FAQ's

EPA builds on the analytical and problem solving skills you obtained in your STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) bachelor. You will learn advanced (big) data analysis techniques, will be able to design advanced dynamic models and build simulations. This will allow you to study the behaviour of the systems you study and allows you to give strategic advice for decision-making under (deep) uncertainty. You will apply these methods and techniques for the so-called Grand Challenges: international cooperation, development issues, climate change, water, food and cyber security, critical resources and infrastructures.  You will learn how your knowledge can make a difference in international policy and politics. 

Check out this page: Programme structure EPA

In general, the programme is 50% applied technical courses, for instance, Advanced Discrete Simulation, Urban Data Science and Actor and Strategy Models where you learn about a topic and immediately apply this.. The other 50% is a bit more towards the society aspect, such as Understanding Grand Challenges and Intercultural Relations.

For more detailled information you can visit: studyguide.tudelft.nl.

The EPA MSc programme has set ambitions high and students should match this ambition. Typically within the faculty of TPM EPA students have the highest grade average. For many of them EPA is a first step in their ambition to have an international career. International students are subject to a highly selective TU Delft admission procedure and demanding scholarship requirements oblige these students to perform well. 

You will get an engineering degree from TU Delft! 50% of the programme is about data analytics, dynamic systems, simulations and mathematical modelling. The application areas are the Grand Challenges; it is about technical and natural systems and their interactions with society and the challenge of sustainable management. How much technology do you want? 

Examples of challenges tackled by EPA students in their thesis work include:

• Managing intellectual property rights in inter-organisational collaboration
• The provision of assured safe infrastructure for mobile telephony in The Netherlands 
• Study of successful public-private partnership for highway construction and maintenance in China
• ‘Push to Talk’ - Opportunities for mobile operators in Africa
• A cost-benefit analysis of storage opportunities for wind-power

International politics is just one of the aspects of political decision-making and policy preparation. Moreover EPA is not about governments making policies; it is about strategy and policy on the interface between public and private sectors. Do you think multinationals do not do politics? When looking at the grand challenges there will be no solutions without private sector involvement; EPA is about international cooperation, resources and interdependencies and the willingness of parties to invest in sustainable solutions and adaptive policy making.

Various courses within the EPA programme make use of the Python programming language. Although you will become a specialist "on the job"  and advanced skills are not needed, it could be advantageous to understand the basic principles of Python programming. To acquire some basic familiarity in Python, you could check out learnpython.org, or this book before entering the programme.

Orientation on your thesis theme and specialisation/electives package starts in the very first year of your MSc programme. You will explore the topics or types of research that interest you in order to choose your specialisation/electives package. Choosing a specialisation/electives package is in fact the start of your graduation. More information can be found here.

Internships in the EPA programme are optional and usually reserved for thesis research only. EPA faculty are well connected to the public and private sectors as well as civil society and can help students find internship opportunities. It is possible and actually quite common to combine Master thesis research with an internship in the fourth semester. 

More information can be found here.

EPA focuses on the grand challenges; climate change, energy security, cyber security, water, international development. We use methods like data analytics, dynamic modelling, simulation and gaming to analyse large scale natural and socio-technical systems to support strategy- and policy making for solving complex problems and for decision-making while dealing with (deep) uncertainty.

CoSEM focuses on designing in socio-technical systems in a specialization domain (ict, infrastructure and logistics, energy and industry, land-use planning) with a focus on  the design of technical artefacts and institutional arrangements. 

EPA focuses on the grand challenges; climate change, energy security, cyber security, water, international development. We use methods like data analytics, dynamic modelling, simulation and gaming to analyse large scale natural and socio-technical systems to support strategy- and policy making for solving complex problems and for decision-making while dealing with (deep) uncertainty.

MOT focuses on optimizing production and innovation processes in private companies. MOT studies technology and innovation management and innovation systems, it focuses on business analytics, micro economics, and discusses strategy, leadership, and entrepreneurship. 

We are actively working on embedding our programme in the dynamic environment of government agencies, advisory bodies, policy research institutes and international consultancies in the region Rotterdam –The Hague. Our location in The Hague, one of the largest UN cities of the world, brings opportunities to connect to the world of international justice, safety and (cyber)security. Real world problems are used in class and in modelling exercises, guest speakers are common; we bring the world in the classroom. 

Most students find a job immediately after graduating; 90% of EPA graduates finds a job within 3 months after graduating. Two out of three work as a consultant or strategic advisor for international consultancy firms, internationally operating engineering consultants, energy companies, investment banks and investment companies, or as advisors in political context, or work as consultants for NGO’s. About 10% starts as a government employee, 10% starts a scientific career (PhD) and 10% starts their own (advising/modelling/gaming) company. 

