Economics: Public Policy

Admission Requirements for Public Policy

• I have a School of Business and Economics Degree from VU Amsterdam

  The MSc Programme in Public Policy welcomes ambitious students who are interested in studying key policy challenges from an economics perspective. Students should have an interest in thinking about societal problems and should start with introductory knowledge in economics and sufficient knowledge of mathematics and statistics.

  Admission requirements
  Students with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics or Econometrics have direct admission as well as students who completed the economics track in (International) Business administration or completed the Minor Economics at VU. The entry requirement for students with a Bachelor’s degree in (International) Business Administration, Economics and Econometrics from the Vrije Universiteit are summarized in this document. 

• 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 MSc Programme in Public Policy welcomes ambitious students who are interested in studying key policy challenges from an economics perspective. Students should have an interest in thinking about societal problems and should start with introductory knowledge in economics and sufficient knowledge of mathematics and statistics.

  Admission requirements
  The MSc programme in Public Policy is open to students with a university Bachelor's degree that provides an introductory knowledge in Microeconomics and Macroeconomics and a solid background in mathematics and statistics for social scientists. Specifically, students ought to be familiar with mathematics (calculus and algebra), economics and econometrics at a level commensurate with all of the following texts:

  Microeconomics - Goolsbee, A., Levitt, S. and Syverson, C., Microeconomics, MacMillan, 2013.

  Macroeconomics - Some introductory knowledge on growth, trade, business cycles, unemployment and inflation. This is described in chapters 1-10 of Mankiw, N.G. and Taylor, M.P. Macroeconomics (European Edition), MacMillan, 2014.

  Econometrics and Statistics - Stock, J.H. and Watson, M.W., Introduction to Econometrics, Pearson, Updated 3rd ed., 2015 (chapters 1-7).

  Mathematics for Economists - Sydsaeter, Knut and Hammond et al., Essential Mathematics for Economic Analysis, Prentice Hall, 5th ed., 2016.
  

  Approval is in most cases given to students who hold a:

  •    Bachelor’s degree in economics or econometrics

  •    Bachelor’s degree in business administration, social sciences and sciences with sufficient elective courses in economics

  •    Bachelor’s degree from a University College with a specialization in sciences or social sciences and sufficient economics courses

  •    Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) or in Politics, Psychology, Law and Economics (PPLE) with sufficient economics and quantitative courses

  •    Bachelor’s degree and who completed the Minor Economics at the Vrije Universiteit

  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. 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.

  Application procedure

  Step 1:

  Apply for the programme MSc Economics via Studielink before 1 June. You can apply for the specialization Public Policy on your VU Dashboard (see step 2).

  Step 2:

  After applying for the programme in studielink you will receive a VUnet-ID and password. Please complete your application in your VU Dashboard by answering additional questions, affirming  your choice for the specialization Public Policy and uploading a formal transcript of your bachelor grades. Your transcript must include an average score (GPA) (please note: we can only process your application when your choice of specialization is clear and your transcript is uploaded). 

  Step 3:

  The admission committee will assess your application and decide whether you are admissible. You will be informed about this decision via email.

  Students who do not meet the admission criteria can be

  •    admitted conditional on passing one or more Bachelor courses

  •    requested to take an admission test after self-study of the literature

  •    admitted to the transfer programme (a minimal GRE score may be required)

  The admission test takes place in June at the Vrije Universiteit.

  Note that participation in the transfer programme may substantially increase the time to completion.

• I have a Dutch higher vocational education

  Students with a HBO degree in economics related fields can enroll in the MSc program in Public Policy, but only after completing a transfer programme.

  If you have a Dutch higher vocational (HBO) degree you need to enroll in a transfer programme, which is specifically designed to bridge the gap between higher vocational education and university-level education.

  To apply for admission you should send a request and a transcript of you HBO courses and grades by email to toelating.sbe@vu.nl. The admission board then will decide whether admission is possible via the transfer programme.
  
  For more information about the transfer programme contact toelating.sbe@vu.nl.

  Students wishing to attend the transfer programme may be required to submit scores from a recent GRE test prior to start and admission may be conditional on achieving a set of minimal scores (information is available on request). Note that participation in the transfer programme may substantially increase the time to completion.

• I have an international degree

  Admission requirements

  The Master's programme in Economics, specialization in Public Policy, welcomes ambitious students who are interested in studying key policy challenges from an economics perspective. Students should have an interest in thinking about societal problems and should start with introductory knowledge in economics and sufficient knowledge of mathematics and statistics.
  
  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. You need to have successfully completed courses and studied literature related to the core of this programme, consisting of (or equivalents of):

  • Microeconomics - Goolsbee, A., Levitt, S. and Syverson, C., Microeconomics, MacMillan, 2013.
  • Macroeconomics - Some introductory knowledge on growth, trade, business cycles, unemployment and inflation. This is described in chapters 1-10 of Mankiw, N.G. and Taylor, M.P. Macroeconomics (European Edition), MacMillan, 2014.
  • Econometrics and Statistics - Stock, J.H. and Watson, M.W., Introduction to Econometrics, Pearson, Updated 3rd ed., 2015 (chapters 1-7)
  • Mathematics for Economists - Sydsaeter, Knut and Hammond et al., Essential Mathematics for Economic Analysis, Prentice Hall, 5th ed., 2016

  English language requirements

  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 an overview of all accepted tests and scores that can be used to demonstrate your English language proficiency on the language requirement page.

• Application procedure with an international degree

  Applying with an international degree

  Please note: you will need to upload all required documents in one PDF file, using this Application Portal Template. You can find all the required documents listed in this template.
  
  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! 

  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.sbe@vu.nl.

  Student ambassadors

  Our International Student Ambassadors are happy to tell you all about their experiences with studying at VU and living in Amsterdam. Our student ambassadors come from all over the world and are currently attending various Bachelor's and Master's programmes. The student ambassadors are listed here. Reach out to them and hear their stories about being a VU Amsterdam student!

  Grants and scholarships

  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.