The Higher Education Review

With many universities in the Netherlands being placed highly in the global rankings, it is no wonder that the country is one of the most popular study abroad destinations in Europe. It's friendly tuition fees, a diverse range of English-taught programs, and a great student life, the Netherlands promises international students the opportunity to open their own minds to the lifestyle choices of people around the world. Highly regarded for pursuing higher education in Netherlands is IHS, Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies of Erasmus University Rotterdam. With a rich history of more than 60 years of experience in urban development and governance, IHS was established in the period of Rotterdam's post-Second-World-War reconstruction with the aim of communicating the knowledge gained through the development of the city and its housing, to government authorities in developing countries and giving birth to our unique focus and expertise in the Global South.

""With Their Staff's Active Participation on Field, IHS Brings Experience from Real-Life Projects Back To the Classroom, Thus Inspiring Collaboration and Co-Creation of Urban Knowledge amongst the Students"

Looking at cities from different perspectives, IHS educates urban professionals with diverse backgrounds, consults national and local governments from the Global South and engages in cutting-edge urban research. Together with its partners, IHS works at the forefront of urban development to improve the wellbeing of people living in cities. With their staff's active participation on field, IHS brings experience from real-life projects back to the classroom, thus inspiring collaboration and co-creation of urban knowledge amongst the students.

Imparting Industry- Courses, Training and Services
IHS is offers two one-year, English-taught Master programmes along with several short courses and a PhD programme. The Master programmes offered at IHS include MSc in Public Administration: Urban Governance Master track which is ran in collaboration with Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences (ESSB), MSc in Urban Management and Development offered in 6 different Master tracks allowing students to specialise in a topic of their interest such as Infrastructure & Green Cities, Urban Environment, Sustainability & Climate Change, Strategic Urban Planning & Policy, Urban Economic Development & Resilience, Urban Land Governance for Sustainable Development and Urban Housing, Equity & Social Justice.

A unique feature of these academic programmes is the IHS teaching method through which students apply theory in practice offering a balanced blend of theory and application. IHS organizes field visits and projects in Rotterdam and other Dutch cities to provide first-hand exposure to local urban problems and work with local stakeholders to solve them. The thesis field work abroad is an excellent opportunity for students to immerse themselves in their research and really understand the local context. In the past, students have designed policies to economically empower residents of a poor neighbourhood in Rotterdam through awareness creation, presented land management solutions to local governments in Indonesia and conducted their field research as a part of an ongoing project in Chennai.

Next to earning their MSc diploma from Erasmus University Rotterdam, an institution that is consistently ranked among the top 3 percent of the world's best universities, there are several other things that make studying at IHS a unique experience. "Alongside IHS teaching and research activities, our faculty members work in the field on real-life cases around the world. Challenges, learning, and questions from these different

contexts are brought back to the classroom and woven into our curriculum. IHS works with global leaders in the field of urban development, including UN-Habitat, Cities Alliance and ICLEI as well as with leading universities in the Netherlands and around the world to ensure additional academic resources for our students", speaks Dr. Maartje van Eerd, Senior Expert, Housing & Social Development, IHS.

"Over The Past 60 Years, IHS Has Grown Exponentially With an Extensive and International Network with Former Students, More Than 9000 Urban Professionals in 143 Countries That Are Actively Engaged In the Field"

Opening Doors for International Talent
Every year IHS welcomes students from 45 different nationalities, predominantly from the Global South, with diverse backgrounds, a receipt for a unique study experience. IHS has students with working experience as well as fresh graduates with backgrounds in architecture, economics, urban planning and studies, social studies, civil engineering, environmental management, law, public administration and real estate. This allows students to discuss urban development issues from many different perspectives and design well rounded policies. Prior to arrival, IHS supports its students by guiding them through the application process, helping them in obtaining their visa and planning their move abroad and connecting them with the rest of the participants of their cohort.

Upon arrival, IHS organizes airport pick-ups, a comprehensive welcome week full of warm lunches, campus and facilities and city tours as well as practicalities such as registration in the Rotterdam municipality system and obtaining cards for public transport and sports. Next to that, students enjoy presentations about the Dutch culture and introduction to all the systems they would need in the Netherlands to help them settle in more comfortably. Students enjoy a number of social events organized by IHS but they are encouraged to organize their own social events such as Asian food evenings, Diwali celebrations or even dance classes. The institute also provides students with free access to the IHS floor. In addition, the institute has a large Indian and South-East Asian population. Just last year, more than 10 percent of the students in a classroom of 95 were Indian so students feel at home in this community.

