At havo, you take final exams in a total of seven subjects.
The havo basically lasts five years. Once you have completed havo, you can go directly to higher vocational education (hbo), but you could also go to intermediate vocational education (mbo).
With a havo diploma in your pocket, you do not necessarily have to go on to further education, because with a completed havo you fulfill the qualification requirement. After passing your exam, you can also move on to vwo.
Subjects in havo
In the first three years of havo, the school must pay attention to a lot of subjects: Dutch, English, mathematics, natural sciences, society, art and culture, exercise and sports, German and French (or one other language).
Your school may choose to combine some subjects. If your school schedules a subject, as a student you are required to take this subject. In the third year you will receive all the subjects belonging to the different profiles. When you finish the third year, you move on to the final period of two years. In this period, you follow the subjects that belong to your chosen profile.
Profile Choice
Until the third grade, all students receive the same subjects. In the third grade, students must choose a profile. This can sometimes be quite difficult. Are you good at languages or do you prefer the technical side? It is useful and good to find out together with your mentor or councillor. Your choice of profile can also influence the study you want to do later on or the kind of work you will do. Below is a list of the different profiles.
There are four havo profiles:
Nature and Technology (NT)
– Mathematics B
– Physics
– Chemistry
Nature and Health (NG)
– Mathematics A
– Biology
– Chemistry
Economy and Society (EM)
– Mathematics A
– Economics
– History
Culture and society (CM)
– Mathematics C
– History
In addition to the profile subjects, every havo student also takes the compulsory subjects:
– Dutch language and literature
– English language and literature
– Mathematics
– civic education
– Cultural and artistic development (CKV)
– physical education
In addition to the compulsory subjects in the profile, students choose one or two profile electives and one elective from the free part. The electives in the free part are the subjects that belong to another profile. Every havo pupil is also required to make the profile thesis.
Transfer from havo to vwo
Currently, there are no requirements for students who want to transfer from 5 havo to 5 vwo. Schools may therefore not impose conditions in the form of grades or work attitude on students who want to enter 5 vwo. The choice to move on to vwo lies with you as a student.
Pilot: a practice-oriented program (pgp) in havo!
Would you like to participate next year in the development of a practice-oriented school exam subject for havo?
There has been talk for some time about the need for havo students to receive more practical education. Therefore, the Foundation for Curriculum Development (SLO) is currently developing two practice-oriented examination programs for havo. Now that the ideas and guidelines are on paper for this new school exam subject and the first draft programs are ready, the Ministry of Education is looking for schools that want to develop and try out these practice-oriented exam programs!
Two promising practice-oriented programs are under development: the practice-oriented Society program (pgp-M) and the practice-oriented Technology program (pgp-T). In pgp-M, the focus is on working with and for people. And in pgp-T, the program focuses on the broad world around us in which technology is central. Within these programs, assignments can be done both inside and outside of school.
Would you like to take such a course? Then talk about it at school and get your teachers excited! Then get your school to apply via the information your school can download here. Who knows, maybe you will try out one of these new exam programs next school year!