Published 25 April 2008
Alex Kirov
Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Class of 2013
"The reason why I chose Amsterdam University College is because it allows me to put together my own academic programme, depending on my interests and future plans."
A liberal arts and sciences programme traditionally provides a well-rounded education in the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences. It is undertaken in a spirit of free inquiry in order to both heighten your awareness of the human and natural world you inhabit and to support your personal development. Emphasis lies on acquiring the academic skills, knowledge and intellectual tools that will help you to be successful in any career that you choose.
Today's society is in a constant state of flux, and our future leaders need to be flexible, creative thinkers, able to cope with the complexity of the issues facing the world. A liberal arts and sciences education is an excellent foundation in this context.
In addition to factual knowledge, a liberal arts and sciences education prepares you to become a multilingual, informed and engaged global citizen, with well-developed intercultural competences, able to read intelligently, think critically and write effectively on the processes shaping our world.
The AUC programme reflects this through its wide curriculum. Apart from the disciplinary courses in sciences, social sciences and humanities, the Academic Core courses provide the necessary academic skills.
Tereza Sukopová
Bratislava, Slovakia
Class of 2013
“I was passionate about humanities and social sciences but at the same time I was fascinated by sciences and maths and I was not ready to give them up after my high school was over. I was thrilled to find out that I can take maths courses and discuss science questions even though I will probably end up being a social science major.”
You will learn to make complex connections across disciplines, cultures and institutions; become more creative in your problem-solving; more perceptive of the world around you. You will learn how to inform yourself about the issues that arise in your life, personally, professionally and socially, and to transform such knowledge into practical and ethical action.
The student body at AUC is international, as is the faculty, and students are encouraged to study abroad for a semester in their second or third year.
In addition, the frontiers of knowledge, both in academia and the professional world, now call for cross-disciplinary inquiry, analysis and application. New pathways across the traditional dividing lines between liberal arts, sciences and the professional fields are needed. Students need to integrate and apply their learning by addressing the 'Big Questions' in science and society. They will learn to connect analytical skills with practical experience by putting knowledge to use.
The AUC programme reflects this, aiming to create an academic community that is rooted in the very best traditions of the liberal arts and sciences, but actively oriented to the demands and challenges of the 21st century.
Liberal arts and sciences education has been (re-) emerging in Europe over roughly the last two decades. A period which is also characterized by the Bologna Process, i.e. the introduction of distinct undergraduate - graduate degree cycles, and the explicit framing of higher education policies within the concept of the knowledge economy (the Lisbon Strategy). In the article The Emergence of Liberal Arts and Sciences Education in Europe: A Comparative Perspective, Prof. Dr. Marijk van der Wende, Dean of Amsterdam University College and Professor of Higher Education at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, takes a historical and comparative approach, looking at the histories of liberal arts and sciences education as they evolved in Europe and the United States of America. The article aims to analyze why liberal arts and science education seems to be a relevant response to the needs for higher education reform in Europe. The focus on Europe will highlight developments in the Netherlands, where the progress of liberal arts and sciences education is particularly substantial and where the model has already obtained a special status within the higher education system. This will be further illustrated using Amsterdam University College as an institutional case study on the new European version of the liberal arts model, with an emphasis on its meaning in the globalised higher education context of the 21st century.
Source: AUC
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The Emergence of Liberal Arts and Sciences Education in Europe - A Comparative Perspective