For prospective students

Where MSP graduates go.

Fifteen years of graduates have left the Maastricht Science Programme since 2011. This is what they did next — the universities, the PhDs, the jobs — drawn from the alumni database rather than a brochure.

The year after graduation
73% 21% 6%
1,019
Continued to a master's
At 262 universities worldwide
295
Straight into work
Across research, industry and consulting
83
Other or not recorded
Gap years, second bachelors, unknown
262
Universities
Including Oxford, Cambridge, ETH Zürich, Imperial
83
At World Top 25
Alumni enrolled at top-25 institutions
10.1%
PhD track
141 candidates, plus nine postdocs
78
Nationalities
Across all our graduates
Three years at MSP

From core sciences to your own research project.

One bachelor, built by you: a shared foundation in the first year, electives in the second, and a 30 ECTS thesis you can run almost anywhere in the world in the third.

01
Year 1

Foundation

  • Core sciences (Bio, Chem, Physics)
  • Problem-Based Learning
  • Lab skills introduction
02
Year 2

Specialization

  • Elective curriculum
  • Project work
  • Advanced skills
03
Year 3

Research

  • Bachelor Thesis Research (30 ECTS)
  • DUB30 & Brightlands labs
  • Independent research project
From fields to careers

What each specialisation actually leads to.

Master's field on the left, the four most common destinations on the right, counted from alumni records.

Life Sciences & Biology
422 alumni
PhD candidates 62 Research positions 23 Industry R&D 22 Pharma & biotech 19
Physics & Engineering
125 alumni
PhD candidates 13 Industry R&D 6 Technology 6 Consulting 5
Chemistry & Materials
111 alumni
PhD candidates 30 Industry R&D 7 Environmental 6 Technology 5
Medicine & Health
111 alumni
PhD candidates 14 Management 10 Industry R&D 7 Healthcare 5
Neuroscience
69 alumni
PhD candidates 8 Research positions 5 Consulting 4 Education 2
Computer Science & AI
29 alumni
Technology & data 7 Consulting 3 Technology 3 PhD candidates 2
Academic destinations

MSP degrees are accepted at world-leading institutions.

Alumni counts by university tier. Numbers are people enrolled, not offers received.

World Top 10 31
ETH Zurich15
Cambridge8
Oxford7
Harvard1
World Top 25 83
Imperial College London19
Uppsala University19
University College London14
Lund University14
Karolinska Institutet11
EPFL2
Top Dutch universities 443
Maastricht University149
Utrecht University101
University of Amsterdam75
Leiden University47
Wageningen University & Research43
Radboud University39
The PhD pipeline

One in ten graduates ends up in doctoral research.

The programme's own comparison point: a typical bachelor sends 3–5% of graduates into a PhD.
10.1%
Pursuing PhDs
141 candidates at institutions including Max Planck, ETH Zurich, Cambridge and Oxford.
9
Postdocs
49
Research positions
5
Faculty
15.9%
In academia overall (222 alumni)
Where alumni work
Academia & Research222 · 15.9%
Technology & Data66 · 4.7%
Industry R&D60 · 4.3%
Finance & Business48 · 3.4%
Pharma & Biotech46 · 3.3%
Consulting42 · 3%
Environment & Sustainability33 · 2.4%
Healthcare & Medicine23 · 1.6%
Sectors are derived from current employer fields; the remaining alumni are studying, between roles, or not recorded.
What alumni say

Nine graduates, unprompted.

Collected through the alumni survey. Lightly trimmed, never rewritten.

"The learning environment at MSP nurtured curiosity, encouraged independent thinking, and reignited my genuine enjoyment of learning."

"Your degree doesn't lock you into one career - it can open doors you didn't even know existed."

"We learned how to adapt our narrative to our audience. This remains one of the most valuable skills I bring to the workplace."

"The small class sizes, supportive staff, and sense of community are special - not something you easily find again."

"MSP has a very unique atmosphere that is not found anywhere else. My classmates were inspirational."

"MSP allowed me to explore my interests while still receiving guidance. This helped me feel confident making decisions about my future."

"I really enjoyed the programme's multidisciplinary approach. MSP was the perfect way to explore a wide range of subjects across very different disciplines."

"The skills courses and project work were especially important - they helped me build practical skills that became essential in my academic journey."

"MSP gave me the freedom to discover early on and the confidence to change direction without feeling limited by my degree."

Official programme information

Everything from Maastricht University itself.

This site covers what happens after MSP. For curriculum, fees and admissions, go straight to the source.

MSP Programme Homepage The official starting point for all information about MSP at Maastricht University. maastrichtuniversity.nl → Why This Programme Discover what makes MSP unique and why it's the right choice. maastrichtuniversity.nl → Courses & Curriculum Explore the full 3-year curriculum and course details. maastrichtuniversity.nl → Your Future Career paths and Master's opportunities after MSP. maastrichtuniversity.nl → Admission Requirements Check what you need to apply. maastrichtuniversity.nl → Admission & Enrolment The application process explained. maastrichtuniversity.nl → Tuition Fees Costs and financial information. maastrichtuniversity.nl → Contact Get in touch with the MSP team. maastrichtuniversity.nl →

Apply to MSP

Admission requirements, deadlines and the enrolment process, all on the university site.

Admission & enrolment →

Questions about life after?

Ask the alumni office what graduates from a specific field went on to do. We have the records.

Contact us →