Embrace Technology, Entrepreneurship & Creativity

Minor embrace TEC

Embrace TEC: Technology + Entrepreneurship + Creativity is a minor program for students ready to find their purpose and discover their top talents and how to utilize them. By joining this minor, you jump on a power-packed 20-week program where you get real hands-on experience in solving meaningful challenges, designing prototypes, taking field trips, connecting with industry experts, and working in multi-cultural, cross-disciplinary teams.

You can join regardless of your current study program.

The program consists of group challenges and personal project track work. The group challenges are always around a meaningful topic that impacts society. Your track work is either deep-diving into your personal purpose or working on your entrepreneurial skills.

During the minor program, you explore and develop your purpose and skillset through three roles: Personal and Professional Identity explorer, Design-Based Worker, and Technology Integrator. You learn a lot about self-reflection, design-based working methods, and technologies like programming, 3D printing, woodwork, and laser cutting.

WEBSITE

Visit our website to get a look and feel:

First 5 weeks of the minor embrace

You will detox! The idea is that you detox from the traditional way of learning and adjust to a Pulsed learning style which is challenge-based and student-centered. You get raw and dirty with emerging technologies and creative tools, work together and individually, and take the first steps to figure out what you want to get out of this minor and how we can uncover your true identity and personal purpose together.

Days of detoxing are Tuesday, Wednesday Thursday.

Next 15 weeks of the minor embrace

With the whole minor group, you start working on a longer, meaningful Pulsed for Good challenge that includes mini-challenges and active group work. During these weeks and challenges, you have the freedom to decide what kind of role you want to take and what you would like to learn during the process. You also choose a unique track to further work on your personal purpose or developing your entrepreneurial skills or business.

Each week you have three working days in the Pulsed room, divided into challenge days (Wednesday, Thursday) and track day (Tuesday).

Who else you meet besides Pulsed experts?

In the educational programme, we often work together with young entrepreneurs. They are starting their own company and can share their fuck-ups with you and of course they can inspire you to start your own company. Some of them started their own business during the Embrace TEC program.

INSPIRING TEC EXPERTS

Who is more up-to-date than an expert who helps organisations all over the world in their field of expertise? Indeed, our TEC fellows! These experts are nationally or internationally acclaimed experts who will give you in-depth workshops in our programme.

What we expect from you

• We expect you to enjoy working on challenges. These challenges lie in the field of cooperation with people from other disciplines and backgrounds, but also with contexts and users for whom you are going to design.
• You want to proactively take control of your own professional future. We take you with us to numerous innovative organisations around technology, creativity or innovative forms of business making.
• The moment you integrate your fascinations and hobbies with our education and are open to making mistakes and learning from them, we know for sure that this is going to be a crazy time.

What you can expect from us

At home feeling

We believe it is important to create a dynamic and open learning environment in which students from different cultures, nationalities and disciplines come together. A place where everyone feels at home. In order to achieve this, we (re)shape and (re)create this unique and modular/flexible environment together with our students.

Students are taking a break in between the hard work at our chill area.

Fail forward

Failing forward requires support, guidance, and most importantly, the time and space to reflect on you fantastic fails. This subtle shift from failure to failing can reduce the fear of failure that discourage students from exploring.

 “We want you to revise and iterate based on what you learned from failing – all on a path to real success.”

Laure explains design-based working and teaches students how this method helps to fail forward.

Spark your fascination

We believe that good ideas start with your own fascination. This creative spark can start from empathy, but sometimes It is also the problem or the process that is close to you that gets you started.

A modular pedal board for guitarists, which is the result of a project that started from someones fascination with guitar playing and the struggles with existing pedal boards.

Personal coaching

As a student you will have your own personal coach during this educational programme. We believe that if you are comfortable with yourself, you will achieve and learn more. Together with your coach you will work on discovering and forming your personal identity.

A modular pedal board for guitarists, which is the result of a project that started from someones fascination with guitar playing and the struggles with existing pedal boards.

How to apply as an exchange student

Applications should always be submitted via the International Exchange (or Erasmus) Officer at the home university. Once Fontys has accepted the application, your Fontys study department will send you a link to a web application called Mobility Online. Added to the link you will receive all necessary information and a manual. Please take a look at  this website to see how it works. 

How to apply as a Dutch UAS student

Dutch UAS students, apply for this minor via https://www.kiesopmaat.nl. 

How to apply as a Fontys students 

You have to register yourself for the minor in Progress.

Accommodation for exchange students

It is not always easy for exchange students to find accommodation in the Netherlands. Therefore, Fontys offers a service to provide students with assistance in securing suitable accommodation (i.e. a student room) for their exchange at Fontys. For information go to the Fontys accommodation page.

Application procedure

• After nomination by your university for an exchange programme at Fontys Pulsed you will be asked to apply through Mobility Online (our online application system).
• Once you’ve been accepted in Mobility Online you can continue the application steps, including filling in the accommodation form before June 15 (for Fall semester) or December 8 (for Spring semester).
• You can give your preference for a basic student room or a more luxurious student room with services included.
• The accommodation officer will send you detailed information about the housing agency after the housing deadline.
• The housing agency will get in touch with you and you'll have to transfer two months of rent + deposit before arrival to housing agency (no payment = no entrance accommodation, but still the obligation to close rental contract).
• Accommodation is available on the agreed date.
• You are obliged to accept and pay for the offered room for the whole period.

Admission requirements

English Proficiency 

For each program, the minimum level of English required will equate to the level of IELTS 6.0 (International English Language Testing System) or TOEFL iBT 80 (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or CEFR B2 (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages).

Motivation

You will be asked to hand in a motivation piece for this minor. In this piece (the form is completely yours to choose, video, moodboard, text, a combination of all) you will indicate what your expectations are of this minor and why you think you should be in the programme. Your level of English will be assessed simultaneously. 

Recognition

Wondering how this minor program will be recognised by your home university? Fontys will provide you with a so-called ‘Transcript of Records’, which will clarify the results that you have achieved. Depending on your results, you will receive a maximum of 30 ECTS credits. ECTS credits are recognised throughout Europe. The agreement between your home university and Fontys University of Applied Sciences will usually include a condition whereby the credits that you obtain will be recognised and transferred into the records kept by your home university.

Financing

Please note that the expenses noted below are estimates only for a semester abroad at Fontys and that the actual expenses will depend on your personal lifestyle. If excursions are included in the curriculum, the costs are for the student him/herself. The study programme is obligated to offer a free option as well. You will receive more information about extra costs if applicable in the course descriptions you’ll receive once accepted to the programme.

Tuition Fees

Students on exchange from Fontys Pulsed partner universities will not be obliged to pay tuition fees.

Living Expenses

Students can expect general living expenses to amount to approximately € 700 to € 1,000 per month. This amount includes accommodation (i.e. approximately € 500 to € 600 per month all inclusive), food, transport and personal expenses.

Visa Expenses

These costs vary depending on your country of origin. EEA students do not require visas and as such, no expenses will be applicable. Students requiring Entry Visas and/or Residence Permits can expect to pay charges of approximately € 600.

Grants

In theory, students hailing from the European Union, Norway, Switzerland, Iceland and Turkey may be eligible for Erasmus Study Grants. Please refer to the International Office at your home university for further information.