Program Overview

Honours Programme SBE

The Honours Programme offers several advantages to our students. Only a select group of motivated, talented students can participate in the programme. The programme draws upon the expertise of our top faculty members. Special courses are developed, that are only accessible to honours students. These courses are characterized by small classes (10-20 students), a high degree of teacher-student interaction and for free (no extra charge of tuition fees).

The Honours Programme is designed for motivated and talented bachelor students: by joining, you can add more depth to your studies and broaden your horizon with extracurricular courses. You can choose from a wide range of interesting courses, both in- and outside of your own field:

• With the faculty part of the programme, you gain a more in-depth perspective on your own field of studies by taking extra courses at SBE or doing research.
• With the interfaculty part, you cross the boundaries of your own study programme by choosing from a wide range of interdisciplinary honours courses at VU, UvA or AUC.

In other words, the VU Honours Programme offers you an exciting option to expand your regular bachelor programme by earning 30 EC on top of the 180 EC of your regular studies. You are eligible for the Honours Programme if you have the motivation to take extra courses in the second and third year of your bachelor programme and passed all your first-year bachelor courses by the end of year one, with a grade average of 7.5.

Why should you apply?

The Honours Programme students express their enthusiasm about this extracurricular opportunity. They choose to participate, which aspects of the programme are most beneficial and how honours education has contributed to their deepening of knowledge and broadening their horizon.

Faculty part of the Honours Programme at SBE

Structure and planning

The SBE Honours Programme consists of 30 EC. These credits are usually completed during the second and third year of your SBE bachelor. In the SBE Honours programme, students need to complete 12 EC in faculty (SBE Honours) courses and 12 EC in interfaculty Honours courses. You can choose how you wish to complete the remaining 6 EC as you have the option to complete another faculty course, an interfaculty course or a Research Assistantship.

Faculty Honours courses and projects

• The Economics of Globalization: A Transaction Costs Perspective (EEGTC), period 4
• Contemporary Challenges in Corporate Strategy (ECPCS), period 4
• Bubbles and Crashes (EBC), period 5
• Research Assistantship (ERASS), year round in 3rd year

During the Research Assistantship, you perform a tutored research project. It is possible to combine the Research Assistantship with your bachelor thesis. The Research Assistantship is organized at faculty level and has to be approved by the SBE Honours Programme coordinator.

Registering for Honours courses and projects

If you have been accepted into the Honours Programme, you can register for SBE Honours courses on your personal dashboard. You can find the courses by filling in the course name or course code under the tab ‘’all courses’’ instead of the tab ‘’proposed courses’’.

Diploma and grading

All successfully completed Honours courses appear as extracurricular courses on your bachelor diploma. You receive an honours mentioning on your diploma if you complete the Honours Programme as well as your bachelor programme within three years, with a grade average of at least 7.5 for your regular bachelor courses.

Information events

SBE bachelor students will be informed of any organized events regarding the Honours Programme via email or Canvas.

FAQ

• Q: What happens to the Honours courses I passed if I decide to stop or if I fail to meet the GPA requirement? A: Passing courses is no waste of effort. All Honours courses will appear as extracurricular courses supplementing your diploma, also in case you complete five Honours courses with a GPA below 7.5.
• Q: Does the GPA of at least 7.5 apply to my bachelor or my bachelor plus Honours courses? A: The GPA of 7.5 applies only to your bachelor grades.
• Q: I fear that the extra exams of Honours courses during exam weeks will lower my grades. A: Honours Courses usually do not involve exams, but assignments, essays, presentations etc. Most deadlines are outside the regular exam periods as well.
• Q: I fear that the Honours Programme will lower my grades to obtain Cum Laude. A: There is hardly evidence for this fear. Many Honours students obtain Cum Laude and Honours.
• Q: Can I combine Honours and act as a board member of study associations? A: You can ask the SBE exam committee for an exception from the three-year rule if you decide to act as a board member of Aureus and Kraket.
• Q: When and how can I arrange the Research Assistantship? A: The Research Assistantship (RA) is an optional 3rd year course that is not linked to a specific semester. The Research assistantship does not take a whole academic year, but instead can be completed throughout the year.

Application SBE Honours Programme

You can apply for the SBE Honours Programme. Your application has to include the following material:

• list of bachelor grades and the grade average of all courses passed so far

On basis of the material received, the selection board will conditionally admit the best students. The faculty aims at the top 5-10% of students. Final selection takes place when all grades for all first-year courses have been published, which is typically the end of August.