NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences Speciality : Business and Strategy
programme: Creative Business

Studying Creative Business at NHL Stenden has given me a broad mix of experiences. It’s not just academic learning—there’s a lot of real-life insight and plenty of room for personal growth and creativity. As an international student, I’ve felt genuinely welcomed and supported, especially because there are so many other international students around. The university has a strong sense of community, and the environment is modern, cozy, and filled with helpful staff and coaches.
What I like about the CB program is its focus on practical learning, extracurriculars, and networking. With access to well-equipped studios, we get hands-on experience in production. In just my first three months, I’ve already worked on production projects, created social media content, and even taken part in a film festival. Working with real companies and collaborating in teams makes the study program feel both exciting and relevant.
A lot of times the workload can be intense, deadlines are short, and you’re expected to be quite independent. But these challenges help you grow professionally. Over time it gets easier, especially thanks to the supportive and empathetic coaches. You really start to feel like a young professional, developing leadership, communication, and personal skills along the way.
If you’re open-minded, creative, enjoy working in teams and ready to challenge yourself, Creative Business is definitely a great choice!

When I cam to study abroad from Bulgaria, I did not realise all the opportunities the Creative business course will introduce me to. It is generally a very broad course and you can go in many directions with it – business, production, marketing and branding, publishing, and more. I got the chance to explore through different projects and assignments what I like, dislike, and what I see myself doing in the future. While this is nice for the most part, sometimes it can feel a little too broad and unspecialised. For example, you have production assignments, but CB is not a film course so you do not go as in depth quality wise, as you can. However, I try to tackle this concern of mine by joining different clubs and projects of my interest, that expand my knowledge and skillset. On that note, the ODP approach of the programme (basically mandatory extra credit projects) is rather nice in the sense that it pushes you to explore and try.

The good thing about this course is that it will make you go out of your comfort zone – from cold messaging media companies for interviews and viewings, to talking to clients and presenting in front of people. You learn to rely on yourself and shape your own learning path and goals. At times, it can feel overwhelming to keep up with everything and you may feel like you’re crashing and burning rather than moving forward. That is usually when I turn to my coaches and assigned mentor for support. Coming here, I did not expect my professors and lecturers to be so open-minded, enthusiastic, and helpful. They taught me that it is okay to ask for help when you need it.

To summarise, my experience in CB has been very positive and incredibly valuable for getting to know myself and for my overall personal development.

I came to study Creative Business from Austria after having attended university in Vienna, and I must say, I was pleasantly surprised. The structure of the classes, the close support from the teachers and the modern architecture really ensured me early on that I had made the right choice (for me). The university offers design-based education for many courses. This approach is highly valuable in my eyes and taught me things that I needed even for my entrepreneurial journey. One disadvantage of Creative Business is the chaos that sometimes shines through. It is a programme that is updated and improved yearly, which is good, but also leads to a lot of confusion and a lack of support from older students, as their help may not apply. NHL makes up for this, however, with the helpful coaches and many different opportunities to get support – emotional, academic, but also financial information. Since the university is so modern, it is involved in many events around the world (BIP, Erasmus, EIA, RUN-EU, etc.) that allow you to grow and expand your CV if you take advantage of them.
All in all, I can really recommend this university if you are tired of traditional teaching methods and have the discipline to push yourself.

I’m a second-year Creative Business (CB) student and I really enjoy my study programme. What I like most about CB is its versatility. You get to learn a bit about everything: business, marketing, production, editing and much more. The learning style is very practical, which makes it easier to connect new information to real-life situations. Thanks to the design-based education, there is a lot of group work, reflection and space to make mistakes and improve from them.
One thing that makes this uni experience even better is the beautiful university buildings, with amazing places to sit and study or to have a chat with your friends. Another thing is that all the coaches are very open and friendly, which creates a more relaxed atmosphere.

Overall, it’s a programme where you can try out different things and discover what you enjoy. However, there are still areas that could be improved, such as communication between the academy, coaches and students. Despite that, my experience so far has been very positive and I’m happy I chose this study!

