A unique approach to Sciences

Most science degrees require you to choose a direction from the start. At AUC, you don’t have to. Our Sciences major is designed for students who want to explore different fields before deciding where to focus, or who prefer to combine them throughout their degree.

Along the way, you build both the depth required for advanced study and the ability to connect ideas across fields, giving you a distinctive profile that opens doors to selective postgraduate opportunities.

Training the "new scientist"

AUC Sciences majors are trained to think beyond the boundaries of a single discipline. They combine scientific reasoning with the ability to ask broader questions, consider wider implications and connect insights across domains.

This may mean observing how a compound affects neural activity and then debating its ethical consequences. Or developing a computational model and examining how your results influence society and policy. Classes are small and discussion-driven, often led by researchers affiliated with UvA, VU or the academic hospital UMC, meaning what you study is closely connected to current research and best practices.

Create your own study plan

The programme is guided by you and your choices rather than a fixed sequence.

• Choose to explore different directions within the Sciences and combine them in ways that reveal unexpected connections.
• Or build a focus by selecting advanced courses in a couple of fields or following a minor at the UvA or VU.
• More than fifty science courses are available, giving you the flexibility to build a unique study plan.

View how Gabrielle combined her interests in Health and Law 

Live at Amsterdam Science Park

For Sciences majors, this means living next to organisations that are engaged in research and scientific inquiry, such as Nikhef (the Netherlands’ national institute for subatomic physics), AMOLF (a leading institute for physics and materials science), CWI (the national research centre for mathematics and computer science) and ARCNL (a cutting-edge lab focused on nanolithography and advanced imaging technologies).

Housing is guaranteed

All AUC students are guaranteed on-campus housing in Amsterdam Science Park for all three years of study. You'll be living in a close-knit residential community with students from around the world.

Learning in real-world contexts

As part of the programme, you complete an internship or community project. For Sciences students, this often takes the form of a research placement with laboratories, research groups or organisations in and around Amsterdam. Many students build on their Capstone thesis through additional research, sometimes contributing to their first academic publication. 

Master’s and careers for Science majors

Sciences majors go on to graduate study in a wide range of scientific fields, with the most popular including:  

• neuroscience
• medical research
• biomedical sciences
• computer science
• environmental sciences

Many continue at highly selective Master’s programmes in the Netherlands and abroad, building on the disciplinary depth, interdisciplinary perspective and hands-on research experience gained at AUC. Graduates leave prepared not only for advanced study but also for careers that bridge scientific knowledge with societal and ethical challenges.

View the top fields of graduate studies and employment for Sciences majors

Read reflections from Science graduates

Click on the tile to read their full interview.