College News - Imiana

Maastricht University, Netherlands
Last week, Imiana received a letter from the Dean of the Maastricht Science Programme informing her that she has been accepted to study for the Bachelor of Science starting September 2020.

The Maastricht Science Programme gives students the freedom to choose their own curriculum. This means that students can direct their own education and build their own degree according to their scientific interests. Depending on each students ambition, they can pick from a wide range of courses in biology, chemistry, mathematics, physics, neurosciences, genetics, and various interdisciplinary fields such as biomedical engineering, bio-based materials, systems biology, nanomaterials, and so forth.  Because of the Science Programme’s open curriculum structure, students can either focus on one discipline or combine multiple disciplines into a single bachelor degree.

The core curriculum, which includes the study of Research Methods, will ensure that students obtain essential knowledge before they start building their own curriculum. Since all introductory courses are prerequisites for more advanced courses, students are guaranteed that they have an equal knowledge base to that of their peers when they start selecting more advanced courses.  Established in 1976, Maastricht University is the most international university in the Netherlands. It stands out for its innovative approach to learning and international outlook. With about 18,000 students and 4,300 staff, Maastricht offers a wide choice of bachelor’s, master’s and PhD programmes, all of which are designed to bring out the best in its students. Maastricht is a bilingual (Dutch & English) university with a strong international and European orientation. Most programmes are taught in English. Almost half of the student population and a third of the university’s faculty members are non-Dutch. Problem-based Learning (PBL) clearly illustrates Maastricht University’s innovative character. PBL is more than just acquiring knowledge; it’s about exchanging knowledge in and challenging and effective way.

Maastricht is a wonderful city in which to live, with an inviting and lovely city centre, and historic buildings as well as cutting-edge architecture, and an industrial heritage. The city is vibrant, not in the least thanks to the many resident students, and there are lots of things to do in the city.  Since the Maastricht Treaty (1992) the city is known as the birthplace of the European Union and the ‘Schengen Treaty’. It is an international city that opens up to young and old, to people from all cultures and backgrounds, for students and working people. Maastricht counts over 100 international institutes and organisations. And, of course, numerous tourists visit the city each year. www.maastrichtuniversity.nl