Why this programme?

Medicine

The bachelor’s in Medicine addresses topical themes such as obesity and ageing. You’ll encounter real-life problems from your very first day. You’ll begin by acquiring different medical and practical skills in the Skillslab. Already in year one, you’ll practice with, and on, your fellow students. Additionally, you’ll train other skills you’ll need as a doctor, such as conversation techniques. How to handle an emotional response of a patient? You can practice this on a simulation patient (an actor who acts that he has a certain disease).

Walk through the information on this website to get a first impression. If that information triggers you into thinking "that I want to see and experience for myself" it is a good idea to come and visit us during our Open Day and Experience Days!

Practice-oriented

One of the most distinguishing features of the bachelor's in Medicine at Maastricht University is that it is practice-oriented. You start out practicing on fellow students, and learn things such as how to draw blood. Your contact with patients will initially be of an observational nature. As the programme progresses, you’ll gain more responsibility towards patients. In your second year, for example, you’ll do a 4-day ‘care internship’ in a nursing home to get acquainted with ‘real’ work in healthcare. In your third year, you’ll spend time in outpatient clinics.

Freddy is the student ambassador for his bachelor's programme International Track in Medicine. He's happy to answer your questions about the programme and about (student) life in Maastricht.

Connect with Freddy

Three themes in three years

Each year has a central theme, around which the whole programme is centred. Both your skills labs and your tutorial groups revolve around this theme. This will allow you to retain the information better.

The first year deals with ‘The human body in health and sickness’. In your tutorial group, you’ll address topics such as ‘circulation and breathing’. At the same time, your skills training will teach you resuscitation techniques.
The second year is focused on ‘Integration of knowledge and skills: on your way to practice’. You learn to think about diagnostics and treatments in a clinical manner.
The third year is centred on the theme ‘From paper to patient’. Instead of reading patient stories on paper, you get to meet real patients in outpatients clinics, whose cases form the basis of your studies.

Personal portfolio

You’ll be recording the progress that you make as a medical student in a skills learning portfolio. You’ll be doing that throughout the bachelor’s and the master's programme, under the guidance of a tutor. This will give you a good overview of your academic development, and will allow you to adjust the course of your studies if neccesary.

International

The bachelor’s in Medicine will familiarise you with international aspects of the medical profession, such as intercultural communication. You’ll also have the opportunity to do parts of the programme abroad, and you'll come into contact with students who do an English version of the programme: the International Track in Medicine.

International Track in Medicine

Would you like to study medicine in an international context? Are you interested in the multicultural aspects of medicine? Or would you like to work abroad eventually? If so, you can also follow the English-language, international version of the Dutch bachelor's in Medicine, called ‘International Track in Medicine’ (ITM). This programme is almost identical to the Dutch degree in Medicine. The only difference resides in its focus on globalisation and international cooperation. ITM is a small-scale bachelor’s programme with year groups of approximately 40-60 students, a mixture of Dutch students, students from EU countries, and countries worldwide.

Please note: the master's in Medicine in Maastricht is offered in Dutch only, not in English.

Small groups = big advantages

As with many Maastricht University programmes, the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences programmes are taught using Problem-Based Learning (PBL). In small tutorial groups of 10 to 12 students, you seek solutions to ‘problems’ taken from real-world situations. Instructors act as facilitators, giving help as it’s needed. This allows you to build independence and develop problem-solving skills that you’ll need in the field. This active, dynamic and collaborative learning method has one of the highest knowledge retention rates of any instructional method.

Problem Based Learning - quote compilation

Video: UM students talk about their experiences with Problem-Based Learning

Excellence programmes:

Honours programme

The faculty offers an Honours Programme for its most motivated and talented students. This prestigious programme allows chosen students to follow an in-depth track in their field of study. In the Honours Programme, you are actively involved in research projects surrounding current issues in the health sector and other life sciences. You also deal with historical and philosophical issues in the field of medicine. The programme is faculty-wide, which means you'll be working together with students from other programmes.

The programme starts during the bachelor’s second year and lasts for 18 months. It requires an overall investment of about 420 hours. Once you have successfully completed the Honours Programme, you’ll receive an Honours Certificate, in addition to your diploma.

MaRBLe excellence programme

Through the Maastricht Research Based Learning programme, MaRBLe for short, we offer talented third-year bachelor’s students the opportunity to conduct their own research project. You will be guided by experienced academic staff who will help you further develop your critical thinking and research skills. This will help prepare you for a career in scientific research or research positions in business.

More about MaRBLe