Meet the business challenges of the digital age
Do you want to dive deeper into the world of information systems, innovation management and learn skills that are highly relevant in today’s job market?
Then the Master’s in Digital Business & Innovation is the programme for you!
We welcome and look for motivated and ambitious students who are actively developing themselves and are aware of their position and role in society. In order to be successful in this programme you will need a solid academic basis in, for instance, (International) Business Administration, Social Sciences, Economics, Computer Sciences, Industrial Design, or another discipline with a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 7.0 or higher (or an equivalent GPA score for international students).
Admission requirements
With a Bachelor's degree in (International) Business Administration, Economics or Econometrics and Operations Research from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam you are admissible provided you have a GPA of a 7.0 or higher and you successfully meet the requirements in this document.
Beyond these formal requirements, we look for hard-working and motivated students, who are dedicated to understand the domain, have a critical attitude, and a drive to make a change. Extra-curricular experiences, ranging from business experience, entrepreneurial experiences to volunteering are appreciated. We stimulate a collaborative attitude and are proud of a rich diversity among students.
Services for international (EBE, EOR, IBA) students / Residence permit:
If you are planning to continue your studies at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam after your SBE Bachelor, please contact the Central Admission’s Support Team of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam for further information and specific questions about the offered services for international students like extending your residence permit. You will need to apply for extension of your residence permit if you continue your studies at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.
We welcome and look for motivated and ambitious students who are actively developing themselves and are aware of their position and role in society. In order to be successful in this programme you will need a solid academic basis in, for instance, (International) Business Administration, Social Sciences, Economics, Computer Sciences, Industrial Design or another discipline with a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 7.0 or higher (or an equivalent GPA score for international students).
Admission requirements
The Digital Business & Innovation programme is open to students with a university Bachelor's degree that provides a thorough knowledge in Business Administration, and in particular Information Systems and Innovation Management. You need to have a GPA of 7.0 or higher and successfully completed courses and studied literature related to the core of this programme, consisting of (or equivalents of):
At least 30 EC Business Administration courses, including at least 6 EC Information Systems, 6 EC Innovation Management, and 6 EC Research Methods (apart from statistics).
Innovation Management:
Information Systems:
Research Methods:
Other Business Administration courses might include (but not limited too):
• Strategy
• Organization Theory
• Business Economics
Additional requirements
Beyond these formal requirements, we look for hard-working and motivated students, who are dedicated to understand the domain, have a critical attitude, and a drive to make a change. Extra-curricular experiences, ranging from business experience, entrepreneurial experiences to volunteering are appreciated. We stimulate a collaborative attitude and are proud of a rich diversity among students.
Generally admissible
Applicants with at least a Bachelor's degree from another accredited university are admissible if they have a specialization in Business Administration, witnessed by thorough knowledge of the standard literature described above (or its equivalent) and a GPA of 7.0 or higher.
If you do not meet the requirements with regard to courses completed, you might be admissible on the condition that you follow (an) additional course(s) to remedy deficiencies.
With a Bachelor's degree in (International) Business Administration, Economics or Econometrics and Operations Research from Dutch Universities you can review this document. Any additional admission requirements can be found on the Curriculum page of this website.
Please note: this information is only meant as an indication of your admissibility. No rights can be derived from this table. This document is based on the obligatory courses and does not take electives into account. Students are recommended to apply for the Master via Studielink (without obligation) to find out if additional courses need to be completed. Every application will be reviewed individually by the Admission Board. The final admission decision may differ from the indication in this table. If your programme is not listed but contains enough relevant courses, please feel free to apply.
You will gain direct admission after completing the pre-master's programme; this is a full-time programme with courses on at least three days per week.
Pre-master's programme
The pre-master's programme is a deficiency programme that provides the necessary knowledge and prepares you for this master's programme. It is a 30 EC program that takes place in the second semester, from February through July. These courses involve both content as well as academic skills and knowledge, and research methods.
Course details in the study guide
Admission requirements
In order to be admitted to the pre-master’s programme you must have:
- a bachelor’s degree from a business or economics faculty from an NVAO accredited institute of Higher Education
AND
- a GPA of 7.5 or higher, calculated over the last three years.
If you do not meet these admission requirements you can remedy / eliminate these deficiencies by submitting a recent GMAT with a score of 550 or higher, or an equivalent GRE test.
