Structure of the third semester

Students should complete 30 EC in one semester. We recommend a balanced workload of 15 EC in the first quarter and 15 EC in the second quarter.

Each semester starts with a block course. In a block course, students spend two weeks working full-time on one course. After the block course, they are offered so-called linear courses. Linear courses last for a quarter or a semester, and are scheduled on a fixed day (or fixed days) in the week. Lineair courses are scheduled in parallel.

A course worth 3 EC requires one day per week per quarter. Contact hours are scheduled for this day and students are expected to work on assignments or study for exams. A 6 EC course requires two days per week if it is scheduled for one quarter, or one day per week if it is scheduled for a whole semester. Allocating specific days in the week makes it clear which courses overlap and cannot be taken simultaneously.

The structure of the third semester is shown in the following diagram:

Note: the schedule of the 6 EC course on Tuesday and Wednesday is shown as an example. A 6 EC course could also be scheduled on Monday and Friday. The same applies to the self-study day; students are free to choose their own self-study day, depending on their timetable for the other days. 

* To create a doable semester of 42 hours a week, it is recommended to take a block course, followed by 12 EC of electives. This leaves one day free for working on the homework of courses B, C and D.

Examples

Listed below are 6 example how a third semester could be scheduled;   

1. Example ‘Block and lineair courses’
2. Example ‘No block course’
3. Example ‘Study Abroad’
4. Example ‘Internship and courses’
5. Example ‘Project and courses’
6. Example ‘Full DfI-/IPD-/SPD-semester’ 

Example 1 ‘Block and lineair courses’

In order to acquire 15 EC in the first quarter while also ensuring that the quarter is doable, it is advisable to plan 12 EC of linear courses after the block course. This means that students keep one day in the week free for self-study for courses B, C and D.

Example 2 ‘No block course’

Note: in this example, the first quarter has a study load of 52 hours a week. Because the student is not taking a block course, the 15 EC of the first quarter need to be completed in eight weeks/week 3 to 10 of the quarter.

Example 3 ‘Study Abroad’

 
Example 4a ‘Internship and elective courses’

 
Example 4b ‘Elective courses and internship’

Note: The faculty provides for an internship of 15 EC (=10 weeks full-time) within the MSc programme. If the internship turns out to be longer than this, a good option is to do part of it in the holiday period to avoid incurring a study delay.

Example 5 ‘Project and courses’

Note: The 15 EC of Project A are divided in 6 EC in the first quarter (two days) and 9 point in the second quarter (three day)

Example 6 ‘Full DfI-/IPD-/SPD-semester’

As stated in the regulations, students can follow the MSc-specific courses of one of the other MSc programmes of the faculty excluding the MSc-specific projects. 
However, It is also possible to follow a whole semester of one of the other MSc programmes including the MSc-specific projects.

If you are a DfI or SPD student and you want to take an IPD semester:

• In the Fall semester there are 24 IPD-specific EC to follow. In order to attain the required 30 EC, choose 6 EC from the other electives options
• In the Spring semester there are 27 IPD-specific EC to follow. In order to attain the required 30 EC, choose 3 EC from the other electives options

If you are an IPD or SPD student and you want to take a DfI semester:

• In the Fall semester there are 24 DfI-specific EC available for IPD students and 18 DfI-specific EC for SPD-students. In order to attain 30 EC, students must choose additional elective courses from the electives options.
• In the Spring semester there are 27 DfI-specific EC available. In order to attain the required 30 EC, choose 3 EC from the other electives options

If you are an IPD or DfI student and you want to take a SPD-semester:

• In the Fall semester there are 24 SPD-specific EC available for IPD students and 18 SPD-specific EC for DfI students. In order to attain 30 EC, students must choose additional elective courses from the electives options.
• In the Spring semester there are 27 SPD-specific EC available. In order to attain the required 30 EC, choose 3 EC from the other electives options