Course load

Utrecht University uses the European Credit Transfer System or ECTS. 1 EC equals 28 hours of study. Most courses at the Faculty of Humanities are worth 7.5 EC, which is 210 hours of study. You are required to take 30 EC per semester.

Academic Year (60 EC)

Semester 1 (30 EC): September - January

block 1 (15 EC)
  • Course 1 (7.5 EC)
  • Course 2 (7.5 EC)
block 2 (15 EC)
  • Course 3 (7.5 EC)
  • Course 4 (7.5 EC)

Semester 2 (30 EC): February - August

Block 3 (15 EC)
  • Course 5 (7.5 EC)
  • Course 6 (7.5 EC)
Block 4 (15 EC)
  • Course 7 (7.5 EC)
  • Course 8 (7.5 EC)

Course levels

The level of each course is indicated in the course description.

  • Level 1: Bachelor Introductory (broad introduction to the subject)
  • Level 2: Bachelor Elaborating (exploring aspects of the subject, current debates, specific methods and techniques)
  • Level 3: Bachelor Advanced (integration/synthesis, formation of theories based on research results)
  • Level M: Master level (only accessible for Master's students with approval from the course coordinator)