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Education Bachelor's degree programmes Artificial Intelligence
Header image Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence

How can you develop an autonomous car? How can you teach a computer to recognize speech or even emotions? How can software and devices be aligned to the way humans think?

In the international Bachelor's degree programme in Artificial Intelligence you will study existing intelligence as we see it in the world and develop 'intelligent' and user-friendly products.

This international degree programme focuses on human thinking, artificial thinking (computers, robots) and behaviour in social systems (e.g. group behaviour). You will study the underlying processes in order to predict or simulate intelligent behaviour.

Interdisciplinary curriculum

Artificial Intelligence draws on knowledge from various disciplines, such as cognitive psychology, linguistics, data science, computing science, logic and philosophy, and teaches you to apply this knowledge in smart digital systems. You will develop skills in these areas in the first year, after which you deepen your knowledge in the subdiscipline you prefer, such as machine learning, robotics or cognitive science.

Programming and mathematics are an important part of the programme because these are the foundations for building and simulating new intelligent systems. Do you already know how to program? Then you can build on that in your first year. Do you lack programming experience? Then you’ll have to work harder to get up to speed.

Translating knowledge into practical applications

There are many applications in which intelligent and usable technology are indispensable. For example, in the chatbot on your bank’s website for the prediction of electricity use in households or how full the train will be. Artificial intelligence is also applied in research in other disciplines. Researchers working on the Dead Sea Scrolls have extracted new secrets about the writers of these ancient handwritten manuscripts.

Facts & Figures
Degree
BSc in Artificial Intelligence
Course type
Bachelor
Duration
36 months (180 ECTS)
Croho code
56981
Language of instruction
English
Start
September
Faculty
Science and Engineering
Studie in Cijfers

Please note:

AI has a fixed quota (numerus fixus), for which a selection procedure takes place.

You can find more information on the fixed quota programmes, the admission procedure and the selection procedure on the AI fixed quota/numerus fixus page.

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Why study this programme in Groningen?

• Artificial Intelligence at our university has a unique position in research on autonomous systems, cognitive (neuro)science, machine learning and agent-based modeling.

• The programme has a strong practical orientation, drawing on knowledge from various disciplines, including computing science, cognitive psychology, data analysis, linguistics, logic, mathematics and philosophy.

• You will learn to understand computer intelligence and machine learning, human intelligence, the brain and li

Programme
Semesters
CoursesCourse Catalog >1a1b2a2b
Autonomous Systems (5 EC)
Introduction to Artificial Intelligence (5 EC)
Calculus for Artificial Intelligence (5 EC)
Imperative Programming (for AI) (5 EC)
Basic Scientific Skills (5 EC)
Introduction to Logic (AI) (5 EC)
Algorithms and Data Structures (AI) (5 EC)
Cognitive Psychology (5 EC)
General Linguistics (5 EC)
Artificial Intelligence I (5 EC)
Introduction to the Brain (5 EC)
Linear Algebra and Multivariable Calculus (5 EC)
Semesters
CoursesCourse Catalog >1a1b2a2b
Knowledge and Agent Systems (5 EC)
Signals and Systems (for AI) (5 EC)
Statistics (5 EC)
Advanced Logic (5 EC)
Architectures of Intelligence (5 EC)
Object-Oriented Programming (for AI) (5 EC)
Elective in e.g. Cognition snd Attention, Computer Graphics or Introduction to Information Systems (5 EC)
Philosophy of AI and Cognition (5 EC)
Practical in e.g. Agent Technology, Cognitive Modeling or Robotics (5 EC)
Data Analytics and Communication (5 EC)
Language and Speech Technology (5 EC)
Neural Networks (5 EC)
Semesters
CoursesCourse Catalog >1a1b2a2b
Introduction to Machine Learning (for AI) (5 EC)
Ethics in Artificial Intelligence
Bachelor's Project (15 EC)

Curriculum

In the first year you will acquire knowledge of the most important disciplines for artificial intelligence. In the second year you will start connecting these disciplines and applying your knowledge. Later in the programme, there is room to deepen your knowledge in the areas that most interest you in practicals (15 ECTS) and electives (30 ECTS). You will round off your bachelor's degree with a small research project (15 ECTS), which you will complete under supervision of a researcher in the field of Artificial Intelligence at the Bernoulli Institute.

You can find a complete overview of all courses on: https://ocasys.rug.nl/current/catalog/programme/56981

Credits per year: 60 ECTS; most courses are 5 ECTS.

Study abroad

  • Study abroad is optional
  • Maximum of 30 EC
Entry requirements

Admissible Dutch diploma profiles

  • VWO Natuur & Techniek
  • VWO Natuur & Gezondheid
  • VWO Economie & Maatschappij
  • VWO Cultuur & Maatschappij

    wiskunde A of wiskunde B

Admission requirements

Specific requirementsMore information
language test

Language proficiency certificate for English (except for applicants with a Dutch pre-university education (VWO) as well as the exemptions listed on the language exemptions webpage). More information: https://www.rug.nl/fse/programme/admissions/bsc/language

other admission requirements

Before you apply!

