Program
The BA Liberal Arts and Sciences is a three-year programme that focuses on the disciplines within the Social Sciences and Humanities
at Tilburg University.
The Social Sciences comprise law, business and management, psychology and sociology;
while the Humanities encompass culture, history, literature, philosophy and religion.
The programme is divided into six semesters, each requiring the completion of 30 ECTS worth of courses (usually five courses of 6 ECTS each), leading to a total of 180 ECTS, and an internationally-renowned Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree from Tilburg University.
30 ECTS translates to around 40 hours of study per week, divided into 15 hours of class-time and 25 hours of independent study.
Your first year
A variety of courses are taught during your first year that introduce you to the various disciplines within the Social Sciences and Humanities. You are required to take ten courses in total: five in the first semester, and five in the second semester.
Your second year
Specialisation within one discipline, your future Major, begins in the second year. Of the ten courses you are required to take (five per semester), eight must be dedicated to your Major. Your Major should reflect your primary area of academic interest. It will determine the different Master's available to you, and steer your eventual career path.
Your third year
During your final year on the program, the primary focus is on the writing of your Bachelor Thesis. This is a sizeable academic paper on a topic of your own choice, and on which you will have already gained substantial background knowledge. Your third year also involves following seven courses: five in the first semester, and two in the second semester. One course is dedicated to your Major and is followed by Distance Course. This is an on-line course with a mix of teaching methods (video lectures, chat sessions and assignments). This teaching method was developed because 50% of our third year students follow an International Exchange Semester.
Program structure
C = Compulsory (48 ECTS) M\C = Introduction courses to the Majors (12 ECTS), Eng\C = Academic Writing in English (0 ECTS), E = Elective (24 ECTS),
M = Major (60 ECTS), Mi = Minor (30 ECTS), Bachelor Thesis (18 ECTS)
Compulsory courses from which several are taught using the team teaching method.
Program components
Compulsory courses
Eleven courses within BA Liberal Arts and Sciences 3 year programme are compulsory. These courses are designed to provide you with an overview of the different the academic disciplines
offered within the BA Liberal Arts and Sciences programme, and lay the groundwork for the development of strong academic skills.
Several compulsory courses are taught using the team teaching method.
Elective courses
At three different points throughout the programme, you have the opportunity to select your own electives:
a chance to enrich your curriculum with interdisciplinary knowledge of your choice.
Electives are available from all four areas of specialisation (the four Majors) within the BA Liberal Arts and Sciences programme.
Major courses
Your Major involves in-depth study within one academic discipline, qualifying you for a variety of careers or a Master's degree in that area.
Ten courses must be taken in the field of your Major and are taught in your second and third year, leading to a total of 60 ECTS.
Your Bachelor Thesis, as well as one thesis-specific course, must also be dedicated to your Major: a total of 24 ECTS.
You can Major in one of four areas:
- Business & Management
- Law in Europe
- Social Sciences
- Humanities: European History and Culture.
Minor courses
Five courses within the BA Liberal Arts and Sciences must be dedicated to your Minor, making a total of 30 ECTS.
Your Minor can be in a field different to that of your Major, giving you the opportunity to broaden your expertise. You can also pursue your Minor in the same field as your Major, further expanding your knowledge in that specific area.
You can pursue your Minor courses at Tilburg University, at another major research university in the Netherlands, or abroad during an international exchange semester. All Minor courses must be taken at the appropriate level for your stage in the programme: they cannot be either first-year or language courses. Your Academic Advisor can you help you make the best decision as to which Minor courses to take to ensure a rich but coherent overall curriculum.
Global / English