University College Maastricht

Graduate programme possibilities

Your self-designed curriculum determines which master’s programmes you qualify for. Your academic advisor will help you compose a curriculum that matches the admissions requirements for your desired master’s programme.

91% of UCM graduates have enrolled in a master’s programmes at a wide range of universities, including highly prestigious institutions such as:

• London School of Economics and Political Sciences (LSE)
• University of Oxford
• University College London (UCL)
• Graduate Institute of International Development Studies Geneva
• University of Edinburgh
• Hertie School of Governance (Berlin)
• King’s College London
• Humboldt University of Berlin
• University of Cambridge
• Free University Berlin
• KU Leuven
   

You can download a full list below, to find out more about which universities or which study programmes UCM graduates attended.

• Which universities did UCM alumni attend? (PDF)
• Which study programmes can you apply for after UCM? (PDF)

Career possibilities

As UCM allows you to design your own curriculum to suit your individual interests, talents and ambitions, you have an almost unlimited range of future career possibilities. UCM graduates have gone on to a wide variety of professional careers, in both the Netherlands and abroad, including:

• Management consultant
• Researcher
• Government policy advisor
• Assistant to an EU Commissioner
• Think tank member
• Entrepreneur
• Industrial designer
• Pharmacologist
• Stock trader
• NGO project coordinator
• Forensic psychologist
• Theater programmer
• Museum curator
• Education innovator
   

With careful planning, you can take the courses required to be admitted to most master's programmes. However, some programmes, such as Dutch Law and Clinical Psychology, are likely to have additional requirements.  

Marie Zwetsloot

PhD Candidate, Cornell University (USA)
Master's degree: Soil Science, Cornell University

I am currently completing my PhD research on soil and root-facilitated carbon cycling in forest ecosystems under climate change at Cornell University in the United States.

My experience at UCM has given me strong critical thinking and writing skills, which I still benefit from on a daily basis. I am also very thankful for the diversity of subjects I studied during my time at UCM. This interdisciplinary foundation allows me to more easily collaborate and communicate with scientists, policy makers and stakeholders across fields and countries so that we can together solve complex environmental problems.

Timo Müller

Human Rights Watch Researcher
Master's degree: International Affairs, The New School

Some ten years upon graduation, I still draw on the teachings at UCM and look fondly back on my experience. UCM taught me how to work in a multicultural team, acquire and analyze large swathes of material in a short amount of time, and write in a concise manner.

These skills proved essential in my capacity as a researcher and office leader for Human Rights Watch in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where I traveled to disparate parts of the country to document war crimes, crimes against humanity and political repression. Above all, UCM taught me how to think and has fostered a deep love for education.

Much of what I've learnt at UCM has truly opened my eyes to the forces that shape our world. The impact the school had on me is immeasurable. It's a wonderful place.

Iona Ebben

Senior Policy Officer, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (NL)
Master's degrees: European Law, Maastricht University | International Peace and Security, Kings College London

I chose University College Maastricht because I wanted to do it all: law, politics, international relations, European Studies. And at UCM you can combine all your interests and build a strong academic foundation for your future.

In my view UCM offers students the perfect stepping stone to pursue a master’s degree in a wide variety of subjects, as well as a solid multidisciplinary base for an international career. Thanks to problem based learning all students have a collaborative approach which creates a warm and social academic environment. Both the students and staff at UCM are intelligent, hardworking individuals who all have a passion for a particular subject.

There is also plenty of opportunity to engage in extracurricular activities which helps you build relevant skills.

Marelle van Beerschoten

Founder / Managing Director:  Digital Shapers
Master's degrees: Master in Business Studies | University of Amsterdam

Before moving to Maastricht I spent a gap year studying languages abroad. Upon return I preferred to study in an international environment, which I found at University College Maastricht. UCM was also personal and dedicated to its students, and it offered an exciting curriculum which was highly rated.

Upon finishing my master's, I started a Mobile App agency. I’m still an entrepreneur now, working on a different company called Digital Shapers, with which I help organisations with digital transformation, working on data driven change, digital innovation and a digital workforce.

UCM fulfilled its promises and was a stepping-stone to an international career. It gave me a fair understanding of important driving forces in the world, in a variety of areas such as politics, business, law, sustainability, philosophy, and history. Not only the curriculum, but also the problem-based learning method, and the culture at UCM have made my overall experience highly positive. Most importantly, it has given me trust to pursue my ambitions as an entrepreneur; without a doubt I would always study at UCM again. 

Davor Davidovikj

Software Developer at Sapienza Consulting

One of the things I appreciate the most about UCM is that it taught me about the importance of diversifying your skills. I would say I got something that most science students never had the chance to learn, and even though I might never use some of that knowledge daily, it shaped me into a more complete person.

Learning is not only about gaining industry-specific skills, but even more about exploring everything that’s out there and is waiting to be studied. At times it may feel like you’re becoming the jack of all trades and master of none; however, if you don’t explore your interests at this time of your life, then, when will you?

Putting it short: the world offers a lot of things to explore, so it would be a pity to get stuck with one thing so early on.