University College Maastricht (UCM) is an

English language English is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, with its earliest forms spoken by the inhabitants of early medieval England. It is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to the ...

, internationally oriented, liberal arts and sciences college housed in the 15th century ''Nieuwenhof''

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whi ...

Maastricht Maastricht ( , , ; li, Mestreech ; french: Maestricht ; es, Mastrique ) is a city and a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. It is the capital and largest city of the province of Limburg. Maastricht is located on both sides of the ...

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. Founded in 2002, it is the second of its kind in the Netherlands. The college is part of

Maastricht University Maastricht University (abbreviated as UM; nl, Universiteit Maastricht) is a public research university in Maastricht, Netherlands. Founded in 1976, it is the second youngest of the thirteen Dutch universities. In 2021, 22,383 students studied at ...

( nl, Universiteit Maastricht) and offers a selective honours programme with a high workload. The Dutch Higher Education Guide (''Keuzegids Hoger Onderwijs'') ranked UCM the best bachelors programme in the Netherlands in 2015 and 2016; in 2012, 2014 and 2015 they ranked UCM the best university college in the Netherlands. In 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2018 '' Elsevier Magazine'' ranked UCM the best university college in the Netherlands in terms of student satisfaction.

History

, of which UCM is part, was founded in 1976, making it one of the youngest universities in the Netherlands, and as of 2014 has over 16,000 students and roughly 3,600 employees. University College Maastricht itself opened in September 2002, before moving to a new location in 2006, and currently has over 800 students.

Academics

Education at University College Maastricht, providing

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

and

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...

degrees, is fully taught in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

. The College is a liberal arts college. Classes put an emphasis on independent learning via a group process structured through the

Problem-based learning Problem-based learning (PBL) is a student-centered pedagogy in which students learn about a subject through the experience of solving an open-ended problem found in trigger material. The PBL process does not focus on problem solving with a defi ...

(PBL) method. The courses of the UCM programme are contained within three ''concentrations'' namely the

humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture. In the Renaissance, the term contrasted with divinity and referred to what is now called classics, the main area of secular study in universities at the t ...

, sciences and

social sciences Social science is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among individuals within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology, the original "science of so ...

. Of these students are required to choose one, although a combination of two is possible, in addition to a mandatory

core curriculum In education, a curriculum (; : curricula or curriculums) is broadly defined as the totality of student experiences that occur in the educational process. The term often refers specifically to a planned sequence of instruction, or to a view ...

and self-assembled

general education General Education is a 2012 comedy film, directed by Tom Morris, starring Chris Sheffield, Maiara Walsh, Elaine Hendrix, Bobby Campo, Janeane Garofalo and Larry Miller and produced by Pelican House Productions. The film was shot in Chico and G ...

, the latter picked from courses in a different concentration than the individual student's chosen concentration.

Concentrations

The Humanities concentration includes the

academic disciplines An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, f ...

arts The arts are a very wide range of human practices of creative expression, storytelling and cultural participation. They encompass multiple diverse and plural modes of thinking, doing and being, in an extremely broad range of media. Both ...

and media studies, cultural studies,

European studies European studies is a field of study offered by many academic colleges and universities that focuses on current developments in European integration. Some programmes offer a social science or public administration curriculum focusing on develop ...

history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...

, philosophy and science and technology studies. The Sciences concentration, previously known as Life Sciences, includes

biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...

, chemistry,

computer science Computer science is the study of computation, automation, and information. Computer science spans theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, information theory, and automation) to practical disciplines (includi ...

, mathematics,

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

and sustainable development. Finally, the Social Sciences concentration includes business administration,

economics Economics () is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interactions of economic agents and how economies work. Microeconomics analyzes ...

international law International law (also known as public international law and the law of nations) is the set of rules, norms, and standards generally recognized as binding between states. It establishes normative guidelines and a common conceptual framework for ...

international relations International relations (IR), sometimes referred to as international studies and international affairs, is the scientific study of interactions between sovereign states. In a broader sense, it concerns all activities between states—such a ...

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries between ...

public administration Public Administration (a form of governance) or Public Policy and Administration (an academic discipline) is the implementation of public policy, administration of government establishment (public governance), management of non-profit est ...

and

sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of empirical investigation an ...

