Bachelor in Digital Society

Why this programme?

We are living in an increasingly digital world. Every aspect of our lives is now affected by digital technologies, from how we communicate and socialize to how we work, learn, create, stay healthy and participate in politics and the economy. The three-year Digital Society bachelor's programme will provide you with the knowledge and skills to understand the relationships between digitalization and social change.

In this interdisciplinary program, you will learn to look at the digital society from a wide variety of perspectives by combining theories and methodologies from disciplines such as:

• Media & culture studies
• Arts & literature
• History
• Philosophy & ethics
• Political science
• Sociology
• Science & technology studies
• Computer, data & information science

Advantages & disadvantages of digitalization

Digitalization promises tremendous benefits, but it also presents challenges. For example, robots can take on tasks that are dangerous for people but at the same time can put people out of a job. Digital data collection may improve healthcare by providing more personalized treatment, but it may also challenge patient privacy and autonomy. Digitalization has brought about new forms of social and political engagement, but not everyone has the skills needed to participate so some people are at risk of being excluded.

In this programme, you will explore both the advantages and disadvantages of digitalization as well as learn to answer pressing social questions such as:

• How can we best utilize new opportunities for data collection?
• How can we bridge the divides that are emerging when it comes to data access?
• What does it mean to be human when we share the world with sophisticated forms of artificial intelligence?
• How can we identify knowledge and truth amongst the abundance of information?

Through examining these issues, you will learn to critically assess, anticipate and shape the social, cultural, and political effects of digital transformations. You will also be capable of understanding the range of possible future implications of emerging digital transformations.

Skills training

In addition to courses that teach you theoretical knowledge, you will also have skills training that helps you develop specific sets of skills, including:

• Academic skills: academic writing, qualitative and quantitative methods, interdisciplinary research design;
• Professional skills: business and persuasive writing, presentation skills, collaborative working, creative problem-solving;
• Digital society skills: managing an online presence, critical analysis of online sources, coding, and algorithmic thinking.

Problem-Based Learning

At Maastricht University, you will be taught using Problem-Based Learning (PBL). In small tutorial groups with a maximum of 15 students, you will analyze challenging questions and cases. Together with your group, you will seek further knowledge and formulate your answers. Instructors only give help as it is needed, allowing you to develop independence and the problem-solving skills you will need in your career.

This programme will also experiment with digital forms of education within the PBL environment and with the support of Maastricht University’s Institute for Education Innovation (EDLAB). This will give you hands-on experience with the advantages and disadvantages of digitally-mediated teaching and learning methods.

Study abroad, internship, or minor

At the beginning of your third year, you will be able to specialize in your field of interest by choosing to study abroad at one of our more than 100 partner universities, conduct an internship (e.g. at a cultural institution, civil society organization, media organization) or follow a minor at FASoS or another faculty.

Bachelor's thesis

At the end of your third year, you will conduct an in-depth study on a topic of your choice related to digital society. You will receive both individual supervision and peer support. Drawing on the knowledge and skills you have developed throughout the program, you could explore research questions such as:

• How does a specific community (e.g. of patients or political interest groups) use digital practices to realize its goals?
• How far do digital artworks reflect critically on technology?
• How can digitalized sources enhance public engagement with history?
• How can digital means be used to generate dynamic consent amongst participants in scientific or medical research?
• Does the use of social media by politicians differ between presidential and parliamentary democracies (comparing two countries, or two specific elections)?

Ties with cutting-edge research

The bachelor's program may be new but Maastricht University has a strong history of research in the digital society, which is integrated into the program. This research includes:

• Maastricht Centre for Arts and Culture, Conservation and Heritage (MACCH) supports and investigates museums and other cultural heritage institutions engaged with the digitalization of heritage.
• Maastricht Centre for Citizenship, Migration and Development (MACIMIDE) studies the use of mobile phones and social media by migrants and technologically mediated identity construction.
• The Center for Gender and Diversity (CGD) explores how digitalization affects gender, diversity, and religious experience.
• The Center for European Research in Maastricht (CERiM) houses research on EU governance of digitalization (privacy, digital nudging by public and private organizations).
• Institute of Data Science (IDS) works across the university to promote the (re)use of data to tackle urgent scientific and societal questions.

