Philip from Germany

My name is Philip, I am 25 years old, and I am a second-year student here at EPA in The Hague. Let me share a couple thoughts on how I came to study Engineering and Policy Analysis. 

There are many things that make EPA a great master’s degree. One is its interdisciplinary approach to solving problems. We draw on methods from computer science as much as from political science. This method requires us to change perspectives frequently. I like that quite a lot. Having said that, understanding one problem from so many angles at once is sometimes challenging. Coming from an engineering background certainly helps a lot on the technical side of our work. An aptitude for social sciences is just as important. 

I have a background in Industrial Engineering. Most of my work and internships centred around production engineering, finance, sales, and supply chain management. During my bachelor studies, I was exposed to lots of statistics, computer science and operations research. I enjoyed the data and solution driven environment of my employers. I found only that much purpose in my work, however. Taking a leap is for the young, so I decided to apply to EPA and see where it would bring me. I have not regretted the choice so far. In this new environment, people are not afraid to ask the really big questions. Ultimately, I found another data driven environment in this community. There might be one problem, nevertheless. 

Most of my classmates at EPA hold Engineering bachelors. It took us some time to accept the bitter news. Grand challenges are more or less insolvable. An engineer rarely taps into problems of that kind. A machine tends to behave the same way every time you switch it on. With societies, things are different. Simulate a social system twice and you will most likely observe two completely different outcomes. Becoming aware of my own engineering skillset and acquiring a new sense making skillsets for the grand challenges of our century took me quite some time and effort. It is this mental exercise – changing between the social and technical lens – that I found the most valuable lesson in my EPA journey so far. 

So, EPA is a social sciences crash course for Engineers who regret their bachelors choice? Not quite. EPA is much more than that. EPA is challenging the way we think about societal challenges. TPM faculty has been at the forefront of promoting data driven methods to study global challenges. At EPA, we explore problems no matter how messy and complex they are. I decided against a degree in Business Analytics and for EPA specifically because of that. How do we solve data sparse problems? How does wording and framing change the meaning of a statement? Is information objective or subjective? How do political parties change their position in the opinion space over time? How do we model cooperation in energy grids or supply chains? How can we distribute exposure to climate change equitably over a city’s population? Even if you can’t find a definitive answer, it is worth exploring the question. 

So, what work will I find with an EPA degree? I am figuring that out for myself right now. In fact, the range of options is so large that everyone has to figure that out for themselves to some degree. Instead of sending a stack of applications to the usual ten large companies, an EPA graduate has to think much more deeply about what position he/she really wants to work in. EPA is a great launch pad for a PhD – in TU Delft and elsewhere. EPA is also preparing us neatly to work in advisory and analytics – may that be in a consultancy, a think tank or a global institution such as the UN or OECD. Large companies in the finance and energy sectors – among others – are hiring EPA graduates as well. 

So, what defines EPA? EPA is teaching at the intersection of simulation studies and political sciences. You should bring an aptitude for the technical details as much as for social and political sciences. We are exploring problems on global scales. Better accept right from the start that some problems are too large and too complex to be solved on paper. Your career path is uncertain. You will learn about your own aptitudes and interests along the way and EPA gives you the flexibility to build your own trajectory. If you are willing to take a leap into something new and challenging than EPA might be the right thing for you.