The start of your Pre-Master’s

If your qualifications do not give you direct access to the Master’s programme of your choice at the Faculty of Arts, the Admissions Board of your degree programme may admit you provided that you first complete a Pre-Master’s programme. This programme will ensure that you have sufficient subject-specific theoretical and methodological knowledge and skills to be able to round off the Master’s programme successfully.

If you have questions about following a Pre-Master’s programme, the composition of the programme or the registration procedure, please contact the degree programme’s study adviser.

Your registration as a Pre-Master’s student at the UG must be complete before 1 September. Studielink provides an overview of everything you will need to arrange, Remember your ID and the fee for the Pre-Master’s programme. You will not be able to start the programme unless you have registered in Studielink by 1 September.

The Office for Student Affairs will deal with the administrative matters concerning your qualifications. The required documents include a letter from the Admissions Board and a copy of your Bachelor’s degree certificate or graduation statement (the latter only applies if you have gained a Bachelor’s degree certificate from another university than the UG).

Please contact the UG Student Information & Administration if you have any further questions or need help.

Check the following ‘to do’ list to make sure you are properly prepared when you start your degree programme:

• Activate your student account
• Upload a photograph for your student card
• Check the Student Portal
• Install your Student Mail
• Check your study programme and timetable (click on the appropriate academic year in the upper right corner)
• Check the Faculty of Arts annual timetable with teaching weeks, exam periods and holidays
• Check the practical information about studying and living in Groningen: for Dutch students and international students

International students are expected to participate in the Welcoming Ceremony for international students organized by the University. You will receive an invitation to the event approximately 1.5 months in advance, so make sure to keep an eye on your inbox.

A lot of information will be given, for example:

• how to open a bank account,
• how to apply for a residence permit,
• health insurance,
• accommodation/housing,
• registration at city hall.

Below you can find an overview of all the Pre-Master degree programmes that organize introduction activities for their students. It is possible that this overview will be updated in the upcoming months, so keep an eye on this website. Also keep an eye on your student email for the official invitation from your study programme.

Not every programme organizes an introduction for Pre-Master students. You can check the BA or MA Introduction webpages of the relevant degree programme to see whether there are introduction activities you can take part in.

• Communication and Information Studies
• History
• International Relations
• Media Studies

If you have ADD, ADHD, ASS, dyslexia or another functional impairment that might affect your studies or study progress, please check this SSC link.

If you would like to apply for special provisions, please check this Information tool and also contact your study adviser as soon as possible.

Readers

Readers can be ordered from early August onwards via Canon. The readers will be delivered to your home. Make sure to order your readers on time.

Compulsory literature

The Online Course Catalogue Ocasys (select the correct academic year) provides overviews of the literature that you must buy for each course unit during the first semester. You only need to look for the books belonging to the subjects of the first block. The second block does not start until November.

Order the books yourself from a high-quality bookshop or order them with a discount when you sign up as a member of your study association. Don't wait too long with ordering your books. Shops may run out of the required texts and it can take weeks before they are in store.

Tip: improve your grades and reduce the stress and workload of the academic year by doing some advance reading!

Now that you are about to start your degree programme, we advise you to use the Student Portal. As soon as your student account has been activitated, you can find here all the information you need as a student, such as your courses, schedule, results, your programme and studying at the faculty. So, are you looking for information? Check the Student Portal first!

The Student Portal consists of three different tabs:

• Today: courses, schedule, grades, study progress and news from the UG, Faculty and your programme.
• Study Info: Online Study Guide with information about your programme and studying at the faculty. You can find the link to the pages of your programme below. Make sure to bookmark it, you are going to need it!
• Career: job opportunities, career-related events and doing a placement and how to prepare for the job market

In the drop-down menu 'UG Tools' you will find useful links to for example the course catalogue (Ocasys), the schedule generator, your grades (Progress) and your UG mail.