Educational Approach

In today’s competitive job market, having a degree is not enough. You need skills, experience, and the ability to create value from day one. Our program is designed to do just that: prepare you to hit the ground running.

Solving Real Problems, Creating Business Value

Our program is built around project-based learning with real clients and real data, not sanitized toy problems. From day one, you’ll work on industry-sourced projects that challenge you to combine technical skills with business insight and ethical awareness.

By the time you graduate, you’ll have a portfolio of real-world projects, a track record of making impact that sets you apart.

This strong connection to industry isn’t just a claim, it’s backed by results. In the 2025 National Student Survey, our program ranked #1 in the Netherlands for connection to career and industry, among all full-time bachelor’s with “Data Science”, “Artificial Intelligence”, or “Data Science & Artificial Intelligence” in their title.

For a detailed comparison, see the full results on the National Student Survey page.

Small-Scale, High-Impact

We are proud to hold the “Small-Scale and Intensive Education” distinction, a recognition awarded to only a handful of top programs in the Netherlands. This means:

  • We cap our intake to keep the learning environment personal and intensive.
  • Students receive individual support and are known by name.
  • Our staff-to-student ratio is high, ensuring you get help when you need it.

This close-knit community of students and mentors fosters an ambitious learning culture, and creates space for deep learning, reflection, and personal growth.

Learning Like a Professional

Our teaching approach mirrors how professionals work in the field. Instead of traditional lectures, we use a flipped classroom model. Students study curated learning materials independently, then come to campus for active learning sessions such as discussions, tutorials, and hands-on practice. Each week consists of three days of self-study and two full days in our on-campus DataLab. During these lab days, students work individually or in teams on real-world projects, guided by our faculty who are present and accessible throughout the day.

We introduce students to professional project management methods such as Scrum and Kanban, depending on what fits the project best. Teams work in short iterations, hold regular stand-ups, and engage in peer feedback to track progress and deliver concrete results. Feedback is continuous and comes from multiple directions: peers, mentors, and often directly from the clients involved in the projects.

Evaluated Like a Professional

While you may encounter a few exams, our primary form of assessment is how well you solve the problem and meet the project requirements. You’ll be evaluated based on the quality of your deliverables, just like in a professional setting. This might mean:

  • Building a model that achieves 90% accuracy
  • Presenting your findings to an industry partner
  • Deploying a working AI solution

This approach rewards actual ability and prepares you for real challenges, not just theoretical ones.

We don’t just hand out diplomas — we build data scientists companies want to hire.