When you cannot fulfil the vwo requirement, due to deficient profile or if you want to be admitted on the basis of a successfully passed first year of HBO or colloquium doctum, you need to submit an additional admission request via the Admission Board Bachelor programmes. Please go to this website for more information.

Please note! The admissions procedure is independent of the numerus fixus procedure. Information about the selection procedure can be found here

Numerus Fixus

This programme has a numerus fixus with a maximum of 175 attendees a year.

This means that prospective students will have to successfully complete a selection procedure before they can be admitted. Candidates are selected based on their suitability and motivation for our programme: the 175 highest ranked candidates will be admitted. Prospective students must apply before 15 January 2024.

Application deadlines

Type of studentDeadlineStart course
Dutch students15 January 202501 September 2025
EU/EEA students15 January 202501 September 2025
non-EU/EEA students15 January 202501 September 2025

Admission requirements

Specific requirementsMore information
previous education

Secondary education equivalent to Dutch pre-university (vwo) is required.

A list of qualifications that are considered equivalent to pre-university education in the Netherlands can be found here: https://www.rug.nl/education/application-enrolment-tuition-fees/admission/procedures/application-informatie/with-non-dutch-diploma/entry-requirements/bachelor-entry-requirements/vwo-equivalent-qualifications

If you have any questions concerning admission to the programme, please contact our Admissions Office: https://www.rug.nl/education/application-enrolment-tuition-fees/contact/

additional subject

Sufficient background knowledge in Mathematics is required.

The Admissions Board will determine whether your background knowledge in this subject is sufficient to start the Bachelor's degree programme of your choice.

language test

You will need to submit proof of English proficiency in accordance with the requirements of the Faculty of Science and Engineering. Please find our English language requirements (exemptions, IELTS, TOEFL, Cambridge and more) on this page: https://www.rug.nl/fse/programme/admissions/bsc/language

other admission requirements

Please note! The admissions procedure is independent of the numerus fixus procedure. Information about the selection procedure can be found here .

Numerus Fixus

This programme has a numerus fixus with a maximum of 175 attendees a year.

This means that prospective students will have to successfully complete a selection procedure before they can be admitted. Candidates are selected based on their suitability and motivation for our programme: the 175 highest ranked candidates will be admitted. Prospective students must apply before 15 January 2024.

Application deadlines

Type of studentDeadlineStart course
Dutch students15 January 202501 September 2025
EU/EEA students15 January 202501 September 2025
non-EU/EEA students15 January 202501 September 2025
Tuition fees
NationalityYearFeeProgramme form
EU/EEA2023-2024€ 2314full-time
non-EU/EEA2023-2024€ 16500full-time
EU/EEA2024-2025€ 2530full-time
non-EU/EEA2024-2025€ 19300full-time

Practical information for:

After your studies

Job prospects

A degree in Artificial Intelligence equips you for a wide range of fields, precisely because your knowledge is so broad and you can approach matters from various perspectives. You can also communicate well with specialists from different disciplines. That makes you highly employable in companies and organizations. You will have broad knowledge and a logical reasoning ability… therefore excellent career prospects!

Finding work when you graduate

Many graduates find suitable jobs in the business sector in the Netherlands or abroad, or set up their own business. Once they have their Bachelor's degree, most students choose a related Master's programme in Artificial Intelligence or Computational Cognitive Science.

If you choose Artificial Intelligence you can work at institutions that work with large data files, like hospitals or banks. You can also find a job at research and development departments of multinationals and build autonomous systems. When you go for Computational Cognitive Science, you can become a cognitive ergonomist and develop software and devices.

With your Master's degree you are employable in companies that produce software or devices. Among other things, your work will involve making these as user-friendly as possible. Students usually find an interesting job related to their study shortly after graduation. Examples of companies our graduates currently work at are: Accenture, Ethical Hacker, TNO, Deloitte, Educational game researcher, Nederlands Forensisch Instituut, ORTEC, KPN Consulting, Achmea, en Almende.

Job examples

  • Business consultant
  • Data analyst
  • Machine learning engineer
  • Software developer
  • Robotics engineer
  • Data scientist
  • IT consultant
  • User interface expert
  • Researcher
  • Scientific programmer
  • IT-freelancer in a start-up
  • AI specialist
Research

Our Bachelor's degree programme in Artificial Intelligence is connected to the Bernoulli Institute.

The mission of the Bernoulli Institute is to perform outstanding academic research and teaching in Mathematics, Computer Science, and Artificial Intelligence, and to maintain international leadership herein; to foster these disciplines as a living body of knowledge, and to make it relevant to society in its broadest sense.