GMAT
If you don’t meet the admission requirements of GPA and faculty, you can be admitted to the pre-master's programme by submitting a ‘Graduate Management Admission Test’ (GMAT) with a combined score of at least 550 for the parts Verbal and Quantitative.
Also note the following:
- The score may not be older than five years, counted from the date you start with the pre-master's
- The Integrated Reasoning and Analytical Writing Assessment score do not count for admission
Please fill in the test that 'Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam' may receive your score. The official score will be sent by GMAT to VU. Please note that it may take up to 20 calendar days for the VU to receive your GMAT score, so plan GMAT on time.
You can also submit a ‘Graduate Record Examinations’ (GRE) score for the parts Verbal and Quantitative to satisfy the GMAT score requirement. To convert your GRE score to its GMAT equivalent, use the GRE Comparison Tool!
Costs pre-master's
Tuition fee 2022-2023: EUR 1.105,00
Deadlines and application
The programme starts each year in February, you must have completed your application before 31 January.
To enroll in the programme submit your enrolment application via Studielink.
Step 1:
Apply for the programme MSc Digital Business and Innovation via Studielink before 1 June.
Step 2:
Please complete your application in your VU dashboard by answering additional questions and uploading the following documents:
Your GPA has to be determined by taking the weighted average of all bachelor courses completed up to the moment of application. In case an additional degree has been pursued beyond the bachelor programme, the associated grades may be included in the calculation of the GPA, if that is beneficial for the GPA.
Please note: we can only process your application when you uploaded all documents.
Step 3:
The admission committee will assess if you meet the admission criteria and will inform you about the decision via email.
For the full description of the registration procedure see the VU website.
To enroll in the programme submit your enrolment application via Studielink.
Step 1:
Apply for the programme MSc Digital Business and Innovation via Studielink before 1 June.
Step 2:
Please complete your application in your VU dashboard by answering additional questions and uploading the following documents:
Your GPA has to be determined by taking the weighted average of all bachelor courses completed up to the moment of application. In case an additional degree has been pursued beyond the bachelor programme, the associated grades may be included in the calculation of the GPA, if that is beneficial for the GPA.
Please note: we can only process your application when you uploaded all documents.
Step 3:
The admission committee will assess if you meet the admission criteria and will inform you about the decision via email.
For the full description of the registration procedure see the VU website.
We welcome and look for motivated and ambitious students who are actively developing themselves and are aware of their position and role in society. In order to be successful in this programme you will need a solid academic basis in, for instance, (International) Business Administration, Social Sciences, Economics, Computer Sciences, Industrial Design or another discipline with a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 7.0 or higher (or an equivalent GPA score).
In order to gain admission to our Master’s programme, you 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 EC or equivalent. We do not require a GRE or GMAT test score (but encourage you to submit if you have one). You need to have successfully completed courses and studied literature related to the core of this programme, consisting of (or equivalents of) at least 30 EC in Business Administration courses, including at least 6 EC Information Systems, 6 EC Innovation Management, and 6 EC Research Methods (apart from statistics):
Information Systems courses
Innovation Management courses
Research Methods courses
Other Business Administration courses might include (but not limited too):
• Strategy
• Organization Theory
• Business Economics
Beyond these formal requirements, we look for hard-working and motivated students, who are dedicated to understand the domain, have a critical attitude, and a drive to make a change. Extra-curricular experiences, ranging from business experience, entrepreneurial experiences to volunteering are appreciated. We stimulate a collaborative attitude and are proud of a rich diversity among students.
The admission board wants to stress the intensity of the programme: reading scientific articles and writing papers will be a key part, all in a very high pace. Your English language skills, both oral and written, are extremely important in this programme. As you will have to communicate frequently with your fellow students and you will be working with and for international companies.
If you are applying for one of our English-taught Master's degree programmes you will have to demonstrate sufficient English language proficiency by submitting English test results.
Although complete applications are preferred, you can begin your application before you have completed the test and then submit your passing score once you have been conditionally admitted.
You can find which test types and scores are accepted, the deadlines for submitting test results and all other relevant information on our application page under the Language Proficiency Requirements tab.
