NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences
speciality: Communication

As a first-year Communication and Multimedia student from Hungary, I was astonished by the pedagogical approach here at NHL Stenden. The university has effectively discarded conventional teaching models, shifting the focus heavily to practical application.
But what does that really mean? It means we have only a few lectures weekly, with no mandatory attendance (although it is expected), and no theoretical examinations. Instead, what we do is set out to work on projects in smaller groups, such as coming up with a museum exhibit anchored around a Dutch historical event or persona, focusing on interactivity; or tackling misinformation within the age group of 40-plus in society. These challenges require us to cultivate crucial skills like critical thinking, planning, communication, and cooperation.
During the first year, the assessment structure is particularly unique: rather than fixating on perfectly polished end results, we are evaluated on how we faced our failures and how we learned and expanded from them.
Our teachers encourage us to harness our creativity and nurture our curiosity towards the world. They push us to ask questions every step of the way. They are our partners in this journey, rather than our superiors.
Adjusting to this new, international environment was no challenge at all. Being surrounded by such a kind, open-minded, and multicultural community naturally broadens one’s perspective on the world.
Furthermore, with extracurricular clubs, sport facilities, constant events that would be too numerous to list, and a bustling campus life, there is simply never a moment to be bored.

When deciding on where to study, I immediately knew that I would be moving abroad.

And now, having started my first year at NHL Stenden I can say, that I do not regret it! 🙂

Surrounded by other international students, I can assure you, that everyone is sitting in the same boat, new experience after new experience and before you know it, you’ll find yourself in a group of people, finding friends in absolute strangers.

From the intro camp up to the 12 Design Challenges in the beginning, you will learn to work together with the people in your community, how to start from perhaps 0 knowledge on how to use InDesign or Illustrator etc. and despite the struggles work through it.
How to create your very first design project with your partner and to realise by the end of period 1 how much you’ve learned.
And how suddenly you’ve come to build a routine, how you’ve grown accustomed to not only NHL but also Leeuwarden.

Sure it can be overwhelming and often enough you’ll feel as if you’re plunging into cold water, but I have found it to be all worth it.

CMD is for those who want to learn and will put in the effort to achieve so.

NHL Stenden offers one-year-long master’s programs, which are filled with information in a relatively short time. While one would think the “Content and Media Strategy” Master is filled with content creation and creativity, this master combines strategic thinking with creativity. I am nearly halfway through the program and have already learned a lot. While a lot of my peers expected more creativity and content creation, the first semester actually focused a lot on research and getting to know a brand’s target audience. In general, this process is really interesting, but the time planning for this process seemed a little off. At the beginning of the studies, the workload was rather low until we sent out our surveys. Within an instant, the workload increased by about one month. I believe this could have been planned better so that the workload would be spread out more. I am also curious to see how the second semester is planned out as it involves actual content creation where we will produce and implement our ideas based on the strategic approach we created.
Overall, I really enjoy my studies. I love the fact that we are working very closely with a real-life client who is giving us insights into their brand, business, and content creation. In this master’s, we have a lot of people from different nationalities and academic backgrounds, which makes the learning progress even more interesting. And especially with the fact in mind that this study is only one year long, it is a great opportunity to develop oneself and gain a master’s degree without having to study for very long.

I’m currently in my second year of Communication and Multimedia Design at NHL Stenden, and honestly, I couldn’t be happier with my decision. The program is very hands-on, following the Design-Based Education (DBE) approach. Right from the start, we’ve been working on real client projects, which has given me invaluable experience for the future.

The first year was definitely challenging, and at times, I wasn’t sure if the program was the right fit for me. But everything changed in the second year. Now, I’m enjoying workshops, topic-focused studios, and more engaging lectures. The program lets you explore a wide range of multimedia fields, although group work can sometimes make it hard to focus on personal growth. That’s where strong organizational skills really come in handy.

At first, I had to get used to the learning style, but now it feels like second nature. The teachers are super supportive and always available to answer questions or teach any new skills I want to develop. If you’re considering this program, my advice is to stay open to all possibilities. The first year might feel tough, but once you hit the second year, you’ll see your skills in the multimedia world really start to grow.

I have been studying Communication and Multimedia Design at NHL Stenden in Leeuwarden for a year now and I am really happy with my study and uni choice, even though it took me some time to get used to the way the study works and is structured.

The program offers the freedom to explore diverse design fields, from graphic design, film and video production to UX/UI, 3D and more. This freedom of choices can be overwhelming but gives you the opportunity to choose your own individual path in the study program.

Structured around Design Based Education (DBE) and project-based learning, often with real clients, you are going through the whole design process and are constantly working on improving your end result through feedback. From research and concepting to creating prototypes and testing them with teachers and your target audience, you get the opportunity to work in depth on a solution for a problem.

Since we mostly work on individual and group projects, I am sometimes missing the theoretical input through lectures. Nonetheless by having individual consultations with teachers of different expertise instead, we have the opportunity to get support on skills and knowledge.
I needed to get used to approaching teachers myself for support and expertise or feedback on my work, but I think it really helps you improve on your individual skill and knowledge level.

I could not choose between giving one star or two stars, but looking back, it deserves 0.5 stars.
Let’s start with the positive- some small proportion of teachers are cool and can teach with real-life experiences. They are nice humans and are actually willing to help.
No, let’s get to the negative- this university’s biggest problem is its organization and internal structure. The projects are so unorganized. The teacher tells you to do the task in a certain way, you do it and then you fail because you had to do it differently. And that’s the norm with everything you do. Do not expect to pass anything first try no matter how hard you work or how many questions you ask.
Get used to people not caring about you. While applying their care seemed appealing, but slowly it disappears and no one will answer your emails or anything, except that you do not exist. Truth be told that as an international student, I also had this experience outside Stenden so it might just be a part of the very warm and pleasant Dutch culture 🙂
There are many more things Id like to complain about but to sum up the main- If you want to study in NHL Stenden get ready for complete misery and failure and accept that after some time you do not exist and your complaints will be ignored.

My opinion on my study program is that it is extremely useful as we don’t only receive theoretical knowledge but we are able to practice what we learn and implement certain methods. I enjoy studying here.

The Creative Business program is amazing, you get to work with clients since the beginning of it, the only problem is the accommodation crisis that happens almost every year. So if you are interested in studying here look for accommodation on time.