At UCT, there is a strong emphasis on reaching the program’s intended learning goals in a way that motivates the student. At the start of each semester, students write their Personal Development Plan (PDP), where they lay out their own design for the semester and argue why it will help them meet the learning goals.
One example of customizability within ATLAS is the concept of electives. Starting in the third semester, students are increasingly encouraged to supplement the basic program with individual courses. These can be found at other UT studies, but the possibilities do not end there; our teachers facilitate the design of tailored electives based on, for example, online courses.
“Sarah (Class of 2017) designed her own elective to allow her to develop her programming skills in Python.”
The Semester Project is another way of designing your own program; project groups are made up of diverging academic interests, and each group member can bring a different insight through their own focus. This allows students to pursue their own interests and, as a result, makes projects more interdisciplinary.
“For the third-semester project, Tim (Class of 2018) combined AI and sustainable development to look into the transition towards the smart city concept.”
Perhaps the most customizable part of ATLAS is the Personal Pursuit. Students are allowed to spend 10% of each year on a project that is completely separate from the rest of the program. The only requirements are an academic focus and a genuine personal interest in the topic; previous Personal Pursuits have ranged from designing a 3D model of a cathedral, to making a documentary on different life philosophies, to creating a workshop on quantum physics.
“Florian (Class of 2019) tailored his first Personal Pursuit to allow him to learn the Armenian language and discover more about the Armenian culture in which he is involved."
To this end, courses are offered that are designed to meet these learning goals, but students are allowed (and encouraged) to design their own program to suit their interests.
University College Twente offers a unique bachelor’s programme, Technology, Liberal, Arts and Sciences, to top students. Visit the University College Twente website for more information about the college and Technology, Liberal, Arts and Sciences website for more information about the bachelor program. Or visit us during the open day, a student-for-a-day or an insight-day. For more information and stories about personal pursuits visit our personal pursuit website.