Indian students are welcome to apply for the Holland Scholarship which is a 5000 tuition fee reduction for excellent non-EU/EEA candidates. In addition, admitted candidates who submit their tuition fee by 1 June are entitled to another 1000 tuition fee reduction, which can be combined with any partial scholarship. Indian students are also welcome to stay in the Netherlands for an extra year called 'search year' during which they are welcome to do internships, traineeships or simply work. With regards to the Indian students, overall, they perform quite well in the IHS master programmes. With their attractive teaching methodology, IHS observes that many Indian students thrive in class debates and presentations, and they are often very eager to learn and critical which fits very well and adds value.

Guiding Students to the Path of Success
IHS works with many real-life cases. One of the unique features of institute is that the teachers are also urban professionals working in practice. As a result, IHS advises national and local authorities in the field of urban management, they also work closely with development organization, international development banks, NGOs and universities and is on top of cutting-edge urban development topics and challenges. "We translate our experiences back into the classroom, so therefore our programmes are always up to date with real life urban development challenges. Besides that, we are also conducting research and publishing articles in peer reviewed journals which keep us up to date with the latest conceptual and theoretical debates", adds Dr. Maartje van Eerd.

IHS also organizes tailor made trainings internationally, so they

do know the context very well. IHS knows from where their students come from very well, they know the urban challenges from an international perspective and can connect to experts all over the world, through their alumni and through their work around the globe. This is an added value for our students who will also be exposed to that network, in class but also once they graduate. Dr. Maartje van Eerd shares, "We have so many alumni all over the world, some in very visible positions like city mayors, and ministers and others at universities or NGOs or in the private sector. One thing they have in common is that they all are very dedicated to improving cities and contributing to more equality in urban areas."

Over the past 60 years, IHS has grown exponentially with an extensive and international network with former students, more than 9000 urban professionals in 143 countries that are actively engaged in the field. Today, IHS offers two masters, one on urban management and development, the other on urban governance, in collaboration with the Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences. They also have a Ph.D. programme which brings in new opportunities for staff to work with young and bright students and undertake collaborative research. "The IHS Alumni are urban professionals who have key positions in projects, programmes and organisations in public, private and academic sectors. For example, the most recently elected mayor of Bogota, Colombia, Claudia Lopez is also an IHS alumna. She is an alumna of the Sustainable Urban Development course, specialised in Urban Land Governance (formerly known as the International Course on Housing and Urban Development) as well as the Land Management and Informal Settlement Regularisation (the predecessor of the current Transitions to Land-based Financing). Aakarsh graduated from the MSc in Urban Management and Development back in 2014 is now the founder of the BePolite initiative. Ritwajit Das, Chief Strategist South Asia and Country Lead - India Strategy at Global Call for Climate Action followed the Urban Heritage Strategies course at IHS, and many more", highlights Dr. Maartje van Eerd.

Concluding with a note to students aspiring to study in Netherlands, Dr. Maartje van Eerd says, "Next to learning, we advise students to make the best of their study abroad experience by interacting with as many different cultures as possible, use this chance to make friendships, expand their network and challenge their perspective. We promise you'd graduate with a degree from a highly ranked university and a whole new perspective to solve urban challenges."

Dr. Maartje Van Eerd, Senior Expert, Housing & Social Development
Dr. Maartje van Eerd is a Human Geographer by profession with extensive experience as a researcher, trainer and advisor on housing and social development issues. Her PhD research focused on resettlement in Chennai, India, where she analysed local initiatives, and government and NGO policies and programmes. Her main expertise is on housing rights, displacement and resettlement and livelihoods. Currently she is coordinating a research project on Communications for Development - Interventions to Improve Livelihoods of Poor Resettled Women in Chennai, India. Besides conducting long term research on the impact of resettlement and incremental development in collaboration with Anna University in Chennai, she has produced a documentary on the gender impact of resettlement.
Dr. Maartje van Eerd has long term working experience in over 18 countries including: Ethiopia, Ghana, Mexico, Myanmar, South Africa, Ecuador, India, Indonesia, China, Nigeria, Kenya, Brazil, Turkey, Nepal, Netherlands, Sweden, Italy and United Kingdom. At present Dr. Maartje van Eerd is involved in an upcoming research project in Chennai called 'Communication for Development: Interventions in urban resettlement to improve livelihood outcomes for poor women'. This project was developed by IHS alumni from partner Anna University in Chennai.