Bachelor University College Utrecht
Utrecht University
Key Information
Campus location
Utrecht, Netherlands
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
3 years
Pace
Full time
Tuition fees
EUR 4,584 / per year *
Application deadline
Request info
Earliest start date
Request info
* EU/EEA, Surinam or Swiss students. €14,000: International students
Scholarships
Explore scholarship opportunities to help fund your studies
Introduction
Are you curious to explore many different fields?
University College Utrecht provides English-language Liberal Arts and Sciences undergraduate education. Founded in 1998, as the first university college in the Netherlands, we are part of Utrecht University. Our campus is home to 750 students of 70 different nationalities. With the help of a personal tutor, students design their individual curriculum cross-cutting Science, Social Sciences and Humanities. They are also expected to engage in extra-curricular activities. At University College Utrecht, students learn for life.
All students follow a three-year bachelor's program. They graduate with a degree from Utrecht University, either a Bachelor of Science or a Bachelor of Arts.
Liberal Arts and Sciences
According to the Association of American Colleges and Universities, “liberal education is an educational philosophy rather than a body of knowledge, specific courses, or type of institution. By drawing on a broad range of knowledge, it asks students to grapple with complicated, important issues, and usually expects them to learn about at least one subject in greater depth and at an advanced level. Intellectual growth occurs as both broad and deep learning challenge previously held beliefs.”
Active Learning
The small-scale and interactive class format creates optimal opportunities for learning. Students write papers, give presentations, lead discussions about reading materials, engage in debate, work on assignments in small groups, analyze data, and so on. They receive feedback on their work in order to improve their academic skills and levels of understanding.
Studying at University College Utrecht requires good planning; students have four classes every semester and each has deadlines for reading assignments, presentations, and papers.
Ideal Students
Student Profile
University College Utrecht aims to provide knowledge, skills, and insight in different academic fields in accordance with the Liberal Arts and Sciences’ philosophy and enable a wide range of achievement for students who will step into an open and fast-changing future.
Applicants must exhibit that they fit our general profile in line with the educational philosophy of University College Utrecht:
- Demonstrated academic potential
- Curious and motivated, academically as well as personally
- Broad intellectual orientation and openness to explore beyond disciplinary boundaries
- Affinity with living and studying in a diverse, international campus community and a willingness to contribute and engage with different ideas and perspectives
- Demonstrated social engagement or commitment to others
Curriculum
A University College Utrecht education is characterized by its broad and interdisciplinary nature. As a student, therefore, you design your own curriculum. This means that the curriculum does not have a fixed structure; instead, you combine different courses to assemble a personal study program. You can choose from over 200 courses in the following academic disciplines:
Humanities
- Art History & Museum Studies
- China Studies
- History
- Linguistics
- Literature & Classics
- Media and Performance Studies
- Philosophy
- Religious Studies
Science
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Earth & Environment
- Mathematics
- Medical Science
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Physics
Social Science
- Anthropology
- Economics
- Geography
- Law
- Political Science
- Psychology
- Sociology
Structure of the program
- During the first year, you explore the academic world and the various academic disciplines. You take general academic skills courses that help develop writing, presentation, and methodological skills, and you start learning a foreign language. You take courses at the introductory 1-level in all of the three domains - Science, Social Science, and Humanities.
- The second - or junior - year is aimed at expanding knowledge and skills. Before the start of this year, you declare a major in one of the three domains, or possibly an interdepartmental major. You take courses at the introductory 1-, intermediate 2- and advanced 3-level.
- During the third - or senior - year efforts are focused on finalizing the program by gaining sufficient disciplinary knowledge to apply for a Master’s program or a job. This culminates in the research thesis, a sizeable academic paper on a topic of your own choice. You take courses at the intermediate 2- and advanced 3-level.
Career Opportunities
The vast majority of graduates enroll in Master’s programs, in virtually all fields of specialization. As a result, they find jobs with a large range of employers in a large range of fields. Graduates work as doctors, lawyers, psychologists, policy advisors, consultants, politicians, Ph.D. researchers, marketers, and in many other professions.
There is one thing all graduates have in common. At University College Utrecht, you learn skills that are valuable not only for your education, but also for your professional career, such as giving presentations, critically analyzing an argument, and debating. And because you take courses in different academic disciplines, you develop the creativity and flexibility to bridge differences and think ‘outside the box’. These characteristics are highly valued in the labor market.
Not all graduates pursue a Master’s degree. Some enroll in a second Bachelor’s program, take up an internship, or apply for a traineeship or job.