Bsc in creative technology at uni of twente

[u/Striking-Reaction959]

Hello, I'm currently an international student in year 12 and I'm looking into this course and was wondering if anyone who has done this course or is currently enrolled in it could provide any advice relating to the course.

1. Is it very maths/physics centered or does it have a good balance of artistic and technical parts?

2. What potential careers does it exactly prepare you for? I'm interested in comp sci and design which led me to look into this course.

3. Would you say the course is "worth it"?

Thanks😄!

[u/d_ytme]

My time to shine :3

1. Yes and no. If you completely despise and cannot handle these subjects at all, you will have a bit of a tough time in the first year, where everything is super general. "Physics" (which is mostly electronics) is easier to pass because of the labs where you can get a 7-8 without much effort, which then allows you to get a 4/10 for the exam(s), but math is what most students struggle with. On the other hand, it's much easier than TCS or EE or ME even. We only do about 60% of what the other 'engineering' degrees are doing. For math you need to be disciplined enough to put in the amount of recommended self-study hours per week, and you'll pass. That's usually around 8. In M5, you'll get the option between 3 specialties, which are basically robotics, game dev or design. The latter 2 don't have physics, but all 3 have some sort of math course. Afterwards, there's no more mandatory math as far as I know.

2. A lot, but it depends heavily on you as an individual. Creative Technology on its own won't really give you many opportunities. It's anyway expected to do a MSc after your degree, but even more so with CreaTe. You kind of become a jack of all trades, master of none, which is very helpful for figuring out what you want to do later on in your career -- and will always aid you in understanding how different teams of different specialties (designers, engineers, clients) work and think -- but you have to work extra in order to get enough projects for that first job. One big upside of CreaTe is that you will get the chance to go above and beyond for your projects, which may make them even portfolio worthy. Right now I'm on 2/4 'large' projects which I elected to include into mine. Another really good skill you will learn is how to handle real-life projects. Technically, all UT programs use challenge-based learning, where they give you a 'problem' per module and you have to use your course material to figure out a solution. However, I strongly believe that CreaTe does it best: you get clients, you get stakeholders, you have to take a project from idea to something prototype-able, do user testing, evaluate, reflect and then report on your findings. And this forces you to learn how to work with people from completely different backgrounds, with completely different skill-sets and expectations; something which the other degrees don't reflect well, since everyone is a mechanical or electrical engineer, a computer scientist, etc.. Overall, I think the opportunities are there, but you do have to chase them, especially with the whole masters thing, but more about that later.

3. If you're really interested in all the aspects that CreaTe merges to some extent (computer science, electrical engineering, industrial design engineering) then yes, I think it's really worth it! You get a kick-off into every one of the aforementioned subjects then, with the right pre-master and pick in M5, you can choose almost any Masters Degree that the UT has to offer. Another big advantage is not necessarily the course, but rather the people. CreaTe is a smaller study, we started at 110 and right now there's only 75 of us left. The association, Proto, is super active, and we also have our own building on campus. This means we're a more tight knit circle -- and having a good network will be way more beneficial in the coming years than the 'perfect degree'. However, keep in mind that this is a WO degree, which means that, contrary to how CreaTe likes to sell itself on the University's website, roughly two thirds of your time will be spent doing theoretical things. You'll have some programming and design assignments every now and then, depending on the module, but most of your time will be spent researching or doing readings, or just doing math, or some other 'boring' stuff. And you need to be comfortable with sitting at a desk in a lecture hall or at the library or at home to study the required 8 hours per day. I've met multiple people that joined this study because they felt it would be "more practical but still a WO degree" (basically wanting to shut their parents up by going to uni) and which were promptly disappointed by the reality of the UT being a research university.

There used to be this event where you could sit down with students and ask them questions. I don't think it's offered anymore, but if you wanna have more of a chat, feel free to DM me and we can set one up.

[u/Striking-Reaction959 → u/d_ytme]

omg tysm for this response (: how are you finding the theoretical stuff so far in comparison to the practical? i dont mind technical work (to an extent) however im not someone who wants to spend hours on end deep into math and physics (which is why im rethinking doing a bsc in just hardcore comp sci and considering a more creative alt lol)

[u/d_ytme → u/Striking-Reaction959]

I don't know if this answers your question, because I'm not sure what you mean by in comparison to the practical, but:

Physics was overall fun. It got me worried at first since I was never particularly good at it, but the labs meant you could actually visualize some of the theory you're doing, so it was quite interesting in the end. I didn't stress too much over the exams, my general strategy was always to go to the library and study a bit in the evening after our lectures were done the week of the exam, and it worked out fine for me.

However, math can be another story. I come from a country where theoretical high schools involve doing a lot of 'tedious' math or physics problems over and over again until you get it right. M1 math is basically a "hackathon-week" of recap from high school, but M2 and M3 have proper math courses. Even still, I felt they were quite a lot more forgiving than what I was used to, HOWEVER, students from more western educational systems that aren't used to this ex-communist mentality of teaching struggled quite a lot, because it was unusual for them to have to sit down every week and do 8 hours of math questions by themselves. Especially if you're not naturally inclined towards mathematics (if there even is such a thing), you have to put in the work in M2 and M3.

For M4, it depends on whether you did statistics before in high school or not. I didn't so I'm not only trying to learn new things, I'm also trying to catch up on everything. Funnily enough this is the only course I'm currently failing. There's technically no physics course in M4, but the Algorithms course is mostly focused on implementing vector math and physics into code, so you could say it's a continuation of M3's courses in a way.