Please note: you will need to upload all required documents in one PDF file, using this Application Form Template. Please download the template to check which documents are required for this programme.
If you have read the admission criteria and feel you are eligible for admission, please take the following steps to submit your application. Note that the initial application procedure is fully online and that scans of your original documents are required.
Step 1: Review the admission criteria
Step 2: Prepare your documents and apply online
Please prepare the required documents and arrange the payment of the application fee, a non-refundable €100 application fee applies. You can find an explanation of each document on the application page. All documents should be provided in English.
Step 3: Await the decision on admission
The admission board will review your application as soon as it is complete. Normally this takes about four weeks, but it might take longer in busy periods so be sure to apply as soon as possible. If you are admitted to the programme, you will receive an admission notification via email.
Step 4: Finalise your registration!
Make sure to finalise your registration as a student before the start of the programme. Here you will find an explanation on what to do after you are admitted. When all of the conditions are met, you will be ready to start your programme at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam!
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.sbe@vu.nl.
International students can apply to several scholarships. For all VU scholarships, please see www.vu.nl/scholarships. Any available external grant or scholarship can be found through Study in NL.
Our International Student and Alumni Ambassadors are happy to tell you all about their experiences with studying at VU Amsterdam and living in Amsterdam.
You will find the full overview of our Ambassadors here: vu.nl/ambassadors. There you can chat with them directly.
Applying for the pre-master's programme directly is not possible. All international students are required to apply for the Master's programme of their choice first. If you do not meet the admission requirements directly, the Admission Board might refer you to the pre-master's programme. After completing the pre-master's programme you are directly eligible for the Master's programme.
The pre-master's programme is a deficiency programme that provides the necessary knowledge and skills to prepare you for this Master's programme. It is a programme of 30 ECTS that is offered in the second semester, from February through July. Content details of the offered pre-masters can be found here.
Admission requirements for the pre-master's programme
More information on the requirements, including GMAT preparations, can be found on the central SBE pre-master's website.
Deadlines and application
The programme starts 1 February. Because of visa application deadlines, non-EU citizens must have submitted their application before 1 November. EU citizens or students with a valid residence permit for the Netherlands have until January 31st to complete their application. However, to make sure everything is arranged before the enrolment deadline it is advised to submit your application well before this date.
Note: When applying, you can find the pre-master's programme in Studielink after selecting Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and by entering ‘pre-master's’ in the search bar.
The programme starts in the second semester, around the first of February. To make sure everything is processed in time, we recommend to submit your request well before the deadline.
Can I be admitted into an SBE Master with my Dutch university degree?
The admission board can make a decision regarding your admissibility based on several documents. Apply for the Master via Studielink and complete your application on your VU dashboard by uploading the required documents. Some Master programmes require additional documents such as an English CV and motivation letter, as well as your transcript of records. You will receive an admission decision within a couple of weeks after completing your application. Registration for the Master via Studielink is without obligation and does not commit you to anything yet.
I have a higher vocational (HBO) degree. Do I need to complete the pre-master's before I can start with an SBE Master?
Yes, we require all students with an HBO higher vocational Bachelor degree to complete the corresponding pre-master's before they can start with the Master. More information on the pre-master's can be found here.
I have a higher vocational (HBO) degree and wish to start with an SBE Master that does not have a specific pre-master's (MSc Econometrics & Operations Research, MSc Economics, MSc Spatial, Transport and Environmental Economics). How do I apply?
Please send your transcript of records directly to admissions.sbe@vu.nl/ toelating.sbe@vu.nl. Make sure the name of your education and institution are visible.
I do not want to start with a master in the next academic year, but the year after. How do I know if I am eligible?
You can still apply for the Master that starts in the next academic year via Studielink. Registration for the Master is without obligation and does not commit you to anything yet. If you need to complete additional courses in order to be admissible, you can do so during the next academic year. Because the admission decisions are valid for one year, make sure to check in advance if the admission requirements have not changed.
I am already completing a Master at a Dutch university. Can I be directly admitted into one of the SBE Masters?
You cannot be automatically admitted into one of the SBE Masters. First, your application needs to be reviewed by the admission board of the Master in the same way as all Bachelor students. Please apply for the Master via Studielink and upload all required documents. You can use an online PDF merger to upload both your Bachelor grades and (preliminary) Master grades.
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