Information Sciences

Check whether you meet the programme requirements and apply

• Coronavirus: additional information admission

  Generally speaking, students must complete their Bachelor’s or pre-Master’s before starting on their Master’s programme. This is known as the ‘BSc-before-MSc rule’. Due to the corona crisis, however, some students have had to partially stop their studies, resulting in an unfortunate delay.

  There has been examined how an exception to this BSc-before-MSc rule can be made possible for Master’s programmes at VU Amsterdam. This means that, under certain conditions, students who are lacking credits for no more than a few courses including their bachelor project, will still be able to start their Master’s at VU Amsterdam next year. This is a one-off measure. The missing credits must be completed during the 2021-2022 academic year, in other words no later than August 31 2022. Please read carefully below which rules apply for admission into this Master’s programme.

  The following rules apply this year for admission into this Master’s programme:

  Target group	Number of EC at least achieved / % EC achieved
  Bachelor students at a Dutch University (incl. VU)	150 EC
  Current pre-Master students	24 EC
  HBO Bachelor students	210

  Please note that, apart from the rules above, the following passages are still applicable and must be met to be considered for admission into the Master’s programme:

  • Admission criteria / requirements that are not EC related
  • English language proficiency requirements

  Do you meet these conditions or do you expect to meet these conditions by 31 August at the latest? If so, you can request exceptional admission no later than 1 August. You can do this by completing and submitting the form. 

  Do you want to start a Master’s programme in September?  Then complete the form for exceptional admission to a Master’s programme.

• I have a Dutch university level (WO) Bachelor’s degree (VU Bachelor’s degree, VU pre-Master's or Bachelor’s degree at another university)

  The Master’s programme Information Sciences is open to students with an academic Bachelor's degree in Information Sciences or in a related field like Computer Science, Informatics, Business Analytics or Artificial Intelligence. If you have a Bachelor’s degree in a related field, you may conditionally enrol for the Master’s programme Information Sciences. In general, we expect the following subjects to be part of your Bachelor's programme:

  • Information Sciences courses: Business Modelling and Requirements Engineering, Human-Computer Interaction, Information Sciences project.
  • Computer Sciences courses: base-level courses in Programming, Software Engineering, and Databases.
  • Courses from other disciplines (business/economics, social sciences, culture & communication studies).

  Specific requirements for the Information Sciences Master’s programme
  The Master’s programme Information Sciences is open to students with an academic Bachelor's degree in Information Sciences or in related fields like Computer Science, Informatics, Business Analytics or Artificial Intelligence. If you have a Bachelor’s degree in a related field, you may conditionally enrol for the Master’s programme in Information Sciences. In general, we expect the following subjects to be part of your Bachelor's programme:

  • Information Sciences courses: Business Modelling and Requirements Engineering, Human-Computer Interaction, Information Sciences project.
  • Computer Sciences courses: base-level courses in Programming, Software Engineering, and Databases.
  • Courses from other disciplines (business/economics, social sciences, culture & communication studies).
• I have a Dutch higher vocational education (HBO) Bachelor’s degree (pre-Master)

  Holders of diplomas from selected Dutch University of Applied Sciences (HBO) programmes may be granted admission after following a pre-Master’s programme. The pre-Master’s programme Information Sciences is worth 30 ECTS credits. Applicable HBO programmes include: 

  • Business Computer Science  
  • Communication systems  
  • Computer technology  
  • Engineering, design and innovation  
  • HEAO business computer science  
  • Industrial automation 
  • Computer Science  
  • Computer and information science  
  • Network Infrastructure Design (NID)  
  • HTS Technical computer science  
  • Information engineering 

  If you have a diploma that is not listed above but is closely related to those mentioned, please contact the Master's programme director Patricia Lago, p.lago@vu.nl.

  pre-Master's programme Information Sciences  
  For further information regarding procedures on composing the pre-Masters' programme for Dutch University of Applied Sciences graduates see also this page (Dutch). We do not require a pre-Master's assessment. You have to complete the Pre-Master's programme (30 ECTS) within 1 year. After you have finished the pre-Master's programme you can be admitted to the Master's programme Information Sciences. 

• Application with a Dutch degree

  Enthusiastic about this programme? And do you meet the admission requirements? Find out how to apply.

