Liberal Arts and Science

  Netherlands

• Other Cities in Netherlands: 
Amsterdam

Description: Amsterdam University College (AUC) is a Liberal Arts and Sciences College founded in 2008 by the University of Amsterdam and the VU University Amsterdam. Amsterdam University College is working to develop a student body composed of 50% foreign students and 50% international, local students. Ambitious and motivated students with an international orientation will be selected.

AUC offers a top quality (Honours) liberal arts and sciences Bachelor programme, with courses in and across the natural sciences, humanities and social sciences, taught in English and open to both Dutch and international students. Liberal education traditionally gives you substantial freedom to design your own study programme in accordance with your own personal interests and ambitions, and this is exactly what we can offer you at AUC.

Your tutor will advise you, and help you to ensure that your programme matches your future ambitions and will meet the requirements for graduation. But essentially you will have the freedom to select the courses you want to follow on the subjects that interest you most.

Our 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 framework 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 (global & local, markets & finance, crime & punishment)
    * Cities and Cultures

You choose your major at the end of your first year (humanities, social sciences, or sciences). This will then guide your decisions on which courses to take during 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 then return to your theme for an advanced course. Finally, you round off your Bachelor programme with the capstone experience.

Highlights: AUC is:   
* A small, selective Honours college
* A full-time three-year liberal arts and sciences programme at Bachelor level, taught in English.
* Aiming high at academic excellence with an international and intercultural focus, as well as outreach to the (local) community.
* An engaging academic and social context, supported by small class size, residential college setting and state-of-the-art facilities.
* A joint initiative of two major European research universities, the VU University and the University of Amsterdam, located in the global city of Amsterdam.

Degree Level: Bachelors Degree (Undergraduate)

Minimum Education: High School

2. Institutional Fee: The institutional fee of EUR 1,853 is to support the intensive, small-scale, international and residential education offered by AUC. As of 2010, this will be incorporated into the government-funded fee (the expected date of implementation of new Dutch higher education legislation).

Total AUC fees for Dutch and EU/EEA students: EUR 1,597 + EUR 1,853
= EUR 3,450

Total AUC fees for non-EU/EEA students: EUR 9,097 + EUR 1,853
= EUR 10,950

Experience Required: no

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants.

Year Founded: 2008