“Nowadays, there is a bit of hype around the field of Data Science and AI, and you see many universities offering programs in the field. How to choose among so many universities? The Department of Advanced Computing Sciences of Maastricht University has been doing research since 1987; surely, 35 years ago not many people knew what Artificial Intelligence was. The experience of this department is why I came to study my bachelor’s in the first place.”
What was your first impression of your master’s programme at Maastricht University?
I really like the small-scaled education. In some optional courses, we may only be 15 students and 2 teachers. This makes relationships with our teachers much less cold; we can ask many more questions than in a lecture hall with 500 people.
How would you describe Project Centred Learning to a friend?
At the beginning of each semester, we choose what project we want to work on from a list of possible projects. In these projects, everything, from researching the literature to documenting the final product is in our hands. This can be quite stressful, I have to say, but in the end, it teaches you how to work in groups of about 6 people and how to tackle real life projects.
How is your student life?
I love doing sports, all of them! I especially like swimming and basketball and paddle. I also like travelling and hanging out with friends, but who doesn´t? The community here is very international, so coming from another country, it was very easy to find people in the same situation and make friends. As I said before, we are not many students, so everything gets more familiar and “warm”. Most of my time I spent on studying, as the program is very demanding. Daily, I always do some sports in the university facilities, which are cool. It is also a good way to meet new people.
Other testimonials
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The theoretical knowledge I gained from the programme is something I would never have learned on the job.
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The decision to continue my studies in Maastricht was obvious because I love both the city and the university. Additionally, I have a strong affinity for Maastricht University's project-based learning approach.
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I love living in Maastricht. The people are warm and friendly. As a member of one of the student associations, I truly enjoy the city's student life. In my spare time, I sail with the sailing association, climb, and read about new developments in data science and artificial intelligence.
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It was the excellent education that put this programme at the top of my list
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I learn a lot through practice, and the more hands-on experience, the better!
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The Data Science for Decision Making master's programme sits on the crossroads of Data Science, Applied Mathematics/Operations Research and AI.
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Maastricht is such a vibrant student city. Students are everywhere! There are also so many bars and pubs that there is a cosy place for everyone
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I see myself working in research, using my cultural background to integrate teams working all around the globe. Investigating state-of-the-art techniques and methods to help solve problems that we might not even know exist yet.
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We do lots of brain storming, write some code or set up some math. We get regular advice from the project supervisor. Sometimes the advice is very helpful. Other times it is not helpful.
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A very nice place in my faculty is the Swarmlab, where you get access to equipment you don’t usually have.