At Amsterdam University College, you’ll join a community of independent thinkers exploring ideas across science, society and culture. Our Liberal Arts and Sciences programme gives you the freedom to design your own academic path, combine the subjects that excite you, and develop the critical and creative skills needed to make an impact, no matter which subject or career you choose.

Big questions in small classes

You may imagine university and think of hundreds of students in a lecture hall. Not at AUC. Our small-scale approach means you’ll learn in small classes of no more than 25 students, guided by faculty from around the world. That means close contact with your lecturers, engaging in active debates on the ‘big questions’ shaping our world both today and in the future, and an education where your ideas are heard.

Challenge yourself

As an honours-level programme, the study is immersive and hands-on. You present projects, conduct research and test your ideas in real time. The pace is demanding, but you have plenty of support as tutors guide you in course selection and planning, while your peers push you further. With each assignment, you’ll build your confidence, sharpen your expertise and prepare to take on opportunities to help you thrive academically and professionally.

Housing and community - guaranteed

Worried about finding a room? Don’t be. Located in Amsterdam East (Oost), our campus will quickly become your home with a room in the student residences guaranteed for all three years. With your classmates as neighbours, you’ll build life-long friendships, carry debates into the evening and get involved in student projects, performances and events that let you explore your passions and talents beyond the classroom.

Check out the campus & residences

Are you:

• a motivated student ready for an academic challenge?
• excited to live on campus in the vibrant city of Amsterdam?
• fascinated by multiple disciplines and want to discover the connections between them?
• driven to understand and develop solutions to today's most pressing global issues?   
• open to join an international community and study in English?

If this sounds like you, we invite you to take the next step by visiting us on campus or submitting your application.

You begin by choosing one of our three majors: either the Sciences, Social Sciences or Humanities. Think of your major as the backbone of your programme. Within your major, you’ll follow most of your courses in one to three fields of study.

Academic Core as the foundation

Alongside your major, you’ll follow Academic Core courses that refine your skills in research, writing and critical thinking. This combination gives you both the foundation and expertise needed for future Master’s programmes and careers connected to those fields, which could include law, medicine, data science, sustainability, public policy, international relations, cultural studies, creative industries, education, philosophy, ethics and more.

Breadth to broaden your perspective

Breadth is what makes Liberal Arts and Sciences different to many traditional Dutch university programmes. You’ll take courses outside of your major to broaden your perspective, explore diverse interests and gain knowledge from other fields you’re curious about. This approach lets you create distinct specialisations that enrich your main area of study.

And that’s where your programme becomes your own. A Social Sciences major might combine Economics with Earth and Environment to study how cities prepare for flooding caused by climate change. A Humanities major could pair Philosophy with Information Science to ask how ethics should be integrated into apps using generative AI. A Sciences major might pair Physics with Film to explore how visual effects influence audience perception of motion and space. With your tutor’s support, you design a path that has enough depth to keep future opportunities open while remaining flexible enough to satisfy your curiosity, uncover new interests and build a unique profile across multiple disciplines, preparing you for a dynamic labour market.

Explore ideas across disciplines

As a Liberal Arts and Sciences student, you'll be the architect of your own education. Instead of choosing a single subject, you'll explore fields from across the Sciences, Social Sciences and Humanities. This interdisciplinary approach lets you follow your curiosity and connect ideas in new ways. You can take a course in genetics while also studying philosophy, or combine computer science with anthropology. 

Sciences are at the core of our identity

AUC offers more Science courses than any other University College in the Netherlands, taught by leading professors and connected to Amsterdam’s dynamic research hubs where we’re located: at Science Park. Here, we’re training the new scientist: someone who masters their discipline, dares to cross boundaries and applies this knowledge to tackle the world’s most pressing challenges.

Masters and careers of AUC graduates

What happens after graduation? The short answer is whatever you want, and our alumni are our proof. Most of our graduates go on to Master’s studies, and with AUC graduates attending more than 165 programmes and counting, the possibilities range from more traditional degrees such as international law, business, medicine and health to increasingly specialised degrees in fields like neurosciences, data analytics, artificial intelligence and other emerging fields.

How do they do it? By the time you finish our programme, you will have the ability to connect diverse ideas, investigate unexpected intersections and move seamlessly between industries from consultancy to policy, the corporate world to NGO’s, and from knowledge institutes to start-ups. You might start your own business, launch a social initiative, join a cutting-edge research team or invent a career that doesn’t exist yet.

Employers and collaborators specifically seek out AUC graduates for their independence, curiosity and talent for tackling problems from different angles. You leave not just with knowledge, but with the confidence, imagination and academic tools to contribute to the world on your terms.

Alumni facts and figures

Our graduates are shaping the world in exciting ways. Here’s a glimpse of what they do after AUC:

• 85% pursue graduate studies 
• 165+ universities across 38 countries have hosted our alumni
• Popular fields of Master's programmes: International Relations, Law, Medicine, Economics, Neuroscience and Computer Science
• Top destinations: The Netherlands, UK, Germany, USA, France, Sweden
• Careers that span research, education, tech, finance, health, and entrepreneurship