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university college maastricht maastricht university the netherlands

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liberal arts sciences university college maastricht university college maastricht ucm is the liberal arts sciences college of maastricht university it offers you every possible opportunity to develop your talents explore your interests and realize your academic goals ucm offers so many courses that you can 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 international environment with students from about 50 different countries ucm offers a bachelor s program that will challenge you it requires commitment to high academic standards and the ambition to excel in your studies at ucm you are not impeded by the traditional boundaries between disciplines and you are part of a small close-knit community at the college the ideal of an academic community has been given new life 2 bachelor programme in liberal arts sciences 2011

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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 broad academic interests who do not want to limit themselves to a single academic discipline ucm offers about 150 courses in almost all academic disciplines each semester you construct your own program from the courses offered at the end of the first year you pick one of the three concentrations social sciences humanities or sciences of course you do not choose courses randomly together with your academic advisor you plan your curriculum to fit with your future ambitions next to courses within your academic discipline you also follow an extensive skills training program you learn how to conduct scientific research present ideas in a clear and persuasive way and improve your writing and debating skills the college also offers you the opportunity to learn a foreign language the workload at ucm is higher than in other university programs however as you are responsible for choosing the courses you enroll in you are more motivated to make the most of your studies in the fall of 2006 ucm s accreditation was up for renewal an `excellent program independent international panel of experts in liberal arts and program the panel was especially impressed by the overall sciences gave ucm high grades for its teaching and the quality of its structure 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 in spring awarded a certificate of exceptional quality by the nvao the dutch-flemish accreditation organization 2008 ucm was the first bachelor s program in the netherlands to be the academic advisor students at ucm have the freedom to choose their own courses and build their own curriculum while this allows you to create a program that really fits your academic and professional ambitions it also means you have a lot of responsibility for your own learning process which courses should you take what concentration will work best for you what do you want to do after ucm from the beginning of your studies at ucm your personal academic advisor will help you with these questions your academic advisor is a staff your important academic decisions so though at ucm the them member of maastricht university and with him or her you discuss all decisions are always yours you are not on your own when you make 3

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what can i study at ucm below are the disciplines you can study at ucm each discipline disciplines for example economics and political science or represents a large number of courses you can also combine these philosophy and history or computer science and life science attractive humanities · history · cultural studies · philosophy sciences it is this flexibility that makes the college program especially · arts and literature social sciences · sociology · economics and business administration · political science · computer science informatics · mathematics physics · chemistry · biology · international relations · public administration · international law · psychology · statistics · micro biology · genetics · cognitive neuroscience a living room of different cultures the most valuable asset at ucm ­ next to good education is the international academic community i ve found friends from all over the world and from many different backgrounds during my studies here we learn from each other and become more tuned to different viewpoints and cultures especially in a pbl setting the international make-up of a group can make a discussion much more vital and at times even controversial if you have people from different cultural backgrounds discussing issues that each have faced in their own special way the international atmosphere does not stay in the classroom we celebrate many cultural events together such as an american culture night during the us presidential elections latin-american festivities for charity and an arabic culture night in honor 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 respect for people and things unknown i believe this is one of the most important aspects in the creation of open-minded world-changers nina weser germany ucm 4 bachelor programme in liberal arts sciences 2011

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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 upon graduation to enroll in a master s program by focusing your courses on specific disciplines you individualize your program for example your profile could include economics law and international relations or sciences and psychology or cultural studies and history during your first year at the college you explore which concentration you would like to choose by taking courses in academic disciplines that interest you when you decide upon a concentration you 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 bachelor of arts or bachelor of science diploma enabling you to enroll in master s programs all over the world skills training and projects academic skills are essential to a successful career writing reports and papers planning and conducting research formulating a policy plan or persuading people in a debate are all important academic skills learning and improving such skills is a central part of the ucm program each semester you learn a different set of skills during the final month of each semester you participate in a project wherein small groups of students work together to apply your acquired skills to topics taken from your courses the academic core in addition to the courses in the concentrations every ucm student has to complete the `academic core the academic core consists of four courses that give you the fundamental knowledge any academic should have you learn about the basic principles of scientific research the major political issues of our time historical developments in the world over the last 50 years and why abstract concepts and models are vital in science in addition to broaden your horizons all students must take four courses outside their concentration to learn how people in other academic areas think and work the `capstone the `capstone is a special project you do right before you graduate you finish this project with a thesis in which you deal with a topic that requires you to use all the knowledge and skills you have acquired at the college an expert in your field acts as your supervisor 5