Many of the societal challenges in the 21st century, such as climate adaptation and energy transition, strongly depend on technological innovations. TU Delft considers it its social responsibility to bring state-of-the-art engineering knowledge closer to the world of policy-making. The objective of this effort is to contribute to better informed policy making and implementation. This master programme is therefore located in The Hague, in a vibrant environment in the city centre of The Hague in the middle of international organizations and ministries.

Around 37% of EPA students is female. The current EPA population consists of 76% dutch students and 24% Non-Dutch students. Around half of the Non-Dutch students are from Europe.

EPA is an international programme, meaning that we have an international staff, and staff with a lot of international experience; we have a programme that pays attention to international developments and uses international examples and case studies; we have ample exchange opportunities allowing you to spend the third semester abroad, and we have an international student population. Therefore EPA is an ideal starting point for an international career. 

The Academic calendar can be found here

The holidays (in green) are shown in the academic year calendar. No exams or lectures take place on these days. There are about 10 weeks of vacation and some public holidays. Many students use part of these days to prepare for (re)exams or to work on reports. 

Your timetable can be found on mytimetable.tudelft.nl

You can find all information about our information events on the master information webpage.

TU Delft uses the platform UniBuddy to make it possible for prospective students to chat with current students. On this page you can find how to reach these students.

Dutch students (HBO and University) can have a look at the Doorstroompagina to find all information about this topic.

Foreign students can send a message to internationaloffice-tbm@tudelft.nl. 

Technische Bestuurskunde students: There is no overlap with the TB programme. There is however a 10 ects alignment programme in the first semester where all other students will be introduced to the main TB concepts; you will have to learn some programming and do an additional technology course. All other courses are new and advanced level courses. 

You can find all information about this on our application and admission page.

Only Dutch students have the possibility to start in February, although it is highly recommended to start in September. If you start in February it is not guaranteed that you finish the programme in just two years. more information can be found here.

More information about studying with a disability can be found here. Always contact your study advisor, he or she can help you with a good study planning, possibly arrange extra time for your exams or refer you to other parties within TU Delft if other (facilitating) measures need to be taken.

There are special circumstances that can influence your study progress. Examples of circumstances are illness, an accident, psychological problems, care tasks, an unpleasant home situation or unpleasant experience. It is also possible that the circumstances of a friend or family member influence you, but also matters such as top sport, board work or pregnancy can influence your study progress. You can also contact the study advisor if you are concerned about fellow students.

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Give yourself time to get used to your new environment. A useful aid in this regard is the website Welcome new MSc student  where you can find more information. 

EPA students also have to be aware of some additional adjustments, since the programme will be taught in The Hage. Have a look at the EPA information page as well.

TU Delft has an extensive introductory period during which you can get to know people and get acquainted with Delft student life before you even start studying. For example, there is the introduction week in August for all students who are going to study in Delft.

The first full week of study starts at the end of August/beginning of September. During this first week you will receive the first lectures of a number of subjects and other meetings are planned that are important for your study. These meetings help you prepare for the coming year. Attendance is therefore mandatory.

If your progress is not going well, the academic counsellor can help you get back on track. The academic counsellor is also the point of contact for all kinds of other issues that you may encounter that are not directly related to the study programme. Of course, everything you discuss with the academic counsellor remains confidential. More information about the academic counsellor can be found on this page.

For Dutch students:

You can get a room in different ways. If you have friends in town you can try through them. If you join a student association, you can also try to get a room through the association. There are also a number of websites to find rooms. For example, there is Room.nl. This is a website of DUWO (the largest lessor of student rooms in Delft) and rooms on this site therefore go through the priority arrangement. The longer you are registered there, the more chance you have of a room. The sooner you are registered, the greater the chance that you will have a room quickly. So register on time at www.DUWO.nl. There is also Kamernet. Many student houses set up rooms here when they are looking for new roommates. On this website you can look at rooms for free, but if you want to respond you have to be a premium member. 

For foreign students:

More information about finding rooms can be found on this page. For EPA students, a couple of rooms in The Hague have been reserved. Please look at the EPA information page on our student portal for more information. Make sure to arrange your accommodation before arriving in the Netherlands, as you are officially required to register a valid Dutch address within 5 days after arrival in the Netherlands. Registering a valid Dutch address at the local municipality is a legal obligation for all who intend to stay in the Netherlands for 4 months or more, irrespective of nationality or purpose of stay. A valid and registered address allows you to obtain a BSN (Citizen Service Number), which is needed to interact with Dutch authorities.