Liberal Arts & Sciences

University College Maastricht

What is University College

Maastricht?

University College Maastricht offers a bachelor’s program entirely taught in English. It is meant for students with a broad academic interest, who do not want to limit them-selves to a program focused on a single academic discipline. UCM offers courses in almost all academic disciplines, altogether about 150. Each semester you construct your own program from the courses offered. At the end of the fi rst year you opt for one of the three concentrations: Social

Sciences, Humanities or Sciences. Of course, you do not choose courses randomly. Together with your academic advisor (see page 57), you discuss your ambitions for the future and choose courses that fi t your plans.

Next to courses in academic disciplines, you also enroll in an extensive skills training program. Here you learn how to set up and conduct scientifi c research; you work on your debating skills; and you practice how to present ideas in a clear and persuasive way. Your writing skills receive special attention. The College also offers you the opportunity to learn another foreign language.

University College Maastricht (UCM) is the Liberal Arts & Sciences honors College of Maastricht University.

It offers you every possible opportunity to develop your talents, explore your interests and realize your

academic goals. UCM has so many courses on offer that you can choose to study almost any discipline.

At the same time, you can complement the discipline of your choice with other subjects that interest you.

This unique program gives you access to a wide range of master’s programs. At UCM, you study in an

inter-national environment, with students from about 50 different countries.

UCM offers a bachelor’s program that will challenge you. It requires commitment to high academic

stand-ards, and an ambition to excel in your studies. The challenge, however, comes with a host of opportunities.

At UCM you are not impeded by the traditional boundaries between disciplines. Also, you are part of a

small, close-knit community. At the College, the ideal of an academic community has been given new life.

Liberal Arts & Sciences

The program

The concentration

At UCM, you can choose between three concentrations: Social Sciences, Humanities and Sciences. A concentration consists of a large number of courses, spread over several related academic disciplines. Within your concentration you gather specialized knowledge that enables you, after the College, to enroll in a master’s program. By concentrating your courses in specifi c disciplines, your program acquires an individual profi le. That profi le could, for instance, be eco-nomics, law and international relations. You could also create a profi le in sciences and psychology, or perhaps cultural studies and history.

During your fi rst year at the College, you explore which concentration you like to choose. You do this by taking courses in the academic disciplines that interest you. When you have decided upon a concentration, you can begin to acquire more in-depth knowledge of a particular discipline. This structure guarantees that you gain enough expert knowledge to successfully apply for a master’s program of your choice. After three years at the College you receive an internationally recognized, the Bachelor of Arts or the Bach-elor of Science degree. This enables you to enroll in master’s programs all over the world.

A living room of different cultures

educa-tion, is the academic community, which is very much characterized by the international atmosphere at this faculty. I’ve found many friends from all over the world and from all kinds of different backgrounds during my studies here. We learn from each other and become more tuned to different view points and cultures. Especially in a PBL setting, an international make-up of a group can make a discussion much more vital and at

classroom; we celebrate many cultural events together, such as an American culture night during the elections, Latin-American festivities for charity and an Arabic culture night in honour of the end of Ramadan. All in all, the international make-up of UCM creates a mutual understanding and a vital ground fostering knowledge about each other’s cultures and thus also respect and interest in people and things different and unknown. I believe this is one of the most important aspects in the

At UCM you study in an international environment, with students of almost 50 different nationalities. This interna-tional character is a hallmark of the College. About half of the students come from abroad, which means you are in contact with different cultures all the time. The workload at UCM is higher than in other university programs. How-ever, as you are responsible for choosing the courses you enroll in, you are more motivated to make the most of your studies.

‘Excellent’ program

In the fall of 2006, UCM’s accreditation was up for renewal. An independent international panel of experts on Liberal Arts and Sciences gave UCM high grades for its teaching and the quality of its program. The panel was especially impressed by the overall struc-ture of the academic program and the quality of the graduates. They graded both of these as excellent. Such grades are quite exceptional in the Dutch system of accreditation, and place UCM among the top bachelor’s programs in the Netherlands.

Therefore, in spring 2008 UCM was the fi rst bachelor’s program in the Netherlands to be awarded a certifi cate of exceptional quality granted by NVAO (the Dutch-Flemish Accreditation Organization).

The academic advisor

As a student at UCM, you have the freedom to choose your own courses and build your own curriculum. This provides you with the opportunity to create a program that really fi ts your academic and professional ambitions. This also implies that you have a lot of responsibility for your own learning process. For three years you grapple with questions like:

• Which courses should I take next semester? • What concentration will work best for me? • What do I want to do after UCM?

