Programme

Get your research game on!

You are curious. You want to get to the bottom of things. You want to learn how scientists work. And you are not afraid to go beyond the borders of your own study programme. The Science Honours Programme helps you take your first steps as a scientist. In Year 1, you work together with other students to broaden your horizon and improve your collaboration skills. In Year 2, you take your Bachelor’s thesis to the next level.

Year 1: interdisciplinary group work

You are part of a small multidisciplinary group of students from different study programmes of the Science Faculty. Together, you select a scientific topic that you will work on the entire year. As a group, you write a research proposal. You will present your proposal to a jury at a symposium, open to friends and family. The jury will ask you questions, as if you were defending your PhD thesis.

Intensive mentoring
A leading scientist of the Faculty of Science will be your mentor. You will meet frequently to discuss your progress. Moreover, you will present your work to other groups and scientists a number of times throughout the year. These presentations and discussions will help you improve your research.

Skills training
You will get several skills trainings. How do you transform your idea into a solid research plan? How do you communicate and make decisions in an intercultural team? How do you write a research proposal? These are all valuable skills that will make you a better researcher and scientist.

Field trip abroad
All first year Science honours students go on a field trip abroad together. You will visit a prominent foreign university (like Oxford, Cambridge, or Zürich) where you will discuss your research proposal. A unique experience and a major opportunity to get valuable input and boost your research proposal!

Year 2: individual research project

As a second year honours student, you take on an extra challenge when you write your Bachelor’s thesis. In fact, you will put in twice the normal study load. This allows you to go beyond the regular criteria and really dig deep into your research topic. It is your chance to work on your topic of choice with the guidance of an experienced researcher.

Your personal research trajectory
Again, you will be supervised by one of the leading researchers of the science faculty. And again, you will go abroad for a short or a longer stay, depending on what fits your research best. This can be a lab visit, a conference or meetings with experts in your field.

University wide exchange of ideas
During the second year of the Science Honours Programme, you will be more in touch with honours students from other faculties. Together you will receive general skills trainings. Moreover, all honours students get together for two study days on a major topic in science and society.