Utrecht School of the Arts offers preparatory courses, bachelor's and master's programmes and research degrees in fine art, design, music, theatre, media, games and interaction and arts management.

Utrecht School of the Arts is internationally oriented and involved in numerous international programmes and projects. The HKU maintains contact with almost 200 educational institutions abroad for the purpose of exchanging lecturers, students and projects. Almost 20% of the students come from outside the Netherlands. Foreign students can attend HKU as a regular student, an exchange student in programmes such as Socrates/Erasmus, a bilateral exchange programme or as an MA, MPhil or PhD student.

HKU facilitates and stimulates talented and passionate students to develop as visual artists, musicians, designers, technologists, arts managers, writers, actors and teachers. It offers students intensive coaching and supervision. The courses have a tutor system. A tutor has an intermediary function between the student and the teacher and supervises the study process.

In nearly all practical subjects, the Utrecht School of the Arts has adopted the studio-based system, in which (teams of ) students have their own workspace and where they meet their supervisors.
Students are given many opportunities to prove themselves in practice. The school’s concert hall, theatre and gallery, professional studios and workplaces are available for use. Besides excelling in an art discipline, HKU is commited to teaching students how to become professional cultural entrepreneurs. Students learn how to set up networks and start relationships with other artists and organisations. There are plenty of opportunities to work with professional artists, the business community and intermediary organisations.

Nowadays, artists are primarily creative professionals. They need to be entrepreneurs in order to reach their public and fulfill their mission. Creating extensive networks and cooperative links play an essential role in this. In the Netherlands, this has led to the emergence of creative industries, cities and regions, where artists can find one another and look for opportunities together. In order to get your foot on the ladder of this creative industry, it is important that you already learn during your studies how to set up networks and start relationships with other artists and organisations.

At HKU, you will get plenty of opportunity to work with professional artists, the business community and intermediary organisations. You will therefore not only be trained in an art discipline, but you will also take your first steps on the road to becoming a professional creative entrepreneur.