. Courses are additionally structured in a 1000 to 3000-level grid, indicating an increasing level of complexity and necessary previous knowledge. In addition to courses, students are required to choose skills trainings including, but not limited to, argumentation, ethnography, languages and

research methods Research is "creativity, creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular att ...

. Thirdly, students are required to take one project, e.g. academic debating, per semester.

Curriculum structure

An individual student's curriculum consists of the previously mentioned courses, skills trainings and projects. With UCM using the

European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System The European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) is a standard means for comparing academic credits, i.e., the "volume of learning based on the defined learning outcomes and their associated workload" for higher education across the E ...

(ECTS) a BA or BSc at UCM will comprise a total of 180 ECTS. Students subsequently enrol in a maximum of 30 ECTS per semester, or 60 ECTS for a full year, with students receiving 5 ECTS for courses and projects and 2.5 ECTS for skills trainings. Students create their own curriculum, with help of academic advisors, by choosing courses located within their respective concentration in addition to a requirement to complete a core curriculum, consisting of four courses, and a general education requirement, consisting of two courses per concentration the student did not choose. The aim of this curriculum is to provide students with the opportunity to develop their own academic preferences and talents and acquire the expertise and skills to enter a Master programmes (see Admissions and Student Population).

International partnerships

Since its inception the college has established a number of international partnerships, allowing its students to participate in exchange programmes with subsequent study points counting towards their UCM degrees. Partner universities include

University of Freiburg The University of Freiburg (colloquially german: Uni Freiburg), officially the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg (german: Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg), is a public research university located in Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemb ...

(including a flagship Double Degree Programme),

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

, Seoul National University,

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

and

Sciences Po Lille Institut d'études politiques de Lille ( en, Lille Institute of Political Studies), officially referred to as Sciences Po Lille, is a grande école located in Lille, France. It is a part of the '' Conférence des Grandes Écoles''. It was created a ...

Location and building

After major renovations, UCM moved into the former ''Nieuwenhof'' convent in 2006. Located in the

Jekerkwartier The Jekerkwartier (; li, Jekerkerteer ) is a neighbourhood in the old city centre of Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands. It is named after the Jeker river that flows through the neighbourhood into the Meuse The Meuse ( , , , ; wa, Moûze ) ...

neighbourhood in central Maastricht, the building dates back to 1485 immediately adjacent to Maastricht's city fortifications. The 2000s (decade) renovation of the former convent included the creation of a common room, IT facilities and a

reading room Reading room may refer to: * Reference library * British Museum Reading Room * Christian Science Reading Room image:5054_christian-science-reading-room-e.jpg, 400px, A typical storefront Christian Science Reading Room on the main street of a subu ...

providing specific literature related to courses taught at the college. UCM's Jekerkwartier location makes it part of the larger city centre campus of Maastricht University including its inner city library, School of Business, Law faculty and Graduate School of Governance. File:Zwingelput.JPG, Zwingelput street File:Entreedeur aan straatzijde - Maastricht - 20364823 - RCE.jpg, Entrance Zwingelput 2 File:University college maastricht hansbeijerplein.jpg, Courtyard File:University college maastricht front.jpg, Chapel Nieuwenhof

Admissions and student population

New students at UCM enrol twice per academic year, in September and February. Both entry moments follow the same admission procedures. Compared to other undergraduate programs in the Netherlands, the admissions process is rigorous and extensive. New students are selected based on a letter of motivation, a CV, and an

interview An interview is a structured conversation where one participant asks questions, and the other provides answers.Merriam Webster DictionaryInterview Dictionary definition, Retrieved February 16, 2016 In common parlance, the word "interview" ...

. The UCM student population includes about 50 different nationalities with approximately 70% of students originating outside the

. In recent years, 13.5% of applicants have gone on to study at UCM which is indicative of the highly competitive admissions process.

Extracurricular activities

Universalis is a multicultural and multidisciplinary study association directly affiliated with UCM. It is run by UCM students for UCM students. Universalis contributes to both academic and social life at UCM. The association is involved in the organization of debates, poetry readings, parties, charity fundraisers, excursions and many other events.

Notes

External links

''University College Maastricht'' homepageBachelor's Courses

Universalis, UCM study association
{{authority control Education in Maastricht Educational institutions established in 2002 Liberal arts colleges at universities in the Netherlands Maastricht University Universities in the Netherlands Universities using Problem-based learning 2002 establishments in the Netherlands