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liberal arts university college maastricht develop your talents 6 bachelor programme in liberal arts sciences 2011

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sciences explore your interests realize your academic goals 7

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a wide variety of courses i really appreciate the wide variety of courses offered at ucm i can develop my skills and knowledge in a range of disciplines from law to marketing and even philosophy this diversity also exists in the tutorial groups as all students have their own academic background the topics in class can be addressed from the perspective of a psychologist philosopher politician or biologist to name a few examples next to academics ucm also serves as a `second home whether it be the movie nights the live piano music in the common room or soaking up the sun in the courtyard i always feel at home here eszter boros hungary ucm problem-based learning all teaching at university college maastricht uses problembased learning pbl students work in small tutorial groups 12 maximum on an academic or practical problem in these groups you have intensive contact with both students and staff the number of hours in class varies from 12-14 hours a week you spend the remaining time on self-study preparing for the next class writing papers assignments etc pbl is student-centered meaning that even though your teachers help you along you are in charge of the learning process this increases your motivation and gets you thoroughly interested in the subject matter tions to the tutorial groups may also count towards your grade there might also be a final 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 regular feedback allows you to adjust your study habits if necessary and continuous assessment helps you to keep up with your work a semester abroad as part of your studies ucm offers you the option to study at a foreign university for one semester the college cooperates with many excellent universities all over the world including countries as japan brazil poland france spain the us canada australia and many others participating in ucm s semester abroad program is an exciting and challenging way of broadening your horizons in a new environment with this experience you will globalize your educational experience enhance academic opportunities establish professional and career opportunities through networking and improve language skills and cultural understanding continuous assessment at ucm your grades never depend on a single test at the end of a course continuous assessment is primary to the examination system at ucm and staff may make use of a whole range of assessment methods in most courses you must write a paper or give a presentation your contribu 8 bachelor programme in liberal arts sciences 2011

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binding study advice bsa at university college maastricht you must obtain a minimum number of credits ects during your first two years 32.5 ects out of the 60 possible during the first year and 60 out of the 120 ects the second year if you do not meet these standards you cannot for a period of six years continue your studies at ucm and you will not be allowed to return 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 s programs in the medical field 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 please note that the a-ko program is a very demanding dutch-language research master s program focusing on the interface between medical practice and research it will also allow you to take the mcat medical college admissions test which is required for entering a medical school in the u.s.a very effective small-scale learning style the past few months studying 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 are used to but it is very effective not only does each and every student engage in the readings but in the pbl sessions you learn to speak comfortably in front of a small group and your presentation skills improve immensely 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 exchange student at ucm student at queen s university

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after ucm after three years at the college you qualify for an internationally recognized bachelor of arts or bachelor of science diploma this wraps up the first 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 ucm graduates have also been invited to join master s programs at the 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 to learn more about university college maastricht visit our website www.ucm.nl for an overall perspective of the college you can visit one of our bachelor s open days or participate in an with your questions at ucm-info@maastrichtuniversity.nl experience day you can also phone us at +31 43 388 5470 or email us application and admissions in addition to meeting the diploma requirements it is important that you are motivated and have the right academic interests to assess these requirements ucm has a selection procedure once you have completed this procedure the board of admissions will determine whether or not ucm is right for you the complete admissions procedure is available at www.ucm.nl/admissions vibrant international community at university college maastricht we offer students a 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 flourish in this environment and i m impressed with their personal growth during their years at ucm professor harm hospers dean 10 bachelor programme in liberal arts sciences 2011

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after ucm once i graduated from ucm i decided to take a gap year to do an internship with united netherlands teaching a course on the workings of the united nations and multilateral diplomacy i have been coaching 30 highly motivated students for the oxford modelunited nations and harvard model united nations 2010 i have gained a great deal of academic skills while at ucm and i was ready to put them into practice i took up an internship with an organization that deals with both the academic and the practical dimensions of international affairs after finishing my internship i will pursue a master s degree in the field of international law and politics i can truly say that ucm has already paved the way to for my future endeavors amanda klemann the netherlands ucm alum graduated in february 2009 11

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www.ucm.nl based in europe focused on the world maastricht university is a stimulating environment where research and teaching are complementary where innovation is our focus where talent can flourish a truly student oriented research university contact information university college maastricht p.o box 616 6200 md maastricht the netherlands phone +31 43 388 5470 e-mail ucm-info@maastrichtuniversity.nl website www.ucm.nl

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