The symbiosis between pure and applied science, and between mono- and multidisciplinary research and teaching, is a distinguishing characteristic of our institute. As an important part of this mission we aim to transfer our results to other areas of science and technology, and initiate and expand inter- and multi-disciplinary research collaborations.

The following research groups within the Bernoulli Institute focus on Artificial Intelligence:

Autonomous Perceptive Systems

Cognitive Modeling

Multi-Agent Systems

Apply nowBrochureEventsContact
Campus TourMore information
Bachelor's Open DayBroerstraat 5More information

Contact

  • Ask Our Students! (Like to talk about the programme and student life with someone currently studying AI?)
    Email: aistudents rug.nl
  • Academic Advisors FSE (For questions regarding the programme)
  • studyscience@rug.nl Study Science (For general questions for all prospective students)
    Email: studyscience rug.nl
  • Watch this videoClose
  • 
						Testimonial of Meike van Deemter

    The most valuable thing I have learned is how to think in a logical and structured way

    – Meike van Deemter
    Read more

    At high school I found it hard to choose a bachelor's programme, because I have a broad interest in many different subjects, such as mathematics, psychology and the brain. In this bachelor, I get to combine these disciplines in an interactive way. You learn about very different subjects, therefore the programme does not get boring very easily. Before starting the programme, I thought it would be quite hard, since I heard some experiences of others doing the bachelor AI. I must say, at the beginning of my first year I found that the programme was indeed difficult. However, after a couple of months, I got used to thinking in a “programmers way” and learned to study effectively. Nowadays, I still have to put in the effort, but I can easily combine my studies with other social and sport related activities.

    I am currently in the second year of my bachelor’s programme. One of the courses I have taken is Language and Speech Technology, which was challenging and fun because we combined knowledge of the first year (such as programming and general linguistics), with the knowledge about how sounds are produced. The programming courses are most fun to me. You have weekly assignments in which you need to solve a problem in a creative and structured way. This makes it challenging, but you have the freedom to solve it in your own way. The most valuable thing I have learned is how to think in a logical and structured way. This way of thinking is necessary when programming, so you can recognise your own mistakes.

    At the beginning of my first year I joined the rowing association Gyas. I have joined a committee at Gyas and I am part of a team. Next to this, I like to jog, go to sporting lessons of the ACLO and meet up with friends. I am also a member of the study association, but I am not a very active member. However, I can regularly be found in the room of the association when I am meeting with friends in my study breaks.

    As for my future plans, I am planning to go abroad at the end of my bachelor's degree. At the moment going to Scandinavia really appeals to me, but I still need to work out the details of this trip. To be honest, I have not really started orienting about the future possibilities after finishing my bachelor’s degree. I will probably follow a master’s programme related to this programme. I am most looking forward to studying abroad and going on a new adventure, where I get to meet many different people and learn a different culture. But for now, I am really enjoying my life here in Groningen with all of my friends.

    Close
  • 
						Testimonial of Trudy Buwalda

    How humans learn new tasks

    – Trudy Buwalda
    Read more

    After doing her master's project in the USA, Trudy wanted to continue to work on the edge of knowledge. She ended up back in Groningen for a PhD project about the transfer of cognitive skills. She builds computer models which show how humans learn new tasks and tests them by comparing them to, for example, test scores or brain activity. Using her models we can learn more about how your brain uses what you already know to learn something new.

    Close

Study associations

Cover

Cover is the study association for all students of AI, CS, and CCS here at the UG. We offer fun activities, a room to hang out, and support for you to pass all your upcoming courses.
A study association is an organisation run by a team of students from the respective bachelor’s and master’s degree programme(s). We organise many activities for students, including introductory camps and monthly “borrels” (informal social gatherings with drinks). Our activities follow our 3 main pillars: education, social, and career. Hence, we organise course support lectures, symposia, educational talks, parties, informal gatherings, career day, company visits, company talks, and many more.If you decide to study AI, CS, or CCS, be sure to sign up for Cover at www.svcover.nl/join, so you can attend all our awesome activities even after the Kick-off Week! And, about the Kick-Off Week, we always organise a treasure hunt, a barbecue, a borrel, and an introduction camp that spans an entire weekend for the first years.
https://www.svcover.nl/
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(Binding) study advice
  • A minimum of 45 EC in the first 12 months (binding)

You will be issued a study advice at the end of the first year of study. You can expect a positive study advice if you have earned at least 45 ECTS credit points (out of a total of 60 ECTS; most course units are 5 ECTS). If you have earned fewer than 45 ECTS and are issued a negative study advice, you will not be allowed to continue your degree programme.

You will receive a preliminary study advice in December to make sure that you know where you are. Please contact your study advisor as soon as possible if you have any questions about the BSA system.

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