The study career can be a difficult subject. There are countless terms that are thrown at you. That is why a flowchart has been created, so that clarity can be formed at a glance.
First, you have secondary school where you eventually continue as a student to higher education. VMBO/MAVO goes to MBO, HAVO goes to HBO bachelor, and VWO goes to WO bachelor. These are the ‘normal situations’. Bachelors are the studies before the masters. A master is a post-graduate course, an extra deepening of your study. Usually, a master therefore ties in well with the (pre)education.
HBO balances theory with practice, WO is almost only theory and little practice. If an HBO student has passed his/her propaedeutic (first year), he/she has the possibility to continue to WO, this is not necessary.
If a student has completed his/her HBO bachelor, the student has three options: work, an HBO master (there are only a few of these) or a pre-master.
If the student goes to work, he/she can always follow a master from the company. An HBO master’s degree can be followed without requirements such as a pre-master’s degree. A pre-master’s degree is the result of a theoretical deficit compared to a WO bachelor’s degree. On paper, both bachelor’s degrees are equal, in practice we see that HBO students have a theoretical deficit that must first be caught up before the student starts the WO master’s degree.
An MBO student can enter an HBO bachelor’s degree after his/her education. It depends on the education whether he/she can get a shortened trajectory or not. The ex-MBO student can then follow the same trajectory as an ex-Havist.
Disclaimer: The flowchart does not show all possibilities within the study career. There are always more options. However, these are the most common trajectories.