University degree courses in Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Amsterdam University College:
Amsterdam University College (AUC) is a joint excellence initiative of the University of Amsterdam and VU University Amsterdam. AUC offers an international liberal arts and sciences bachelor programme with courses in the sciences, humanities and social sciences. Courses are taught in English. As a residential honours college we attract students from all over the world. They engage on a daily basis in intensive and small-scale seminars with our high caliber international staff. Discussions start from the “Big Questions in Science and Society” and lead to in-depth study in a wide range of disciplines.

Bachelor Degree Programme in Liberal Arts & Science:
AUC offers a Bachelor (Honours) degree programme in the liberal arts and sciences, with courses in and across the natural sciences, humanities and social sciences, taught in English, and open to both Dutch and international students.

Your programme begins with Academic Core courses that introduce you to 'big questions' in science and society, as well as developing your skills in writing, presentation and scientific reasoning, and improving your intercultural competences.

At the end of your first semester, you select one of the six AUC themes as a background for your studies. These themes examine complex and far-reaching questions in science and society that require the integration of insights from different fields of knowledge.

The six themes are:
* Energy, Climate and Sustainability
* Life, Evolution, Universe
* Health and Well-being
* Information, Communication, Cognition
* Social Systems (peace & conflict; equality, inequality & diversity; market & regulation)
* Cities and Cultures

You choose your major at the end of your first year (humanities, social sciences, or sciences), and you take courses in your major in your second and third years. At the same time, part of your programme is reserved for freely chosen elective courses, where you have room to explore other interests and broaden your education.

In your third and final year you return to your theme for an advanced course. Finally, you round off your Bachelor programme with the capstone experience. This includes a research project and/or an internship. You will write a Bachelor thesis that reflects literature study as well as your own research results and/or internship experience.