[u/d_ytme → u/d_ytme]

There's also design courses which require you to do some mandatory readings and documentation, but you mentioned being worried about these 2 mostly so I skipped that. As long as you can write decently well you shouldn't have to worry about those too much.. and if not, well, then you're gonna learn pretty quick in Module 2 when you get the first big report 😭

[u/Striking-Reaction959 → u/d_ytme]

Lmaoo😭 alr. Thank you so much for the insights ((: May I ask what projects you're currently working on for the course?

[u/d_ytme → u/Striking-Reaction959]

M4 (the current module) is all about art. We got the theme "Another I", and we have to design an interactive conceptual art installation which explores an idea related to the theme. My group chose to focus on how different environments make us behave like 'completely different people'. Last week, we did some preliminary testing for our idea, where we combined a series of videos, photos and songs together then interviewed participants on how each 'environment' made them feel, if they noticed different feelings based on the different scenarios we envisioned, etc.

Honestly? Not my favourite. It's alright, don't get me wrong, but I much more enjoyed the Design Project in M3 or the Smart Environments project in M2.

* In M3, we selected a client which proposed a challenge to us, and then we had to come up with some ideas for a solution, build multiple prototypes, test it out and gather feedback, etc. We got the challenge of transforming the complex dashboards that planners use into something that regular citizens could use to share their own opinions and lived experience in a city. The result was a hybrid game where players would get cards with the concerns of citizens on them, then choose an action which would be reflected onto a digital map of the city. Was pretty cool! :3

* In M2, we were given a theme (reduce and reuse?) and the freedom to select our own problem, so we chose how no one sorts trash properly on campus. We built a "Smart Environment" in the form of multiple trash bins for different kinds of waste, with an attached camera running an object detection model, which could tell you where to throw an item out. The bins would then track if people followed through with the model's recommendation, track how full they are, etc. Shameless plug: https://github.com/dytme/Binny

Both of these felt much more tangible to me, but that's another thing with CreaTe: people will like or dislike particular modules more or less, depending on their interests.

[u/Striking-Reaction959 → u/d_ytme]

Woah these sound pretty cool. Thanks 🙌

[u/Striking-Reaction959 → u/d_ytme]

Also I wanted to ask what you're planning on picking for a masters degree after this? Are you thinking about doing a more techy degree like comp sci or a more design focused one?

[u/d_ytme → u/Striking-Reaction959]

It feels like everyone started asking me this question as of late... I thought I had a better idea of what I wanted to do before I joined CreaTe, not gonna lie. Right now I have no idea. I know I wouldn't enjoy doing something exclusively technical nor exclusively design/creative, so I'm a bit unsure. TwT

You can, however, do either one. Some (most) require a pre-master, but usually one doesn't have to be designed specifically for you, there's usually a collection of courses available that shouldn't overlap too much which you can do as 'electives' in M9 and M10, before your thesis.

[u/Striking-Reaction959 → u/d_ytme]

Ohh I see, dw I'm sure you'll know soon ✊✊. Thanks for the info (:

[u/Global_Swordfish7410 → u/d_ytme]

hey im pretty interested in this program too and kinda curious about the student life in general. Although im currently leaning towards the program taught in Amsterdam, the one in Enschede seems like a good option too, as it seems like all the labs and equipment are located there. Any insights ?

[u/d_ytme → u/Global_Swordfish7410]

DO NOT GO TO AMSTERDAM DEAR LORD

[u/d_ytme → u/d_ytme]

To clarify: For most subjects you'll have less well-prepared lecturers. Only one subject has a "better-prepared" program coordinator, in all other circumstances you usually get lectures by PhDs or even Masters students in one case.

The VU has no labs and you often have to commute to the UT to use our facilities. If you're not working/born in the Netherlands, you'll have to shell out 30 or so euros one way (group tickets don't really work since you'll have to either have to commute during rush hour or wait multiple hours from the moment you finish your labs or whatnot)

And you end up paying A LOT more on living costs and rent especially. All for an equal or lower quality of study, just to say you 'live in Amsterdam' - but let's be honest, with the housing crisis, you won't live in Amsterdam, you'd have to move to a small town nearby and commute daily. A commute in Enschede, on the other hand, involves a 20 or so minute bike ride.

And to answer your student life question for the UT: It's amazing here. Mostly because there's kinda like nothing to do in Enschede, so the associations are really active, there's always a student house party, plenty of sports and hobby associations, etc.

[u/Global_Swordfish7410 → u/d_ytme]

thanks alot for this. I think i have to heavily reconsider my choices. Was it hard for you to find housing ? i am currently looking but any advice could help and as i dont speak really speak Dutch will that hinder my prospects alot ?

[u/d_ytme → u/Global_Swordfish7410]

I started looking at the end of April. I was really lucky and found my place in 2 weeks. However, a friend of mine also started looking in mid-may and found his place at the beginning of August. You still have to take the housing crisis seriously.

If you're not an international student (as in get guaranteed housing) then your chances of getting something on Campus are tiny. Most of the houses are dutch and are looking for dutch-speakers only. You'll have more luck finding listings on Kamernet or Facebook from student houses and doing interviews with them.

[u/Annie_030_]

I've done it, and if you're interested in being creative and technical at the same time it's definitely a good programme!

What is good to keep in mind is that you are in charge of developing your own skillset. CreaTe throws all these different things at you: programming, game design, a bit of industrial design, project work, etc. It is up to you to get better at one of these in your own time as well. If you only manage to pass all courses with barely a pass, and not get invested in anything, you won't be able to build a cool portfolio for yourself, which is something you definitely need for pursuing a creative or programming career. For example: I really loved the 3D modelling/game design aspect of CreaTe, and am currently trying to build a portfolio around that aspect.

[u/Striking-Reaction959 → u/Annie_030_]

Ooo sounds cool, thank youu:)

[u/Future_Variation_563]

The mix of programming, design, and psychology is actually pretty unique.