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The Professional Bachelor – Law The Professional Bachelor – Law National professional and degree programme profile for the Professional Bachelor - Law 2012 Credits The Professional Bachelor - Law National professional and degree programme profile for the Professional Bachelor - Law CROHO: 39205 The Professional Bachelor - Law Publication: July 2012 Adopted by the National Consultative Committee for the professional Bachelors of Laws degree programme (HBO-Rechten), in which the following universities of applied sciences (Hogescholen) participate: • Haagse Hogeschool • Hanzehogeschool Groningen • Hogeschool van Amsterdam • Hogeschool van Arnhem en Nijmegen • Hogeschool Inholland • Hogeschool Leiden • Hogeschool Utrecht • Fontys Hogescholen (Juridische Hogeschool) • Avans Hogeschool (Juridische Hogeschool) • Hogeschool Windesheim • Noordelijke Hogeschool Leeuwarden Drawn up by the working group for updating the national professional and following persons: degree• programmeG.F.J. Hupperetz, profile LL.M. for he (Director Professional of Juridische Bachelor Hogeschool - Law, comprising Avans- the Fontys), chairman of the National Consultative Committee for the professional Bachelors of Laws degree programme • T.J.M. Joxhorst, LL.M. (Team leader Professional Bachelor - Law Hanzehogeschool) • Drs. M. Kok (Educationalist at the Hogeschool van Amsterdam) • E.M.Oudejans, LL.M. (Professional Bachelor of Laws degree programme manager at the Hogeschool van Amsterdam), chairman of the working group • R.A. Plantenga, LL.M. (Team leader for Professional Bachelor - Law at Haagse Hogeschool) • Drs. E.H.M. Verheijen, LL.M. (Educationalist at the Juridische Hogeschool Avans-Fontys) Foreword More than a year ago the National Consultative Committee for the professional Bachelors of Laws degree programme (NCC Professional Bachelor - Law) took the initiative to form a working group to update the Bachelor - Law1. This was in response to a number of signals from national professional and degree programme profile for Professional andprofessionals their employees, in the fieldwhich around had led the the country, NCC Professional the committees Bachelor of professionals, studies into the field of work and surveys among alumni updated. The working group was therefore given the task of revising and- Law tightening to the conclusion up the 2004 that version the profile of the needed national to beprofessional reviewed and with the current national and international frameworks for higher degree programme profile for the Professional Bachelor - Law, in line degreeeducation. programmes The profile at has universities been drawn of upapplied also takingsciences account (‘Procedure of the op-procedure en vaststelling for drawing landelijke up and opleidingsprofielen adopting national bachelor-opleidingenprofiles for bachelor hogescholen’), as adopted by the General Meeting of the Netherlands Association of Universities of Applied Sciences on 15 October 2010. work has also served as a guideline. For example, all committees of professionalsBesides these at proceduresthe participating and universitiesframeworks, of theapplied national sciences field have of discussed and provided feedback on the initial draft version of the and submitted to the sectoral advisory board for higher economic educationnew profile. ( sectoraalBased on adviescollegethis feedback hogerthe draft economisch version was onderwijs amended - SAC). The recommendations of the SAC to consult a number of legal umbrella organizations as well formed the next step for the working group. The comments of the SAC together with those from a number of legal umbrella organizations are included in the latest draft which was submitted to the NCC Professional Bachelor - Law for approval. This new national professional and degree programme profile for the 1 In this Bachelor - Law the following English terms are used for their Dutch equivalents: ProfessionalNational Bachelor professional - Law and for degree‘HBO-Rechten programme’, professional profile for Bachelor the Professional of Laws degree programme for ‘opleiding HBO-Rechten’ and professional Bachelor of Laws for ‘HBO jurist’. 