An essential difference between the Liberal Arts university and the traditional university courses in the Netherlands lies in the phenomenon of curriculum options. During their Bachelor’s program, students gradually move from a broad base to a specialization. In practice, this means that, in their first year, students at a Liberal Arts university take a few mandatory skills courses. As the study progresses, they get more freedom of choice in courses than in traditional programs. Ultimately, the student chooses one or more specializations in which to graduate. This is in contrast to the traditional university programs in the Netherlands. While traditional programs require students to choose their discipline from the start, a Liberal Arts program allows flexibility.

At a Liberal Arts university, students are also able to combine courses in Media and Mathematics, Law and Literature, Philosophy and Political Science and so on. The concept of Liberal Arts is based on the principle that many of today’s complex problems cannot be resolved with monodisciplinary actions. When following a Liberal Arts program, students can design their own Bachelor’s program depending on their interests.