You will have excellent study visits and internship opportunities through these research institutes as well as through the Brightlands campuses in Maastricht (health) and Heerlen (data science and smart services).

Courses & curriculum 2022 - 2023

The Digital Society bachelor’s programme will provide you with tools to better understand the history of the digital revolution and the impact of digitalization on today’s society, culture and politics so that you can play an effective role in shaping the digital transformations of tomorrow.

Maastricht University implements UM-wide minors that are open for (almost) all Maastricht University bachelor's students. These minors offer you the opportunity to get acquainted with a different field of study.

Binding Study Advice

This programme has a Binding Study Advice. This means that in your first year of the programme, you must obtain a minimum of 42 out of 60 ECTS credits. Students who fail to earn enough credits will receive a negative Binding Study Advice that leads to exclusion from the programme for a period of six years. All students who are at risk of receiving a negative Binding Study Advice will receive a warning after the first semester.

First-year courses

• Diagnostic Test: English Language
• Making Your Own Online Presence
• Mentor Scheme
• Surveillance Society
• What is (a) Digital Society?
• Digitalization and Politics
• Introduction to Digital Technologies I
• What is Research?
• ICT Revolutions: Continuity and Change
• Using Digital Sources
• Digital Cultures
• Introduction to Digital Technologies II

Second-year courses

• Mentor scheme
• Making Knowledge and Manufacturing Doubt
• Quantitative Data Analysis
• Artificial Society
• Maker Cultures
• Working with Big Data
• The 'Good Life'
• Qualitative Research Methods: Foundations and Practices
• Regulating the Digital: White Papers and Red Tape
• Interdisciplinary Research Design

Digital Society is the #3 Interdisciplinary bachelor's programme in the Netherlands: Keuzegids 2022

The bachelor's programme Digital Society is ranked on the 3rd place in the Interdisciplinary bachelors category of the Dutch University Guide: Keuzegids 2022.

Our students have rated the programme with an overall score of 66.

Learn more on the Keuzegids website.

In an increasingly digital world, in which every aspect of our lives is affected by digital technologies, we need experts that understand the relationships between digitalisation and social change. The Digital Society bachelor’s programme will provide you with tools to better understand the history of the digital revolution and the impact of digitalization on today’s society, culture and politics so that you can play an effective role in shaping the digital transformations of tomorrow.

Career prospects

This degree will open up a wide variety of career paths to you when you graduate. Virtually all employment sectors are affected by digital transformations and need people who fully understand the potential opportunities and consequences of digitalisation for individuals, communities, nations and the world. The interdisciplinarity of the programme will allow you to communicate this knowledge to people of all backgrounds within an organisation. This would make you particularly suited for the following types of jobs:

Marketing, communications & PR

You will be well prepared to analyse the needs of both organisations and potential audiences. This would make you an ideal candidate for traditional jobs in communications and media as well as in the growing area of ‘digital culture’, in positions such as:

• marketing coordinator
• advertising account manager
• digital strategy manager
• social media account manager
• social media strategist
• online community manager
• digital journalist
• digital curator

Usability & procurement

Organisations need employees who understand the needs of their customers or stakeholders when it comes to their user experience. For example, many standard software packages and platforms need to be configured to meet local or targeted user requirements. Without being able to understand such requirements, organisations are more likely to make bad procurement decisions and/or fail to meet the needs of their intended users. Jobs in this area include:

• chief digital officer (CDO) for digitalisation processes
• user experience design
• usability studies expert
• procurement specialist
• project manager for software implementation

Policy & design

There is a growing number of digital policy roles in local, national and international government and administration. These vary widely in their scope. For example, you could work at a municipality, advising on the implementation of ‘smart city’ initiatives, highlighting ethical and practical complexities at an early stage and engaging stakeholders to facilitate transparent and democratic implementation. Or you could work within a ‘’digital ministry’ position that many European governments are currently developing and advise on the updating of privacy law and data-protection regulation in light of digital transformations. Another option is to work at a private company that designs digital technologies, ensuring that questions of privacy, liability, accountability are taken into account at an early stage, in order to prevent costly mistakes at a later stage.