Academic disciplines

At University College Utrecht, you choose courses from more than 20 different disciplines in Humanities, Social Sciences and Science.

Thanks to the broad and free setup of our curriculum, you have plenty of options to design your own study path. Find out below the content and focus of the main three academic domains. 

Humanities

The Humanities comprise the study of subjects that are fundamental to understanding the human experience. How do we grapple with reality and give meaning to our existence? What lessons can be learned from the past? What are our values and beliefs? What are our dreams and fears? How do we communicate these feelings and ideas? What kind of representations do we use to make sense of the world? The Humanities are also about the art of reasoning, argumentation and persuasion, as well as about the politics of truth as well as the search for beauty and the analysis of the cultural contexts of it.

Our Humanities disciplines of study are:

  • Art History & Museum Studies
  • China Studies
  • History
  • Linguistics
  • Literature & Classics
  • Media Studies
  • Performance
  • Philosophy
  • Religious Studies

Check out all our Humanities courses on the Students site.

Social Sciences

Social Sciences aim to offer a systematic and critical inquiry into human nature, social and legal institutions and human relationships. What are the main constituents of a society, how do individuals function in that society, what is the role of cultural differences, and what are people’s ideals about how to live together? What is the impact of the physical environment in which people live? 

Our Social Sciences disciplines are: 

Check out all our Social Sciences courses on the Students site.

Science

Science aims to understand the underlying principles and laws which govern all aspects of nature; from the origins of the universe and the evolution of life to the workings of the brain and the constituents of space, time and matter. In Science knowledge is derived by the use of formal reasoning, modeling and simulation, but always in close connection to observation and experimentation.

Our Science disciplines are:

  • Biology
  • Chemistry
  • Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Earth & Environment
  • Mathematics
  • Medical Science
  • Physics (double degree possible)

Check out all our Sciences courses on the Students site.

We also offer a pre-medical science programme, which makes you eligible for a Master’s in medicine, like the SUMMA programme at Utrecht University.

Linked Disciplines

Following our Liberal Arts and Sciences educational philosophy, we believe that the different disciplines profit from each other. 

Just a couple of examples of fruitful linkages between the disciplines are: 

  • History helps contextualise the theory and application of Politics or Law.
  • Art History and Museum Studies are enrichened by courses in Anthropology and Human Geography. If your interest is in art conservation, choose Biology or Chemistry. 
  • Linguistics and Psychology come together in the Psycholinguistics course.

At University College Utrecht, you have the possibility to declare an interdepartmental major. This means that you assemble your study programme beyond the Humanities, Social Sciences and Science major by combining courses from at least two of these. You can also study a double major, in which you complete two full majors.

Read more about the specific course requirements