Business Analytics

Check whether you meet the programme requirements and apply

• 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 Business Analytics programme is open to both Dutch and international students with a Bachelor’s degree in the same or an equivalent field and who are in possession of sufficient mathematical and computer skills. Those who have a Bachelor’s degree in Business Mathematics, Mathematics or Econometrics from a university or an institute of higher education will be admitted if approval of the Admission Board is obtained. The Faculty’s Admission Board will decide upon your admission after having evaluated your complete online application. 

  In order to gain admission to the Business Analytics 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 Business Analytics master’s programme 
  For admission to the Business Analytics programme, a Bachelor's degree in Business Analytics or a closely related Bachelor is required. In general, we expect the following subjects to be part of your Bachelor's programme:

  • 90 ECTS or equivalent of Mathematics/Econometrics/Computer Science courses at the Bachelor's level, of which:
  • 45 ECTS or equivalent of Mathematics courses at the Bachelor's level, including a Probability Theory course (6 ECTS) and a Statistics course (6 ECTS), and
  • at least one course (6 ECTS) of programming in Java, Python, C++ or another formal programming language that covers the OOP paradigm

  A Dutch 3-year Bachelor of Science contains a total of 180 ECTS (3 x 60 ECTS). This means that in order for a student to meet the first requirement you need to have at least ~1.5 year’s worth of Mathematics/Econometrics/ Computer Science courses at the Bachelor's level.

  Having 45 ECTS of Mathematics is the minimum. If you apply with less than 45 ECTS or equivalent of Mathematics, please explain in your motivation letter why you may still be eligible. In order to have a better insight into the level of mathematics in this master’s programme, please see these sample exams. 

  Please be advised this programme is fundamentally mathematical and not suitable for students from a business or management background. If your previous degree was in (a field related to) business or management and you do not meet the above requirements, your chances of admission will be very small. Please be aware that in these cases the pre-master's option will most likely not be available either. We would thus encourage these applicants to have a close look at the programmes offered by our School of Business and Economics.

  Admission to the dual programme
  Admission to the dual Master's programme is granted to those who have a Business Analytics Bachelor's degree. For those with another university level Bachelor's degree, such as Mathematics, Econometrics, Computer Science, or a Bachelor's degree from a University of Applied Sciences (HBO), admission may be granted on an individual basis. Those seeking admission to the dual Master's programme should realise that admission also depends on obtaining suitable employment. Business Analytics has contacts with a number of companies that are interested in participating in this programme. 

  Please note, that courses in the dual programme are to be followed in the standard course schedule (and hence, during the day): a special schedule for dual students does not exist. It is usually necessary to visit the university several days per week to follow the programme. For more information, contact the master’s coordinator. 

  Due to visa restrictions and limits to issue work permits to students from abroad by the Dutch immigration authorities, the dual programme is only open for EU students.

  For more information concerning the dual Master's programme, contact the coordinator for the external Master's project: Annemieke van Goor, h.j.m.van.goor-balk@vu.nl. Or contact the programme coordinator: Joost Berkhout: joost.berkhout@vu.nl.

• I have a Dutch higher vocational education (HBO) Bachelor’s degree (pre-master's)

  A Bachelor's degree obtained at a Dutch University of Applied Sciences (HBO)  in most cases does not grant direct access to the programme (only exceptionally high ranking students stand a chance of admission).

  Holders of a University of Applied Sciences Bachelor's degree (HBO) that is closely related to Business Analytics (i.e., with a strong focus on applied mathematics and computer science such as Business Mathematics (HBO) and Applied Mathematics (HBO)) are admitted first to the one-year pre-master’s programme. For further information regarding procedures on composing the pre-master's programme for Dutch University of Applied Sciences graduates see also this page.

  The pre-master's programme
  The pre-master's programme Business Analytics enables you to gain admission to the Master's programme Business Analytics (if the deficiency can be addressed in a program of at most 30 ECTS). You'll follow a customized individual programme that is mainly composed of Business Analytics Bachelor's courses. You have to complete the pre-master's (30 ECTS) within 1 year. After you have finished the pre-master's programme you can be admitted to the Master's programme Business Analytics. 

