Extracurricular opportunities

The Da Vinci Project is an interdisciplinary honours programme for pre-master and second-/third-year bachelor's students from any programme at Utrecht University! Here, you will design a prototype aimed to solve a real-life sustainability challenge, proposed to you by an external partner from the private sector or local governments. Collaborating with a diverse interdisciplinary team, you will tackle issues like clean air, sustainable housing and waste as a resource.

The Da Vinci Project aims to innovate education by employing an interactive, learning-by-doing approach. This honours programme is designed to help you bridge the gap between not only different educational backgrounds, but also the gap between higher education and the business market.

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Descartes College is a two-year interdisciplinary honours programme, beginning in the second year of your bachelor's degree. Together with students from programmes across the UU, you are introduced to various disciplines and interdisciplinary thinking. Here, you take four courses over two years, and work together with students and scientists on contemporary issues. In this way you not only learn about the differences and similarities between the sciences, but you also learn about the dynamics between science and society.

At the Descartes College, personal development and community are central. You will go on study excursions, both locally and internationally, eat pizza with your fellow students every week and have personal conversations with your program leader about your own development.

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Embark on a transformative learning journey at the Navigating Insecure Futures Programme. In a world where uncertainty, inequality, and climatic crisis are ever-present, this program offers a unique space to find agency, both within our everyday lives and our surrounding communities, for the challenges ahead of us.

Through a student-centric approach, participants develop interdisciplinary perspectives, bridging the gap between academia and the real world. This program goes beyond traditional learning, focusing on practical leadership in the face of global challenges. Based on principles of 'world-centered education' and 'responsibility as the ability to respond’, it will strengthen your ability to confront the uncertainties, fears, or injustices that we are facing. Join us to become a self-propelled, reflexive learner ready to lead in navigating the complexities of insecure futures.

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The NAHSS is a unique collaboration connecting a variety of Dutch universities, four ministries and more than a dozen Dutch and Asian multinationals. The NAHSS gives you an opportunity to experience Southeast Asia on an academic, business, and cultural level through, among other things, a consultancy project and a trip to Asia with an international group of students.

The preparatory track in the Netherlands consists of: conducting a consultancy project for one of our partners, a Masterclass, In-house-days at our partners, lectures from Southeast Asia and China experts, soft skills training by for instance PwC and McKinsey, and cultural activities such as the optional Chinese lessons. The NAHSS ends with a three-week summer programme in July-August in Southeast Asia (the specific country may vary annually). The students will have the opportunity to delve into case studies with social impact, visit leading multinationals, and explore the culture.

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This multidisciplinary honours program, in collaboration with Dutch Scientific Institutes Abroad (NWIB), invites bachelor students to travel to and explore societal challenges in Rome, Florence, or Athens. Engaging in hands-on fieldwork in these historic cities, students tackle issues like the intersection of art history and medical practice, cultural heritage preservation, and the impact of tourism on cultural and environmental ecologies. Collaborate with students from various disciplines and universities, conducting autonomous research under the guidance of expert supervisors.

Assessment methods vary, ensuring a tailored learning experience. The Summer School is financed by the NWIB Institutes and Utrecht University, participation is free of charge. Accommodation during your fieldwork will be provided free of cost.

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