Maastricht University - UM (reviews)

My recommendation of this university depends entirely on what it is YOU want from a uni.
(+) PBL system is actually a cool concept that allows you to learn a lot more than a traditional lecture setting – you are in a classroom with 15 people max, and you “teach eachother” through workshops. Imagine it as a meeting you enter just because you were invited versus actually preparing for what you’ll say and ask in advance.
(+) You can learn a lot from certain tutors
(+) Creativity limits don’t exist when it comes to the design of your workshops. The crazier, the better.
(+) If you speak German, you are in the right place. 90% of students are German.
(+) Campus Tapijn is where most International Business courses take place and its easily reachable if you live in the center of Maastricht.
(-) Programme is called International, right? Nothing remotely international about it, neither materials handled (western views on business) nor students (mostly German)
(-) If you are looking to do a qualitative research, reconsider. This is a statistics-based uni with VERY stubborn supervisors.
(-) Everything is graded, even participation. This causes students to compete just to get the word. When that happens, tutors start grading the quality of your answers. ZERO transparency on how that actually happens btw.

Its a tough year, and if you survive Research in International Business, I promise you, you can do anything. Its very rewarding and teaches you a lot about how you can stand out through creativity and initiative. Best of luck!

Overall, I had a very positive experience studying International Business at Maastricht University. The programme has a strong international focus, and working with students from many different backgrounds was one of the highlights for me. I also appreciated the Problem-Based Learning approach, as it encourages active participation, teamwork and independent thinking.

The programme offers a broad foundation in business, with the possibility to specialise later on, which helped me develop a clearer idea of the areas I was most interested in. The workload can be quite demanding at times, and some courses were better organised than others, but overall I feel the degree prepared me well for further studies and an international career.

Many professors exploit student just for personal interest without fulfilling the primary mandate of an educational institution. After they receive free work from students, they take credit for your own ideas and novelty as well, selling it behind your back. They do the opposite of some professors at other universities who help you get research internship in big industry research labs – here professors don’t provide connections, try to block that, make that more difficult if they feel they can exploit you further, and privately frown upon the idea of someone taking a job outside of academia, but if you manage to get a good industry research position, they say it’s their “reach”. Free work for hidden companies are also common.

My experience at UM has been very positive. During my BSc., I especially appreciated the beautiful labs at Villa Flora and the tight-knit student community on the Venlo campus. For my MSc. at FHML, I followed the Governance and Leadership in European Public Health programme, which I found extremely interesting and enriching. The small-group learning at campus Venlo created an engaging and supportive learning environment, and I was fortunate to be guided by Timo Clemens and other amazing professors. I also greatly valued the internship opportunities offered through the master’s programme, which made the experience even more practical and rewarding.