• Application with a Dutch degree

  The Business Analytics 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. You find all information about the general application procedure with a Dutch degree on the application page.

  Use this form to apply for the Master’s: Application form Master's Business Analytics.
  Use this form to apply for the pre-Master’s: Application form pre-Master's Business Analytics.

  The application deadline is:

  1 June for holders of a Dutch bachelor’s degree (with a Dutch or EU/EEA nationality).

  Your application will be rejected in case you didn’t upload the required documents in ‘your dashboard’ within 6 weeks after your enrolment in Studielink, OR in case you’ve uploaded (one or more) of the required documents after June 1^st. Applications and documents submitted after the deadline will not be accepted.

  Required documents (deadline June 1^st)

  This (pre)master’s programme requires students with a Dutch bachelor's degree to upload the following documents as soon as possible and in any case 6 weeks after your enrolment and before 1 June.

  • Bachelor's transcript, including your GPA (HBO: including propedeuse).

  Your online dashboard gives you an overview of the submitted and eventual missing documents. Check your dashboard regularly.

• I have an international degree

  Important: you need to be aware that this programme is fundamentally mathematical and is generally not suitable for students from a business or management background.

  Students must meet the following admission requirements:

  1. Academic requirements

  Your previous education needs to be deemed equivalent to at least a Dutch academic Bachelor’s degree (wetenschappelijk onderwijs, WO) obtained at a research university (nominal duration 3 years). Please find more information about your admissibility with a non-Dutch degree here. We do not require a GRE or GMAT test score.

  2. Programme specific requirements

  • 90 ECTS or equivalent in Mathematics/Econometrics/Computer Science at university Bachelor's level, or equivalent of which:
    • 45 ECTS in Mathematics, including
      • 6 ECTS in Probability Theory;
      • 6 ECTS in Statistics;
    • A minimum of 6 ECTS in Programming: Java, Python, C++ or another formal programming language that covers the OOP paradigm

  If you apply with less than 45 ECTS in Mathematics, please explain in your motivation letter why you may still be eligible. In order to have a better insight into the level of Mathematics in this Master’s programme, please see these sample exams. Please also check if you are eligible for this programme here. 

  Please note: a Dutch 3-year Bachelor of Science contains a total of 180 ECTS (3 x 60 ECTS). This means that in order for you to meet the first requirement, you need to have at least approximately 1.5 years' worth of Mathematics/Econometrics/Computer Science courses at university Bachelor's level.

  How to demonstrate that you meet the above requirements

  You are required to indicate how you meet the programme specific admission requirements in your Application Form. The Admission Board will evaluate your Application Form and decide if your academic background is sufficient to gain admission to the programme.

  3. English-language proficiency requirements

  You will have to demonstrate sufficient English language proficiency. You can find an overview of relevant information to demonstrate your English language proficiency on the language requirement page. 

• Application with an international degree

  Application documents

  To apply you are required to provide the following documents:

  • Scan of your passport or national ID card (ID for EEA students only) valid at the start date of the programme
  • Master Application File please download the correct file from this page. In this file you can see which documents are required to apply for your programme.
  • Proof of English language proficiency (if already obtained): upload your proof of English language proficiency or English language test results. Please find the English language requirements here.

  After having prepared the required documents, please follow the online application procedure. 

  Application fee & deadlines

  All students seeking admission to an international 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. 

  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.

  International Student and Alumni Ambassadors 

  Our International Student and Alumni Ambassadors are happy to tell you all about their experiences with studying at VU Amsterdam and living in Amsterdam.

  • Our Student Ambassadors are current students at VU Amsterdam that represent a wide variety of programmes and countries.
  • Our International Alumni Ambassadors are VU Amsterdam graduates who are currently either working in the Netherlands or abroad, or doing a PhD or (second) Master's.

  You will find the full overview of our Ambassadors here: vu.nl/ambassadors. There you can chat with them directly.