The opportunity to genuinely immerse yourself in another culture and be more than just a visitor in a particular country is a rare one. Studying abroad provides you with not only unforgettable experiences and memories, but also personal contacts that you can benefit from for years to come.

The decision to study abroad is an important one, not least because of the increased financial demands of living abroad. It is important to make the decision with a clear idea of the individual benefits to you personally. Each individual student will have a different set of priorities, these priorities will help in making the decision of whether studying abroad is right for you.

With its great social life and small-city feel, getting qualified in Amsterdam could be your best decision yet. Read on for our top reasons to love student life in Amsterdam

English is everywhere

English proficiency is exceptionally high in the Netherlands. As a truly international city, Amsterdam leads the way. You will find English menus in restaurants, English TV channels and friendly locals who are only too happy to translate.

Your social calendar will be packed

An exhibition, shopping at the market, a picnic in Vondelpark, a festival – and that’s just your Saturday. Your Instagram feed will be overloaded with everything there is to see and do in Amsterdam.

It’s a small town metropolis

Amsterdam is teeny tiny. Surprisingly so, considering how much goes on every weekend. With only 800, 000 people and tight-knit neighbourhoods that you can easily cycle through, you’ll feel at home in no time

Life is good there

In study after study, Amsterdammers come out as among the happiest people in the world. It’s a clean and safe city, where your mode of transport doubles as exercise (goodbye, gym) and there are beautiful parks and green spaces to recharge in. 

Everyone is welcome

Part of what gives the city its rich and varied culture is the open-minded attitude of the Dutch. You will quickly discover that Amsterdam is multi-cultural, multi-lingual and actively advocates for LGBT rights. 

Fries are always a good idea

Dutch culinary delights will blow your mind and are relatively inexpensive. Try delicious deep fried bitterballen, a cone of fries slathered in mayonnaise and the fluffy clouds of goodness known as poffertjes.

You can get out of town (when you want to)

Amsterdam is very well connected and the perfect base for exploring Europe. Brussels, Antwerp and Paris are just a few hours by train, and thanks to an ever-increasing number of flights from Schiphol airport, a city break or beach holiday is always within reach. 

If you wish to meet with the Study Abroad team please send a request to er.study-abroad@northumbria.ac.uk.

This is a 40-credit core module running in the second semester of your second year, and will be delivered from the Amsterdam Campus.  

The aim of the module is to provide you with an understanding of consultancy. You will be working with an external organisation on a real “live” project in order to develop the skills needed to perform the consultancy task. The associated specific aim(s), objectives and learning outcomes will be unique to each firm/project.

You as a team will be provided information from the external organisation regarding their business model and the needs of the project in order to successfully plan and implement the live consultancy project. Your group will then produce a project plan clearly stating aims and the objectives, whilst identifying the suitable methodologies and timescales. The final project will have to be agreed with the academic supervisor and external organisation. Working closely your group will structure and shape the project using the appropriate tools and techniques to solve the challenges of the live project. Your group will then present their implementation plan with recommendations to the external organisation.

Lectures during the first part of the semester will provide you with a theoretical underpinning of the module content, supported by workshops which will give you an opportunity to practice the various professional techniques, allowing you to build up a proficiency in:

• Problem solving in a real life situation

• Analysing data

• Understanding the needs and the wants of the client

• Professional report writing

• Professional presentation

• Team work

• Leadership skills

• The use of project management tools

There will be a number of additional seminar/workshops activities through first part of the semester which are designed to improve your ability to work in a professional way (project management, evaluator pitch, team working and leadership) and develop the skills to understand and provide solutions to current business issues.

The second part of the semester will see you in seminars, being support by academic staff, to assist with the facilitation of the client project.  Alongside the workshops, you will be provided with designated group time to work on the client problem.

