About us
We are proud to bring together academics and professionals in our programmes, creating a dynamic and inviting classroom environment that doesn’t shy away from asking big questions, confronting norms, and seeking productive and creative responses to today’s problems. That’s because our summer programmes are more than just lectures and assignments: they give participants the skills and viewpoints necessary to understand the diversity, complexity, and changing nature of the world today.
About our programmes
Each course takes an interdisciplinary approach to a field of research to dig deeper and ask broad questions from multiple perspectives. We will be tackling subjects from urban studies to sexuality studies, from branding to game theory, from the migrant crisis to urban "flows", and beyond.
Where our students call home
Over the years, the reach of the Summer Programmes Office has grown exponentially. With growing knowledge of our programmes comes the widening of our academic and social network and community. Over the past 25 years, we are proud to have received numerous applications from every continent, corner, and region of the globe. Due to increased globalization, technological advancements and the newfound and tenuous hybridity between the local and the global, our students come from diverse backgrounds, and bring their academic and cultural traditions with them whether they’re from Boston or Bangkok.
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What we offer
Amsterdam: a truly global city
Whether you're joining us from Toronto or Tbilisi, New York or New Delhi, St. Petersburg or Sao Paolo, Amsterdam is a place for you. As one of the most diverse cities in the world, you'll find something new and exciting on every corner, and around the bend of every canal, but with all of the comforts of home. When you study with us, you won't be in a bubble. Thanks to our truly international classroom, we bring together students from over 70 different countries every summer to one of the planet's most international cities.
Services: we've got you covered
Getting to Amsterdam is as easy as 1, 2, 3. Fly from nearly any airport in the world to Amsterdam Schiphol, and transfer seamlessly with the train into the heart of downtown in 15 minutes. Amsterdam is small enough to be easy to navigate, and with our digital classroom smartphone app, you'll have all of the information you need right at your finger tips. Enjoy the perks of being a UvA student with your student card and public transit pass.
The UvA: a top global university
The University of Amsterdam's Roeterseiland Campus is a brand new complex in Amsterdam centre/east. Our state of the art classrooms, communal spaces, and dining facilities mean that you have everything you need. As a UvA Student, you have access to the library and online catalogue, and study spaces. The UvA Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences was recently rated as one of the best in the world, and is the largest such faculty in the Netherlands.
Residences
As in any major city, housing in Amsterdam is scarce. So we help students book accommodation with housing corporations in Amsterdam. Participants are housed in single or shared dorms with easy access to the university and city centre. Residences are shared with your fellow classmates to help build the sense of community that we all crave.
Excursions: explore the biggest small country in the world
Whether you're in class on the weekdays, in Rotterdam or The Hague on excursions on Friday, or visiting one of the nearby cities, villages, or national parks on the weekend, the Netherlands is the biggest small country in the world. And Amsterdam is its beating heart. We have suggestions for everything from bike rides, to museums, and more. We hope you fall in love with The Netherlands as much as we have.
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Tailor-made programmes with partner universities
Interested in creating a tailor-made programme with us? Email us at summer-info-gsss@uva.nl for more information.
Are you interested in collaborating on a summer programme in the heart of Amsterdam? With our team's expertise, our dedicated and highly acclaimed faculty, and our state-of-the-art campus, the Summer Programmes Office at the Graduate School of Social Sciences is the ideal partner.
With over 20 years of experience in making programmes for partner universities around the world, we'll help you create the ideal programme for your students. By providing faculty and staff in consultation, we ensure that students who come to the University of Amsterdam get the best cultural and educational experience to broaden their horizons and make the most of their time in our city.
We can help create an entire programme from scratch or facilitate a programme based entirely on your wishes. As part of the University of Amsterdam, we have access to all facilities and you have the advantage of working with one of the world's top research institutions.
We offer high quality, short-term study abroad programmes at a reasonable cost. With insider knowledge of the city of Amsterdam and an impressive list of guest speakers and faculty, we have developed programmes that offer a truly authentic Amsterdam experience, and the possibilities are endless.
Plan your programme with us and let us arrange classrooms, to lecturers, and housing for your staff and students. We organize everything from public transportation cards to onsite-staff to get you from A to B with a stop at that hidden gem in between. We pride ourselves on providing high quality educational programmes. Students return from our facilitated programmes with not only a understanding of Amsterdam but a deeper intellectual understanding of the subject matter they are exploring, and having made life-long friendships.
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Our podcast Mokum
Our podcast 'Mokum' delves into the heart of important conversations around the world, introducing you to the material we would cover in a range of our summer programmes. In a series of interviews with some of our usual academic experts, we bring education with a purpose to life, and welcome you into our community.
You can find our podcast wherever you normally listen to podcasts (Spotify, Soundcloud, Google, Apple), or listen to it on Anchor.
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Our team
Mirjam Schievel, MSc | Programme Director
A Cultural Anthropologist by training, Mirjam grew up in and around Amsterdam. Mirjam is the founder of the Summer Programmes Office, starting with the Summer Institute on Addiction and the Summer Institute on Sexuality, Culture & Society over 24 years ago. Mirjam is an alumna of the University of Amsterdam, and has devoted her professional life to the creation and development of academic programmes. Mirjam also gives lectures in summer programmes, and is a lifelong fan of Amsterdam's football team, Ajax, and a major foodie. Mirjam leads the Summer Programmes Office's year-round team in order to bring quality programmes and experiences to students from across the world
Charlotte Luttik, MSc | Programme Coordinator
Charlotte holds an MA in Cultural History from the University of Utrecht and joined our team in 2018. Over the past few years, Charlotte has developed a number of programmes related to topics she's passionate about, including: The Anthropocene: Ecologies, Tensions, Futures; and Key Topics in Urban Studies. Charlotte has also developed and directed a variety of digital tours of Amsterdam, as well as interviews with our community of experts. Next to programme coordination, she is responsible for the logistical organisation of all summer programmes, and manages our wide variety of scholarships.
Imran Khalid, MSc | Assistant Programme Coordinator
Imran recently obtained his Masters degree in Communication Science from the University of Amsterdam, and next to programme coordination, is responsible for maintaining the Summer Programmes Office website. Initially from Glasgow, Scotland, Imran is a musician in his spare time, and is excited to welcome students from across the world to Amsterdam.
Julia Hagg, MSc | Assistant Programme Coordinator
Julia is a recent graduate from the Masters programme in Psychology at the University of Amsterdam. Julia grew up in Amsterdam, and is looking forward to organising a variety of summer programmes. Next to that, Julia also administers the OKP and MSP scholarship programmes. When not at the office, you can find Julia bouldering in the climbing gym or surfing.