Extra opportunities

As a U.S.E. Master’s student you have the opportunity to attend lectures of fascinating and inspiring people, like CEO’s from large companies, scholars on issues of general interest or politicians on the economic challenges Europe faces today. In the past the U.S.E. Academy has featured guest lectures by, amongst others: Henk Jan Beltman, CCO Tony’s Chocolonely; Herman Wijffels, Chairman Utrecht Sustainable Finance Lab; and Panicos Demetriades, former Governor of the Central Bank of Cyprus. Please have a look at the news section for more information.

Are you inspired and energised by solving complex problems? Do you want to develop your business skills and to experience what it is like to be an entrepreneur? Then the extracurricular Utrecht University Business Course (UUBC) is  the honours programme for you! The course is aimed at Master’s students from all disciplines studying at Utrecht University.

The Utrecht University Business Course is a 12-week Master’s honours programme where 30 of Utrecht University’s best students will learn and improve their business skills. During the programme you will participate in workshops, work on projects within a multidisciplinary team of students and network with professors, experts, consultants and entrepreneurs.

The programme

The UUBC kicks off in February with an introductory weekend. You will receive professional training and form a team with which you will be working on assignments and projects throughout the course. The programme consists of 3 main elements:

• Pressure Cooker: valorise a business concept during a 2-week challenge.
• Business Analysis & Consultancy: acquire business analytical skills and build a solution for a current problem of an existing company.
• Entrepreneurship: step into the shoes of an entrepreneur by developing your own idea while being supported and coached by professionals.

Each segment of the programme ends with a team or individual presentation in front of a jury, with a grand finale held in the Academic Building at the end of the programme. For more information, please go to the UUBC website.

Today’s global and local challenges are becoming more complex, often feeding into more broad and dynamic collaborations. The G.H.I.S programme is designed for open-minded students who want to develop interdisciplinary research skills that help combat these complicated challenges.

During a series of small-scale seminars led by leading UU researchers, GHIS facilitates the joint exploration of diverse perspectives in real-life case studies.  You follow one seminar per study period and conclude the year with an interdisciplinary group project. 

GHIS is offered in English and is available to all UU Master’s students.

The Young Innovators programme is about making a change towards regenerativity. A regenerative society affirms life, and cares for the earth and its diverse communities. The programme brings together reflexive personal leadership with community-based changemaking, giving you useful knowledge and tools towards making caring changes to the world.

The programme offers practical workshops on topics such as social innovation, reflexive learning, dialogue and change-making, and decolonisation. Based on creative and action-oriented research in diverse groups of international students, Young Innovators works with outside communities on real issues to achieve change.

Young Innovators is offered in English and is available to all UU Master’s students.

In the  Leadership programme you discover what kind of leader you are or want to be. You apply knowledge from different disciplines to real leadership dilemmas and get a better understanding of what it means to be a leader in a globalising world. You follow workshops (i.a. public speaking skills, conflict management) taught by experts ranging from UU professors and external lecturers.

During the interactive and intimate College Tours you can engage with leaders from different domains in society. You finish the year by working with a leader as part of the Leader to Shadow component. 

The Leadership Programme is primarily offered in English. However, some elements can be offered in Dutch for students who prefer it. The leadership programme is available to all UU Master’s students.

As a participant of UniCity you’ll join a continuous urban research project in which students form a close-knit research group with a high degree of autonomy. Together you will research what goes on in Utrecht in all its diversity and dynamism by observing social activities, spatial surroundings, and the ecology of the city.

As a collective of students, residents, and researchers, you’ll embark on a journey to explore the complex relationships within the city, bridge disciplines and societal perspectives, and create products that make academic insights accessible to wider audiences.

UniCity is offered in Dutch and is available to all UU Master’s students.