Arts and Culture

Application deadline:  EU/EER: 1 August, non-EU/EER 1 April

About Arts and Culture

Do you have broad interests and are you a critical thinker? Do you enjoy discussing current social issues? Do you want to understand their historical roots and engage in philosophical reflection? If so, the bachelor's programme in Arts and Culture is the right choice for you.

You will learn to understand Western culture by looking at how it shapes and is shaped by art, science, technology, media and politics. You will explore the issues of modern society from a variety of perspectives. This interdisciplinary approach (based on philosophy, literature and art studies, history, and science and technology studies) will teach you to understand and frame complex social issues.

Why this programme?

In the bachelor's programme in Arts and Culture, you will study the arts and culture from a variety of perspectives. To understand the complexity of current society, you will integrate insights from philosophy, history, science and technology studies, art and literature studies. This will help you to:

• Develop an understanding of the historical roots of modern culture
• Reflect philosophically on societal issues of today
• Develop the analytical capacity to connect diverse scholarly perspectives
• Gain in-depth knowledge of the role of the arts, science, technology, media and politics in our culture

Curriculum and Overview

Arts and Culture is a 3-year English-taught bachelor's degree. The programme consists of 2 phases of 1,5 years.

1.  The elementary phase, which is the same for all BA Arts and Culture students, consists of a chronologically structured series of 6 modules that address key moments in the history of Western societies.You will learn about the origins and development of Western societies up to the present day. Courses are interdisciplinary from the start of the curriculum. In addition to the regular course work, you will be offered skills trainings.
2. The graduation phase offers courses with a clear research orientation, focusing on contemporary societal challenges. You will learn to integrate knowledge and approaches from different disciplines and will be able to draw connections between the 4 domains of culture we focus on in our programme:

• Media
• Art & Literature
• Politics
• Science and Technology

At the beginning of your 3rd year, there is an elective semester in which you can do an internship, study abroad, choose a minor or take courses at another faculty or university or at the local art academy. In the second half of your 3rd year you will write your bachelor's thesis.

Problem-Based Learning (PBL)

At Maastricht University, you'll be taught using Problem-Based Learning (PBL). In small tutorial groups with a maximum of 15 students, you will analyse challenging questions and cases. This will bring you into close interaction with our tutors and your fellow students. In this programme, you'll explore questions like 'Are reason and faith absolute opposites or is that a European idea?'. Together with your group, you'll seek further knowledge and formulate your answers. Instructors only give help as it’s needed, allowing you to develop independence and problem-solving skills you'll need in your career. You'll not only gain factual knowledge but will also learn how to work in international teams, present a convincing argument, and carry out academic research.

Career prospects

• Policy advisor for governmental and non-governmental organisations
• Media personality, consultant or writer for radio, TV, newspapers, magazines
• Curator or cultural entrepreneur for cultural institutions such as museums
• Politics, consultancy, education or scientific research

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