To help you answer such questions, right from the beginning of your studies at UCM, you can rely on your personal academic advisor to guide you through your choices. Your academic advisor is a staff member of Maastricht University and with him or her you discuss all your important academic decisions. So, though at UCM the decisions are always yours, you are not on your own when you make them.

“At UCM I have a unique chance to advance my academic skills and to explore issues I am genuinely interested in. Remarkably, I am widely independent in this regard: I can choose among a multitude of courses, plus the topics I want to investigate and write my papers about. If there’s an academic El Dorado for undergraduates, I strongly believe that it is at UCM. Here I can engage with problems from different perspectives, apply different methodolo-gies and explore their strengths and limitations. Especially in combination with PBL, fruitful give and take leads to substantial insights into the issue at stake. Furthermore, it is remarkable how easily I can contact staff members of

staff and seek their advice when, for example, I need feedback for an idea. Also, criticism is always discussed and courses are constantly updated. Overall, it is truly pleasing to be part of the UCM community. Within a year I developed my academic interests and ambitions thanks to rewarding courses and a vibrant atmosphere. Next year I want to participate in the Study Abroad Program and the Undergraduate Research Program. After all, at UCM you never run out of challenges and opportunities”

Ege Tufan (Turkey) Second-year UCM student

UCM’s challenging opportunities

What can I study at UCM?

Below you will fi nd the disciplines you can study at UCM. Each of the disciplinary labels stands for a large number of courses. Of course, you can also choose combinations of these disciplines, such as economics and political science, or philosophy and history, or computer science and life science. It is this fl exibility that makes the College program especially attractive.

Social Sciences

• Economics and Business Administration • Sociology • Political Science • International Relations • Public Administration • International Law • Psychology • Statistics Humanities • History • Cultural Studies • Arts and Literature • Philosophy Sciences

• Computer Science / Informatics • Mathematics / Physics • Chemistry • Biology • Micro Biology • Cognitive Neuroscience • Genetics

Problem-Based Learning

All teaching at University College Maastricht follows the format of Problem-Based Learning (PBL). One of the hallmarks of PBL is that students work in small groups (12 students maximum) on an academic or practical problem. In these tutorial groups you have intensive contact with both students and staff. The number of hours in class varies from 12 to 14 hours a week. You spend the remaining time on self-study (preparing for the next class, writing a paper, completing an assignment, etc.). PBL is a student-centered approach to learning. Your teachers are there to help you along, but you are in charge of the learning process. This increases your motivation and gets you thoroughly interested in the subject matter. You can fi nd more about PBL in the general information section of this brochure.

Continuous assessment

At UCM, your results never depend on a single test at the end of a course. Continuous assessment is a primary charac-teristic of the examination system at UCM, and staff may make use of a whole range of assessment methods. In almost all courses you have to write a paper or give a pres-entation. Your contributions to the tutorial groups may also count towards your grade. There might also be a fi nal test, which usually consists of essay questions. Because your progress is assessed on a continuous basis, you will always know whether your work is up to par. Because of this regular feedback, you are able to adjust your study habits if neces-sary. Continuous assessment helps you to keep up with your work and complete your courses successfully.

A semester abroad

As part of your studies, UCM offers you the option to study

The academic core

In addition to the courses in the concentrations, every UCM student has to complete the ‘academic core’, which consists of four courses. The academic core deals with the fundamen-tal knowledge that any academic should have. In this core you learn about the basic principles of scientifi c research; you study the major political issues of our age; you fi nd out about historical developments in the world during the last 50 years; and you learn why abstract concepts and models are so vital in science. And as a student at UCM you also want to broaden your horizons. Hence, all students take four courses outside their concentration. This way you learn how people in other academic areas think and work.

Skills training and projects

Academic skills are essential to a successful career. Writing reports and papers, planning and conducting research, formu-lating a policy plan or persuading people in a debate: these are all important academic skills. Learning and improving such skills is a central part of the UCM program; each semester a different set of skills is offered. During the fi nal month of each semester you participate in a project, in which small groups of students work together on a specifi c topic. Here you learn how to apply the skills acquired earlier to topics you are famil-iar with from your courses. Possible examples of such topics are: Human rights and migration; Globalization and poverty; Bioelectronics and nanotech-nology; and Genetics and data mining. The skills training program and the projects are just another aspect that makes UCM unique.

