Sustainable Business and Innovations (BBA)

Hands-on teaching methods

Our teaching consists of assignments, projects, online activities, lectures and events. Every semester you will work in a small group on a large project that has been put forward by local businesses, organizations or the government. By collaborating with different clients, you get a direct glimpse behind the scenes. That way, you will find out what types of jobs and organizations suit you best.

Your timetable and assignments will give you a study load of roughly 40 hours a week. Our teaching style is interactive. This means that we expect you to pro-actively collaborate with your lecturers and fellow students, instead of only listening to presentations.

Our curriculum

In year one and two we lay the basis for your future profession as a Project Manager. You will learn everything about the sustainable development goals of the United Nations, about sustainable business, marketing and finance, how to do research, understanding geopolitics, academic writing and social justice. Besides that you will work on soft skills like intercultural competences, presentation, rhetoric and communication, personal development and resilience. You will start right away by working on an actual project with actual clients. Within a couple of weeks, you’ll have an accurate image of working as a sustainable project manager: what it entails and which skills you need to develop over the next four years to be able to succeed. In year 2 we’ll take your project management skills and soft skills to a professional level. The same goes for your applied research skills.

In year 3 and 4 you can choose in which order you do the following semesters:

• Minor Managing Projects for Sustainable Development. This is project management at an higher international level. You will work in a team on a complex project related to one of the Sustainable Development Goals for an external client in the Netherlands or abroad, e.g. Ghana, Hong Kong, Chili, Kosovo. During the first weeks you will be in the Netherlands to prepare the project, then you will go 7 weeks to the country of destination, and the last 3 weeks you will be back in Zwolle to finalize project and give a presentation.
• Minor Value Creators: A complex project where multiple stakeholders are involved. Via a transdisciplinary approach and multiple networks you will work with your group on one of the sustainable development goals of your choice.
• Free choice semester (study abroad): you are able to choose a semester from one of our 150+ partner universities abroad, or in the Netherlands. So if you want to learn a new language, want to know more about journalism, marine biology or whatever you think might be useful, go ahead!

You finish year four with your research internship. You will deliver a research report and the results of that research have to contribute to the development of the work field. You are studying at an Honours College, so we have high expectations of you. And judging by the feedback from the work field, our students are doing an excellent job.

The grand finale

The program ends with the so-called Capstone. The Capstone is the final course where all the key learning objectives of the program are tied together. During the Capstone, you demonstrate that you have achieved all competencies set by us. So you have to prove to be competent for project management in the professional field of your choice and to be an independent career navigator.

Your career

An amazing 98% of Windesheim students found a job within 3 months after graduation!

After graduating from this program, you can start your career for example as a:

• Project manager / advisor in renewable energy companies
• Project manager or advisor at international NGOs like Red Cross and Doctors without Borders
• Social entrepreneur
• Policy advisor or project manager at the European Parliament or local government
• Development manager at a non-profit organization
• Business consultant
• Project manager for businesses aiming to introduce sustainable production

Also, many students continue with a Master’s program at one of the Dutch or other international universities, for example:

• United Nations University - Merit (Maastricht)
• Master of Organic Agriculture - Wageningen University
• Master of Cultural Policy, Relations and Diplomacy - Goldsmiths, University of London
• Master of Global Health - Copenhagen University

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