  If you want to apply for a Master's programme at VU Amsterdam, the application procedure depends on your previous degree(s) and whether you obtained your diploma in the Netherlands or abroad. You find all information about the application procedure with a Dutch degree on the application page.

  The application deadlines are:

  • 1 February for international students applying for one of the VU scholarships
  • 1 April for non-EU/EEA students*
  • 1 June for non-Dutch EU/EEA students
  • 1 June for holders of a Dutch bachelor’s degree (with a Dutch or EU/EEA nationality)

  *non-EU/EEA students who do not need a study visa and/or a residence permit can still apply until 1 June.

• I have an international degree

  The Information Sciences programme is open to both Dutch and international students. The Faculty’s Admission Board will decide upon your admission after having evaluated your complete online application.

  In order to gain admission to the  Information Sciences Master’s programme, you will need to have at least a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited research university including at least three full years of academic study amounting to a minimum of 180 ECTS or equivalent. We do not require a GRE or GMAT test score.

  Specific requirements for the Information Sciences Master’s programme
  The Master’s programme Information Sciences is open to students with an academic Bachelor's degree in Information Sciences or in related fields like Computer Science, Informatics, Business Analytics or Artificial Intelligence. If you have a Bachelor’s degree in a related field, you may conditionally enrol for the Master’s programme in Information Sciences. In general, we expect the following subjects to be part of your Bachelor's programme:

  • Information Sciences courses: Business Modelling and Requirements Engineering, Human-Computer Interaction, Information Sciences project.
  • Computer Sciences courses: base-level courses in Programming, Software Engineering, and Databases.
  • Courses from other disciplines (business/economics, social sciences, culture & communication studies).

  Please check here which documents you need to submit for this programme.

  English language requirements
  VU Amsterdam requires all applicants to take an English test. You can, however, begin your application without having the test results. Exceptions are made for students who have completed their education in Canada, USA, UK, Ireland, New Zealand or Australia.

  The minimum English language proficiency requirements for admission to this Master's programme are:

  • IELTS: 6.5 overall
  • TOEFL Internet-based test: 92 overall
  • Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English (CAE): A, B, C
  • Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE): A, B, C

  Please note that students who need a study visa must submit their English test results before 1 June. All other students have to submit the test certificate before 31 August (preferably sooner).

  TOEFL and IELTS tests must have been completed no more than two years before 1 September of the year in which your course starts. Note that TOEFL MyBestScore is not accepted. Our institution code is 7947.

  A PDF copy of your English test result can be sent to the following email (for non-Dutch degree holders): masters.fs@vu.nl
  The general requirements regarding language proficiency are found here.

• Application with an international degree

  If you want to apply for a Master's programme at VU Amsterdam, the application procedure depends on your previous degree(s) and whether you obtained your diploma in the Netherlands or abroad. You find all information about the application procedure with an international degree on the application page. Once you have completed the application, our International Student Advisors will contact you via email. 

  Application fee & deadlines
  All students seeking admission to an international Bachelor’s or Master’s programme with an international degree are required to pay a non-refundable €100 application fee. Only after you have paid this fee will we be able to start the evaluation of your application file. If you are applying for more than one programme, you will only need to pay the application fee once. Your application fee payment is valid for two years.  
  Information on how to apply with an international university degree and deadlines can be found here. For more information, international students may also contact the International Student Advisor: masters.fs@vu.nl. 

  Grants and scholarships
  As an international student planning to study at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, you can apply for a variety of grants and bursaries. Detailed information about scholarships and deadlines can be found on www.vu.nl/scholarships or www.grantfinder.nl.

  Student Ambassadors
  Some International students are happy to tell you about their experience with living and studying in Amsterdam. These Student Ambassadors come from all over the world and have attended various Bachelor's and Master's programmes. Our Student Ambassadors are listed here on this webpage: vu.nl/ambassadors. Reach out to them and get their stories about being a student at VU Amsterdam.

• Additional costs

  Master students Information Sciences will have to spend approximately 200 euro per year for buying books. Students are expected to possess a laptop computer, running either Windows 10 or mac OSX, for participating in educational activities (which comes down to approx. 300 euro per academic year).