The ‘capstone’

The ‘capstone’ is a special project you do right before you

Vibrant international community

vibrant international community where they have the opportunity to discover their talents, broaden and deepen their knowledge, and develop academic and life skills. I believe we have created an environment that is both intellectually and socially stimulating. Every day I

see that students fl ourish in this environment and I’m impressed with their personal growth during their years at UCM.”

Professor Harm Hospers

Binding Study Advice (BSA)

At University College Maastricht you have to obtain a minimum number of credits (ECTS) during your fi rst and second years. At the end of your fi rst year you must have obtained 32.5 ECTS out of the 60 possible, otherwise you cannot continue your studies at UCM. The same applies at the end of the second year if you have not obtained 60 out of the 120 ECTS. If you are told to discontinue your studies at UCM, you are not allowed to return for a period of six years.

UCM Life Sciences

Are you interested in doing medical research? A Science concentration at UCM offers you the opportunity to enroll in several research master degree programs in the medical fi eld. If you complete 90 ECTS of coursework in the Life Sciences, your bachelor’s degree (180 ECTS) will make you eligible to apply to highly selective master’s programs like the four-year Medical Doctor-Clinical Researcher (A-KO) program at Maastricht University. It will also allow you to take the MCAT (Medical College Admissions Test), which is required for entering a medical school in the US. Please note that the A-KO program is a Dutch language research master’s; it is a very demanding program focusing on the interface between medical practice and research.

“The past few months studying here at UCM have been absolutely amazing. The people I’ve met from all over the world, the classes offered, and the city itself is just incredible - I could not have asked for much more on an exchange. The learning style here is different than what some of us might be used to, but it is very effect-ive. Not only does each and every student engage in the readings, but in the PBL sessions you learn to get com-fortable speaking in front of a small group and your

overall presentation skills improve immensely. Further, the PBL sessions take advantage of the small class sizes and it is where you will learn the most - classes become very personal and you get to know the people in your classes quite well.”

Kyle Frese (Canada)

Incoming exchange student at UCM Student at Queen’s University

Application and selection

You can register for UCM via www.studielink.nl. For the complete admissions procedure please check www.ucm.nl Convinced that UCM is the right program for you? Apply now!

Contact information

University College Maastricht P.O. Box 616 6200 MD Maastricht The Netherlands Phone: +31 43 388 5470 E-mail: [email protected]

Admissions

• VWO diploma; all profi les

Non-Dutch diploma

• A non-Dutch diploma that is comparable to the Dutch VWO diploma.

• Specifi c admissions requirements and deadlines apply. At UCM, we look for highly motivated students with a broad academic interest. To check whether you meet these require-ments, UCM has a selection procedure. Our Board of Admis-sions examines your application. On the basis of the informa-tion provided and the assessment of your previous educainforma-tion, the Board decides whether or not to invite you for an interview. Students who are qualifi ed and are a good match with our

University of Oxford, Colombia University (New York), Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore), the London School of Economics, University College London, the University of Warwick, and the Freie Universität Berlin, to name but a few. With your UCM diploma, the whole world is open to you!

And now...

If you want to know more about University College Maastricht, visit our website www.ucm.nl. To gain an overall perspective of the College you can visit one of our Open Days, or participate in an Experience Day. Of course you may also phone us at +31 43 388 5470 or email us with your questions at

[email protected]

After UCM

After three years at the College you qualify for an interna-tionally recognized Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science diploma. This wraps up the fi rst phase of your academic studies. You might opt to leave the university and get a job, or you can apply for a master’s program in the Netherlands or abroad. Which programs you qualify for, of course, depends on the courses you took during your bachelor’s program. With the help of your academic advisor you will compose a program matching the master’s you want to enroll in. Graduates of UCM have enrolled in all sorts of master’s programs. Some have stayed on at Maastricht University, while others have moved on to other Dutch universities, such as Leiden, Groningen, Rotterdam or Utrecht. UCM graduates have also been invited to join master’s programs at the

After UCM

“Once I graduated from UCM, I decided to take a gap year in order to do an internship with United Nether-lands, teaching a course in the workings of the United Nations and multilateral diplomacy. I will be coaching 30 highly motivated students towards Oxford Model United Nations and Harvard Model United Nations 2010. I felt that I had gained a great amount of aca-demic skills while being at UCM and I was now ready to put them into practice. So I took up an internship with

an organization that deals with both the academic and the practical dimensions of international affairs. After fi nishing my internship I will pursue a master’s degree in the fi eld of International Law and Politics. So far, I can truly say that UCM has already paved the pathway towards my future endeavors.”

Amanda Klemann (The Netherlands) UCM alum (graduated in February 2009)