Hydrology

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 Faculty’s Admission Board will decide upon your admission after having evaluated your complete online application. 

  In order to gain admission to one of our Master’s programmes, 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 admission requirements for the Master’s Hydrology:

  • While covering a wide range of topics, the Master’s Hydrology is at its core a quantitative program. As such, a Bachelor level knowledge of basic physics, mathematics, chemistry and basic earth science topics are required. There are some self-study modules for the above topics, but if there are multiple deficiencies a pre-master may be required (see below).
  • Students with a Bachelor's degree in earth sciences (geology;  physical geography), environmental sciences, civil engineering, water management, agriculture are generally eligible with no specific course requirements, though an earth sciences/quantitative major or minor is advised. These include for instance:
    • Earth Sciences (VU and UU)
    • Earth Sciences, Economics and Sustainability (VU)
    • Future Planet Studies (UvA)
    • Soil, Water and Atmosphere; Environmental Sciences; International Land and Water Management (WUR)
    • Applied Earth Sciences (TUD)
  • Students with another natural sciences Bachelor's degree (e.g. chemistry, physics) from Dutch universities may have an additional requirement in the form of a self-study course on the basics of earth sciences in order to be eligible.
  • In case the applicant has deficiencies on various topics, it may be required to follow a pre-Master's programme before being admitted to the Master’s programme. This has to be determined on a case-by-case basis. Please contact the Master’s coordinator to discuss a possible pre-master's programme.
  • The Admission Board decides on admission of any applicant, both Dutch and non-Dutch. For more details, contact the MSc coordinator for specific cases (msc.hydrology.beta@vu.nl).

  Contact 

  Please contact the Master’s coordinator is you have any specific questions: msc.hydrology.beta@vu.nl. No rights can be derived from the reply given by the coordinator regarding your admission. 

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

  Did you know that you can easily gain admission with an HBO-degree? You can often enrol without a pre-master

  Please send an e-mail to: msc.hydrology.beta@vu.nl for specific information and any question you might have. 

  If you have a University of Applied Sciences (HBO) degree in a discipline related to hydrology (for instance civil engineering, hydrography, water management) you can follow a self-study course on the basics of earth sciences in order to be eligible. In case there are several more deficiencies, you may be required to follow a pre-master's programme. Please contact the Master’s coordinator for advice on the possibility of entering the Master's programme. 
  
  In case you wish to contact the Master's coordinator for information or advice you need to know that no rights can be derived from the reply given by the coordinator regarding your admission. 

  Language Requirements 
  Students with a HBO degree (in Dutch) must take an English Language Test. Check the requirements and exemptions on the webpage.

  You can also submit the result of the English language test after you have been conditionally accepted, the deadline for submitting the test result is August 31st. Please send a scan of your test result to toelating.beta@vu.nl.  For more information see under the heading ‘Application with a Dutch degree’ below.

• Application with a Dutch degree

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

  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.

  Additional required document (only for HBO students, deadline August 31^st)

  • HBO students need to send in a sufficient English language test result (check the requirements and exemptions on the webpage).

  You can also submit the result of the English language test after you have been conditionally accepted, the deadline for submitting the test result is August 31^st. Please send a scan of your test result to toelating.beta@vu.nl.

• I have an international degree

  Admission requirements

  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
  

  • A Bachelor’s degree in Earth sciences, Geology, Geography or another Bachelor’s degree in Natural Sciences and Technology 

   Knowledge and understanding 

  • Exact Sciences ((Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry) and Earth Sciences (Geology, Physical Geography); 
  • Common processes in Exact, Earth or Environmental Sciences 

   Skills 

  • General academic skills: analytical and critical thinking, and scientific writing skills demonstrated for example by higher education BSc thesis or equivalent 

   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.

• Scholarships

  More information on scholarships for international Masters students can be found here.