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About us University College Groningen Education Majors Sciences

Health and Life Sciences

Major specialisation: Health and Life Sciences
Major specialisation: Health and Life Sciences

The study of life has helped shape the world and as such is an important component of the Liberal Arts and Sciences curriculum. The Health and Life Sciences (HLS) specialisation will provide you with a foundation of scientific knowledge and ways of exploring a science that pervades so many aspects of our lives -  from birth, to medicine, to the environment, to debates about stem cell research. The scope of this specialisation ranges from cell biology to human physiology, immunology, microbiology, neurobiology and other important areas in human biology, and their relevance for health and disease. Non-medical/biological perspectives on these topics are important to UCG, which encourages interdisciplinary approaches to problem solving, and these perspectives are part of the specialisation whenever appropriate. Students study the topics in this specialisation through small group lectures, working groups, journal clubs, laboratory practicals and self-study.


In the first year the course Disease gives an introduction into this specialisation whereas Living Cell 1 is a founding course that lays the groundwork for the more in-depth courses in the later years. You may choose to further focus your HLS specialisation into three well-defined profiles: Life Science and Medicine (LSM); Neurosciences (NS); and Public Health (PH).

LSM is a comprehensive track that prioritises human health and disease. It is well suited for students interested in a career in the biological sciences in its broadest sense from research, to policy-making or medicine.

The NS profile offers students a multidisciplinary study of biological subjects that focus on the human mind and will include neuropsychology courses together with Social Sciences. This set of courses is designed for students with a strong interest in neurobiology and the way in which the brain governs behaviour.

The course Access to Medicine in a globalized world in combination with the University Minor More healthy Years in the third year is very well suited for students interested in the PH track.


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Last modified:17 August 2022 4.56 p.m.