Become a quant finance specialist
Then the Duisenberg Honours Programme in Quantiative Finance is the right programme for you!
Duisenberg Honours Programme in Quantitative Finance is a highly selective and challenging programme for those students who have a strong quantitative focus which they want to apply in all areas of quant finance and risk management. You have a bachelor degree in mathematics, statistics, econometrics or engineering, or you have an economics bachelor but you also followed and successfully completed a number of quantitative courses. You can programme in at least one algorithmic language. You are fascinated by the way financial markets operate. If the above applies to you, this programme will be a perfect continuation of your studies and your gateway to the world of finance.
With a Bachelor's degree in Mathematics or Econometrics and Operations Research from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam you are admissible to this programme, provided you have a grade-point average of at least 7.0, sufficient interest in and affiliation with finance, and you successfully finished the 3d year course “Investments” or any other investments course on the level of the book Bodie, Kane, Marcus (1996), Investments.
With a Bachelor's degree in (International) Business Administration, Economics and Business Economics, you are admissible to this programme, provided you have a grade-point average of at least 7.0 and have demonstrated your quantitative abilities (for example, by successfully finishing Econometrics minor) and/or you have successfully finished the following courses:
BSc Bedrijfskunde:
OR
one course Econometrics, choose between:
Please note: a limited amount of students will be admitted to this programme. On https://vu.nl/en/education/master you can find the selection criteria and how to apply for admission.
BSc Economics and Business Economics:
OR
one course Econometrics, choose between:
Please note: a limited amount of students will be admitted to this programme. On https://vu.nl/en/education/master you can find the selection criteria and how to apply for admission.
BSc Econometrics and Operations Research / Econometrics and Data Science:
Please note: a limited amount of students will be admitted to this programme. On https://vu.nl/en/education/master you can find the selection criteria and how to apply for admission.
BSc International Business Administration:
OR
one course Econometrics, choose between:
Please note: a limited amount of students will be admitted to this programme. On https://vu.nl/en/education/master you can find the selection criteria and how to apply for admission.
Generally, admission requirements can be found in this document.
This MSc is an honours programme, which means we select the students for this programme on the basis of:
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 an extension of your residence permit if you continue your studies at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.
Duisenberg Honors Program in Quantitative Finance is a highly selective and challenging program for those students who have a strong quantitative focus which they want to apply in all areas of quant finance and risk management. You have a bachelor degree in mathematics, statistics, econometrics or engineering, or you have an economics bachelor but you also followed and successfully completed a number of quantitative courses. You can program in at least one algorithmic language. You are fascinated by the way financial markets operate. If the above applies to you, this program will be a perfect continuation of your studies and your gateway to the world of finance.
The Duisenberg honours programme Quantitative Finance is open to students with a university Bachelor's degree that provides a thorough knowledge in mathematics, econometrics, statistics and probability theory, as well as knowledge of basic investment theory and programming. Also: students should be familiar with a theorem-proof type teaching style for some of the more mathematical courses.
You are admissible to this programme, provided you have a grade-point average of at least 7.0/10 and have successfully completed courses and studied literature related to the core of this programme, consisting of (or equivalents of):
This MSc is an honours programme, which means we select the students for this program on the basis of:
Approval is in most cases given to students who hold a Bachelor degree in:
The programme also invites applications of students in related sciences with a strong emphasis on quantitative methods and modelling.
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.
To enrol in the programme submit your enrolment application via Studielink.
Please note: in Studielink you can apply for the Master in Finance and in VUnet you can select the specialization Duisenberg honours programme in Quantitative Finance.
Step 1:
Apply for the programme MSc Finance via Studielink before 1 June. You can apply for the specialization in VUnet (see step 2).
Step 2:
After application in Studielink, you will receive a VUnet-ID and password. Please complete your application in VUnet by answering additional questions, affirming your choice for the specialization Duisenberg honours programme in Quantitative Finance and uploading the following document: a formal transcript of your bachelor grades. Your transcript must include an average score (GPA).
Step 3:
To apply for admission you should send a request to the admissions board. You have to add the following documents:
You can send your request per email until 1 June to toelating.sbe@vu.nl.
Please note: we can only process your application when your choice of specialization is selected in VUnet and you send all documents in time to toelating.sbe@vu.nl.
Step 4:
The admission committee will assess if you meet the admission criteria and will inform you about the decision via email.
More information regarding registration WO-bachelors, see the VU website (in Dutch).
Duisenberg Honours Programme in Quantitative Finance is a highly selective and challenging program for those students who have a strong quantitative focus which they want to apply in all areas of quant finance and risk management. You have a bachelor degree in mathematics, statistics, econometrics or engineering, or you have an economics bachelor but you also followed and successfully completed a number of quantitative courses. You can program in at least one algorithmic language. You are fascinated by the way financial markets operate. If the above applies to you, this program will be a perfect continuation of your studies and your gateway to the world of finance.
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.
All students should possess sufficient mathematics, econometrics, statistics and probability theory knowledge, as well as knowledge of basic investment theory and programming. Also: students should be familiar with a theorem-proof type teaching style for some of the more mathematical courses
You need to have successfully completed courses and studied literature related to the core of this programme, consisting of (or equivalents of):
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. 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!
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.
Don't hesitate to contact us!
International diploma applicants
Contact
