Keuzegids Masters 2026: strong ratings for ArtEZ master’s programmes

The Keuzegids Masters 2026 has been published. In this national comparison of master’s programmes, students rate the master’s programmes at ArtEZ highly. The programmes included are Critical Fashion Practices, DAI Art Praxis, Werkplaats Typografie, international Master Artist Educator (iMAE), Kunsteducatie, Performance Practices, Music Therapy and Architecture. The Keuzegids provides prospective students with insight into how current students experience their programme, based on results from the National Student Survey (NSE).

Critical Fashion Practices, DAI Art Praxis and Werkplaats Typografie – part of the Master in Fine Art and Design – once again receive excellent scores on many aspects. Students rate the programme content, lecturers, assessment and atmosphere as excellent. The score for career preparation is average. Within the national category Fine Art and Design, the programme ranks among the highest-scoring programmes, after Zuyd University of Applied Sciences.

The Master Performance Practices scores above average on content, lecturers, assessment and career preparation. The aspect atmosphere receives an average score. The Master Music Therapy also performs strongly. The programme scores above average on atmosphere and career preparation, and average on content, lecturers and assessment.

The other master’s programmes score around the national average. Notably, students across all Architecture master’s programmes in the Netherlands are more critical this year. The Master of Music and the Master Interior Architecture were not included in the results due to an insufficient number of responses in the National Student Survey.

The results of the National Student Survey and the comparisons in the Keuzegids Masters 2026 provide valuable insights into how students experience their programmes. Laurien Timmermans, member of the Executive Board, emphasises:

"We are proud of the appreciation our master’s programmes receive once again. The results of the Keuzegids and the National Student Survey show where our strengths lie and where we can continue to grow. We use feedback from our students in the NSE as important input to keep developing the quality of our master’s education."

Laurien Timmermans, lid College van Bestuur

The Keuzegids Masters is compiled by the Centre for Higher Education Information (CHOI). The guide compares accredited master’s programmes at universities of applied sciences and research universities in the Netherlands. It gives prospective students insight into the Dutch master’s landscape and allows them to compare programmes. The guide presents the different master’s programmes based on programme descriptions, admission requirements, student evaluations and accreditation data.

The information and assessments are primarily based on the results of the National Student Survey (NSE) from the previous year (2025 in this case) and labour market data from the Kunsten-Monitor (KUO). Students evaluate their programme on content, lecturers, assessment, career preparation and atmosphere. These results are only shown when there are enough respondents to the NSE.

Unlike the Keuzegids HBO, the Keuzegids Masters does not assign an overall score or the label “top programme”. This is because no study success data are available for master’s programmes. The assessment therefore relies solely on the results of the National Student Survey. Student opinions are highly valuable, but – as the publishers of the Keuzegids note – they are not sufficient on their own to provide an overall judgement about the quality of a programme.

All master’s programmes at ArtEZ are accredited by the NVAO and are included in the Keuzegids Masters 2026. More information about the guide can be found at www.keuzegids.nl.