One master’s programme, multiple countries: studying through E³UDRES² explained

E³UDRES² (pronounced “youdress”) is a European university alliance in which universities of applied sciences and universities work together structurally. This collaboration focuses on education, research, and innovation. Saxion is also part of E³UDRES². For you, as a (future) master’s student, this means the opportunity to follow an international master’s programme. The programme is designed specifically for you by the participating institutions. From your very first day, you become part of a European network and study in an international context.

What does it actually mean to follow one master’s programme spread across multiple countries? We asked Tim Roosen, who is affiliated with Saxion as Deputy Academic Director of the joint master’s programme GRACE. This is one of the master’s programmes within the shared offering of the collaborating European institutions.
“In a joint master’s programme, students follow one coherent curriculum that is distributed across several countries,” Tim explains. “The content, learning outcomes, assessment, and student guidance are jointly aligned by the partner institutions. This ensures that, as a master’s student, you experience the programme as a single integrated whole, rather than as separate national components.”

GRACE: studying in Austria, the Netherlands and Latvia

This applies, for example, to the GRACE master’s programme, which you follow in three countries. Saxion is the first university of applied sciences in the Netherlands to offer a master’s programme delivered across multiple countries and leading to a single joint-degree diploma. The programme is jointly delivered with St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences (Austria) and Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences (Latvia).

This master’s programme educates you as a specialist in Applied XR and gamified learning. You develop XR solutions for sectors such as healthcare, industry, and education. Together with international companies, you work on prototypes that you test in realistic settings.
“As a student, you work in international and multidisciplinary teams throughout the programme. The added value lies not only in the international character, but also in the combination of different perspectives, networks, and contexts,” says Tim. “As a student, you also gain access to the professional networks of various E³UDRES² partners, including lecturers, researchers, alumni, and industry partners.”

For this joint master’s programme, you complete your first semester in Austria and your second semester in the Netherlands. After your third semester in Latvia, you complete your fourth semester at a location of your choice. This is often linked to the location of the company or organisation where you carry out your graduation assignment. This offers a great deal of variety, as you gain experience in different countries, work cultures, sectors, and application areas.

There are additional benefits as well. Studying one master’s programme across multiple countries increases your visibility and employability after graduation. The way the programme is structured closely reflects how international, technology-driven professional fields are organised in practice, where international collaboration is increasingly the norm. If you want to combine technology and creativity with societal impact, a joint master’s programme through E³UDRES² may be the right choice for you.

International study and collaboration

Because a joint master’s programme is a single integrated trajectory, you work within one shared digital learning and supervision environment. Whether you are studying in Austria, the Netherlands, or Latvia, as a GRACE student you always log into a central platform where you can access your study progress, results, guidelines, and feedback. This is also where you build your professional portfolio as a master’s student.

“This system aligns with a broader vision of European universities,” Tim explains. “Education is not only about formal learning outcomes, but also about developing yourself as an agile professional: someone who can move confidently in an international context and collaborate with professionals from different disciplines.”

JEUDITH

Are you interested in a master’s programme focused on the use of digital technology in health and wellbeing, with an emphasis on human-centred innovation and societal impact? The new joint master’s programme JEUDITH also offers you the opportunity to follow an international master’s programme.
“We deliver this programme jointly from Saxion together with St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences and JAMK University of Applied Sciences,” Tim explains. “You start your master’s programme in Austria, followed by a semester in the Netherlands. In the third semester, you study in Finland. As with this programme as well, you can complete your fourth semester, including your graduation assignment, at a location of your choice.”

During this master’s programme, you develop the skills needed to lead the digital transformation of healthcare and address major societal challenges, such as population ageing, urbanisation, and the growing demand for personalised care. With JEUDITH, you also follow one master’s programme across three universities of applied sciences in three different countries.
Tim concludes: “If you have international ambitions and want to develop your expertise within a European professional context, I warmly invite you to apply.”