Studying Creative Business at NHL Stenden has been a great experience with a few bumps down the road. Generally speaking, I’m very glad about my choice to study here – as an international student I am surrounded by other internationals which makes me feel more welcome and comfortable; this university has provided me with numerous extracurricular opportunities, which were not only great for networking and finding like-minded connections, but also getting extremely nice and useful experience, whether it’s working on a real set with professional production equipment or creating content and representing my course on social media!

When it comes to the study itself, it usually is pretty confusing, as students are usually just thrown into practical projects without initial preparation and sometimes not enough guidance. However, once you get used to design-based education, you realize how exciting the assignments actually are – working with real clients, producing your own ideas and seeing them come to life, and just “creativity, creativity, creativity” everywhere. I recommend this university for those who are not afraid of teamwork, thinking outside of the box, and being independent.

NHL Stenden has been the perfect study choice for me. It offers me the opportunity to grow and work in a hands-on, practical way – something I definitely wouldn’t have experienced if I had studied in Germany. The atmosphere at the university is very pleasant, and the performance pressure is kept at a moderate level.

When people ask me whether I would recommend this program, I can honestly say yes. However, I also believe it depends on your personal expectations and goals. The program is clearly focused on practical learning, and at times, I do miss a bit more theoretical depth. The organization of the study program isn’t always very transparent and can sometimes feel a bit unstructured, but then again, that’s not uncommon at universities.

That being said, Creative Business is a degree I would choose again without hesitation. I feel well-prepared for the professional world, and the familiar, supportive atmosphere always gives me a positive sense of belonging.

I think NHL Stenden is a great environment for students to grow, as I personally developed a lot through 3 years studying here. There are a lot of different student associations and/or clubs that you can join not only to expand your network, but also to be able to do what you love and learn how to work with different people. Speaking of people, the students come from all over the world, and because of the teaching system, you will be required to work in teams a lot, which also is great as you get to learn more about different cultures through working with people with diffrent backgrounds. My study course, Creative Business is where I’ve met so many cool people, and this is also where I’ve discovered my passion for content creation. The program can be confusing at times, but if you are an adaptive person, you should be just fine!

NHL Stenden offers a great environment for creative people. When I started my studies here, I wasn’t sure if I was creative or what exactly I wanted to do. But through the Creative Business program, I discovered my passion for marketing and I love working in design. However, one downside is the planning and the lack of communication between the coaches, which can sometimes be unclear or misleading. But overall, I love it here and enjoy living in the Netherlands. If you’re open-minded, and ready to work together with people, I highly recommend studying here!

NHL Stenden offers a unique and practical study program, Creative Business. The study program is offered in a few other universities however it stands out.
The uni is home to many creative studios, such as recording and photography. Alongside it we as students get the chance to use these studios and other professional equipment (cameras, microphones, media labs) to make our content and fulfill our assignments. These factors make the university a stand out as we get to have a more hands on approach to using this technology.
As an addition, the university is very international which allows for networking and meeting new cultures and people. My program is very popular so I have had the pleasure of meeting talented people from all over the world.

When I came to Leeuwarden to study I did not know what to expect, I attended online webinars before to know more about Creative Business but that was it. During my time at NHL I learned and I’m still learning a lot. The teaching is completely different than Polish universities because here is Designed Based Education system which I prefer better because I feel like I am more connected to what i am doing and to people around me. In Creative Business I do a lot of group projects, pitching, marketing and business related assignments and a lot of production and recording – some of them I really like some of them I don’t but I think it is normal. There is a lot about whole production process, how film industry works and how to record our own footage in first two years.
Right now I’m starting my 3rd yeah and I will do minor which is called Grand Tour – it is great opportunity from school because I can do it in Bangkok and Bali.
Overall I am really happy that I have chosen NHL Stenden and Creative Business course because I think after I graduate I will be able to find great job in media marketing field.