Courses

Course options

The Faculty of Spatial Sciences offers the unique and much appreciated course ' Spatial Problems and Spatial Policies; The Dutch Experience' exclusively for visiting exchange students. As an exchange student, you can also participate in regular courses that the Faculty of Spatial Sciences offers.

Spatial Problems and Spatial Policies; The Dutch Experience

This course gives an academic introduction to the geography and planning policies of the Netherlands, including a number of excursions. This course also introduces visiting exchange students to the working formats (lectures, paper assignments and so on) that are typical for the University of Groningen/Faculty of Spatial Sciences. All exchange students registered at the Faculty of Spatial Sciences are required to take this course.

Regular courses in English within the Faculty of Spatial Sciences.

The Faculty of Spatial Sciences offers education and research in the subject areas of Human Geography (Economic Geography and Cultural Geography), Urban and Regional Planning, Environmental and Infrastructure Planning, and Demography. All courses in the two Bachelor's programs and the six Master's programs are fully delivered in English. Some courses have entry requirements or capacity restrictions, some courses at the Master's level are only for degree-seeking students.

Other course options

1. Regular courses offered in English at other Faculties of the University of Groningen. Usually, content-specific entry requirements, capacity limits or other restrictions apply. Exchange students accepted at the Faculty of Spatial Sciences are expected to take most of their courses at the Faculty of Spatial Sciences and can request to have a maximum course load of 10 EC per semester at one or more other Faculties. Access to courses offered elsewhere in the University of Groningen must be arranged through the international coordinator at the Faculty of Spatial Sciences.
2. Regular courses offered in the Dutch language at other Faculties of the University of Groningen.
3. Language courses in various languages and at various levels offered by the University of Groningen's Language Centre.

How to select your courses

1. When making your course selections, please take into account the following:
   • All visiting exchange students registered at the Faculty of Spatial Sciences are required to take the 10 EC course ‘Spatial Problems and Spatial Policies: The Dutch Experience’.
   • The academic year consists of 2 semesters, that are each divided into 2 teaching terms (semester 1a, 1b, 2a and 2b). You can take 15 credits (ECs) in each of the 4 teaching terms, so 30 credits in one full semester and 60 credits in one full year. Spatial Problems and Spatial Policies: The Dutch Experience’ runs in semester 1 (1a plus 6 weeks of 1b,  and again (for new students) in semester 2 (2a+2b). Besides the SPSP course, you can take a maximum of 10 credits in the first teaching term (1a or 2a) and 10 credits in the second teaching term (1b or 2b). You need to take at least one course in each teaching term.
   • Is your exchange in the first (Autumn) semester and do you need to return home late December or early January because the next semester at your home university starts in January? The maximum amount of ECs you can collect in a shortened first semester in Groningen (4 months) is 25; you can not take any ‘regular’ 1b courses, because there will be 2 more teaching weeks an examination period in January that you can not attend. You can take 15 credits in semester 1a (plus SPSP, 10 credits, in 1a and the first 6 weeks of 1b). Another possibility is to take one Dutch Studies course of 5 credits (that runs in semester 1 and is finished before the Christmas break) and regular courses with a total of 10 credits at the Faculty of Spatial Sciences in 1a (plus SPSP, 10 credits, in 1a and the first 6 weeks of 1b). 
   • You can not take more than 10 EC per semester at other Faculties of the University of Groningen; enrollment in courses at other Faculties is subject to approval by the other Faculties.
2. Read the more detailed information about the courses offered by the Faculty of Spatial Sciences (see menu).
3. Make a first course selection and ask for approval from your home university to take these courses.
4. Let us know before June 1st for first semester arrivals or before December 1st for second semester arrivals what your course preferences are in the following way:

5. We will timely enroll you for the approved courses. You can check your enrollment in the courses as of shortly before the start of the teaching term in which the course is taught. Your enrollment in the course Spatial Problems and Spatial Policies is not visible in ProgressWWW, but it is in Brightspace under 'courses'.

You can contact the International Office for advice on the availability and suitability of courses, participation options, learning agreements and other course-related information.