Maastricht University spreads its wings further in 2026–2027
Academic year begins with new programmes in Venlo and Heerlen
Although the official Opening of the Academic Year will take place in Maastricht as usual on Monday 31 August, UM students will also begin their studies elsewhere in Limburg in the new academic year. With three new programmes in Heerlen and Venlo, UM is spreading its wings further across the province.
Heerlen – local, regional and European
On Friday 28 August, new students in Heerlen will get to know the city where they will begin the new Urban Sustainability Studies programme the following week. This introduction is just the beginning: students will work on the challenges that the city and region in which they are studying are facing. This will involve collaboration with local institutions, businesses and residents. This approach combines a regional focus with an international perspective. The programme was developed within the YUFE (Young Universities for the Future of Europe) alliance, a partnership of 10 universities across Europe. The ‘Heerlen’ students will also take courses in other European cities.
Venlo – programmes in the heart of Europe’s horticultural region
Two new programmes are starting in Venlo: the bachelor’s programme Sustainable Bioscience and the master’s programme Crop Biotechnology and Engineering. The latter is a collaboration between Maastricht University and Radboud University in Nijmegen. Venlo is the logical choice for both programmes: the campus is located midway between the main campuses of the two universities and in the heart of a large and important horticultural region in Europe. Maastricht University already has several research facilities on the campus, including a state-of-the-art greenhouse for research into cultivation techniques.
Logical locations
A fourth new programme, the master’s programme Responsible Data Science, will start this year in Maastricht. There are two reasons for spreading programmes more widely across the province. Pamela Habibović, President of the Executive Board of Maastricht University, explains: “We take into account, as much as possible, what a city such as Maastricht can accommodate, for example in terms of student housing. In addition, we prefer to establish our education and research activities in places across Limburg where this makes sense and where the programmes can also contribute to development opportunities for the region concerned. Venlo and Heerlen are the best locations for the new programmes.”