeutic year (economic programme): you will start in year 2 and also receive basic knowledge and skills from year 1.

The differences between the three- and four-year programme can mainly be found in your first year of study. The three-year programme starts with modules from the second year of the regular programme. To ensure that basic knowledge of the first year is covered, some additional classes are scheduled and relevant study material is made available to you. Furthermore you will receive a short introduction to the facility industry with practical components in our in-school training company Sibelicious.

For both the regular four-year programme and the special three-year programme a minimum of 60 ECTS credits need to be completed during the first year of study. Changing from one track to the other during the course of study will not be possible.

Year 1

This year will be your propaedeutic phase. 

Developing People and Organisations. Take a close look at behavioral aspects of working with people in organisations. (Courses: Oganisational behaviour, Business Law & Ethics, Investigative Abilities and Economics)

Managing Business Performance and Innovation. Learn how to deal with customer relations, service marketing and pricing strategies. (Courses: Accounting, Operations Management, Management Information Systems and Marketing)

Introduction to and orientation in the facility industry. Through a combination of company visits and working in the in-school training company Sibelicious, you will be introduced to the practical side of the facility industry. Furthermore a variety of learning activities will be offered to provide you with a theoretical foundation in relation to the programme. During the practical training part, students will work in several outlets such as catering, Service Desk, store room, restaurant and kitchen. You organise, cater for, manage and provide service to real customers, who come in daily for lunch, dinner, a meeting or a conference.

Year 2

Year 2 of the three-year track is the main phase and focuses on the following components.

Exploring the International Facility Industry. In this five month practical placement you will experience living and working in a real life, cross cultural facility environment abroad.

Creating Excellence in Facility Management. The main focus of this module is strategic management. It examines the corporate strategic possibilities of organisations and encourages you to integrate, at a strategic level, what you have learned in previous courses, based on investigative abilities.

Year 3 

Your final year is your graduation phase and is also referred to as ‘Owning your Career'. During the graduation phase of your track, you choose a personalised context in which you will perform your bachelor’s thesis and you have the possibility to complete a personalised curriculum component (e.g. a minor, work placement, advisory report, business plan). Under the supervision of a personal coach, you will work on your final thesis, which you will defend at the end of the year.

At BUas you are trained to become an entrepreneurial professional. In all the professional bachelor’s programmes, you are given the opportunity to develop your entrepreneurial skills. Alongside your studies, you can join BUas Startup Support, BUSS. BUSS organises (networking) events and connects student startup entrepreneurs, there is even the possibility to apply for guidance from your own startup coach.

You can also graduate within BUas with your own company! Every academy offers this opportunity, though a selection process may apply. Maybe, by that time, you already have a small profitable business or have plans to start one? BUas Startup Support can help you.  

More information on how to start your own business.