3 THE PROFESSIONAL BACHELOR – LAW Professional Bachelor - Law is the final result of all these efforts. The profile has been written with a range of target groups in mind, namely the fieldNetherlands-Flanders of work, legal higher Accreditation education (includingOrganization. staff Furthermore,and students of the professional Bachelors of Laws degree programme), and finally Professional Bachelor - Law has not only the full text in Dutch, but also athe version new national in English professional and an abridged and degree version programme for the general profile forpublic. the The profile once again sets out the requirements which graduates are expected to fulfil to enable them to respond to current developments in However,the field of a work. number This of makes aspects it ahave domain-specific been changed reference or tightened framework up in for the exit qualifications of the individual degree programmes. the• profileThe number compared of competences to the previous has version been reduced from 2004: from 10 to 7; • social developments, in the professional practice of the professionalThe profile gives Bachelors an outline of Laws; of current developments, including • The professional Bachelors of Laws has been positioned in comparison with the law graduate from a traditional research university, in terms of the career-based education path of vocational education, and placed in an international context; • The Netherlands Association of Universities of Applied Sciences’ strategic agenda ‘Dedicated to Quality’ has been revised and the standard for professional bachelor programmes (which is based the professional Bachelors of Laws. The competences and skills whichon current a professional international Bachelors requirements) of Laws istypifies expected the tofinal possess level asof a minimum are explicitly described, including applied research, management and organization, general and legal information methods, social, communication and written skills as set out in the Body of Knowledge and Skills; • The position and working environment of each competence is described, together with an illustration of potential jobs to give picture of professional practice. • the field of work, teachers and students a clearer illustrative started in September 2002. the Professional Bachelor - Law hasThe nowfirst developedprofessional to Bachelorsbecome one of ofLaws the degreelargest programmesprofessional education degree programmes with more than 10,000 students, and is now firmly established in both the student market and 4 FOREWORD professionally oriented, broadly based law programme with the labour market. A degree programme with a clear profile: a servesufficient as a scopeguide forfor theinstitutions Professional and Bachelor students - Lawto putcurricula their andindividual the reforms stamp made on it withinto them that during broad the profile. coming This years profile and will further updating of the degree programme. It can also be a useful assist in discussions with the field of work about the contents and labour market. tool in creating a stronger profile for new lawyers entering the differentiation, and graduates of the professional Bachelors of Laws degreeWe are programmeconvinced thatare readythe juridification to take on the of challenge. our society calls for job Gerard Hupperetz, LL.M. Chairman LCC the Professional Bachelor - Law July 2012 5 Contents Foreword 3 Contents 7 for the Professional Bachelor - Law 9 1. National professional and degree programme profile 1.2 Mission 12 1.1 Updating the profile 10 2.1 Current developments 13 2. Professional2.2 International profile dimension of the profession 1317 2.3 Positions and professional roles 18 3. Competences 21 4. Final level 29 4.1 Standard for professional bachelor programmes 29 5.6. ProfileInternational in legal positioning higher education of the professional Bachelors of Laws 3537 Sources 39 Appendix 1 – Transposition table of competences 41 Appendix 2 - Body of knowledge and skills (BoKS): common knowledge and skills basis for the professional Bachelors of Laws 43 Appendix 3: National professional and degree programme international and national standard levels 47 profile the Professional Bachelor - Law in relation to Appendix 4 – International positioning of the professional Bachelors of Laws 51 Appendix 5 Example of a Diploma Supplement 55 Appendix 6 – Details of universities of applied sciences, degree programmes and advisory committees of professionals 59 Appendix 7 – Summary of national professional organizations consulted 75 7 1. National professional and degree programme profile for the Professional Bachelor - Law outline of the knowledge and competences professional Bachelors ofThe Laws national2 are professionalexpected to possess,and degree positioning programme the profile professional gives a inbroad the Bachelors of Laws degree programme within the career-based educationlegal field ofpath work. of vocational In addition, education the profile (referred positions to thein Dutchprofessional as the ‘beroepskolom ’) and higher education. By doing so, the profile provides transparency and accountability towards professionals in the field and other relevant parties. The profile serves as the framework for the domain-specific requirements which the professional Bachelors of Laws degree programmes3 are required to fulfil. On this basis, each degree programme develops its own exit qualifications
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