The module has a supporting reading list that provides you with an opportunity to see how the various consultancy techniques area applied to further commercial research-based problems.  Your directed study will support the work you have undertaken in the contact sessions. You will be expected to keep up-to-date with your project tasks. To aid with self-assessment portal is made available to expand on the experiential learning through, journals, development of project meetings etc. Independent learning time is set aside for learning activities, self-identified by your group to gain a deeper and broader knowledge of the problem set by your client. The problem solving nature of the workshops means that tutor (formative) feedback will be received continuously. Solutions to both workshops and directed learning activity alongside a number of quizzes on the e-learning portal to test module knowledge provide formative assessment.

In order to apply for a study abroad place for the next academic year, you will need to sign up to the application portal, following the link below.

Please ensure that you are using Google Chrome or Firefox as your web browser - the portal and subsequent application form will not work correctly with Internet Explorer or Safari.

When signing up to the portal please ensure that you use your Northumbria University e-mail address.  Applications coming from external e-mail addresses (e.g. Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo) will be rejected and deleted.

Your Northumbria University e-mail address should have your full name format (e.g. joe.bloggs@northumbria.ac.uk), not your username (e.g. W12345678@northumbria.ac.uk).  Applications coming from NU usernames will also be rejected and deleted as they will not work with secondary processes in the system.

Please ensure that you add the e-mail address noreply@nu.moveon4.com to your 'safe senders' list in your Northumbria Outlook mail settings BEFORE signing up to the portal so that you receive all notifcations from the application system.

Apply here

APPLICATION SCHEDULE

Book your appointment with the Study Abroad Team now.  All students wishing to join the programme must attend a 121 session with the Team.

The applications for study abroad at Amsterdam will open on 16th April, 2018

The deadline to apply for study abroad at Amsterdam will be 6th June, 2018

Accommodation for Northumbria University’s students has been organised with The Student Hotel in Central Amsterdam.  Bookings should be made by 1 June to secure a room with this fantastic option. The cost of the rooms will be around €900 per month (final price to be confirmed in April).  The Central hotel is 14 minutes away from the Business School on the number 54 Metro line, with a Metro station directly outside the accommodation.

All rooms come equipped with a double bed, study space and desk, flat screen TV, Nespresso coffee machine and kettle, storage space, private bathroom, toiletries,and towels and bedding, All students receive a free bike for use during their stay.  Shared kitchens are available on each floor.  Wifi is provided throughout.

 The Hotel also has communal social space with table tennis and pool tables, collaborative and private study space with access to PCs, a restaurant and bar, and a fully-equipped gym.

For more information about the rooms, location, gallery and costs, please visit their website:

The Student Hotel - Amsterdam City

The Student Hotel Amsterdam West is a slightly cheaper option, with the same styling and facilities.  It is 20 minutes from the Business School on the number 50 Metro line, with a Metro station directly outside the accommodation.

The Student Hotel - Amsterdam West

Northumbria University International Ambassador Scheme 

The Northumbria Ambassador scheme is a funded initiative to give outbound exchange students the opportunity to promote study at Northumbria University Amsterdam campus, as well as to help inform future cohorts of Northumbria students about the benefits of studying abroad.

In return for funding (£500 grant), participants in the programme will be expected to:

·         Submit a monthly report to the Exchanges & Study Abroad (E&SA) team outlining activities undertaken that month

·         Assist with promotional events in the host country to promote Northumbria University as an exciting exchange destination

·         Occasional Facebook ‘takeovers’, posting a ‘week in the life of an exchange student’ on the main University Study Abroad Facebook page

·         Give one presentation at the host University in conjunction with the local International Office to promote study at Northumbria University

·         Regularly post photos to Instagram/Facebook to promote Northumbria’s study abroad programme

·         Produce a video (minimum 5 minutes, maximum 10 minutes) highlighting their time spent on exchange

·         Attend at least one Northumbria University Open Day on their return to the UK

·         Attend the Northumbria University Study Abroad Fair on their return to the UK