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 MSc Hydrology programme:

  • A BSc-level knowledge of physics, mathematics, chemistry and basic earth science subjects. The Admission Board decides on admission of any applicant, both Dutch and non-Dutch.
  • Students with a Bachelor's degree in Earth Sciences - Geology or Physical Geography - from Dutch universities are eligible for admission with no specific course requirements in their optional programme component.
  • Students with a Bachelor's deree in earth science related topics, such as Earth Sciences and Economics (VU) and Future Planet Studies (UvA), are eligible if they have enough (at least two) quantitative beta courses in their final year. Examples for Earth Sciences and Economics at VU include "Wis- en Natuurkunde", Inleiding in de anorganische geochemie", "Geofysica en computermodellering", "Methoden en technieken voor economisch onderzoek". See the teaching and Exam Regulations for more details or contact the MSc coordinator for specific cases.
  • Students with a natural sciences Bachelor's degree 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. Contact the MSc coordinator for specific cases.
  • 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 MSc programme. This has to be determined on a case-by-case basis. Please contact the MSc coordinator to discuss a possible pre-master's programme.

  Contact 

  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. 

• 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) you may have to do follow a self-study course on the basics of earth sciences in order to be eligible. In case there are several deficiencies, you may be required to follow pre-master's programme. Please contact the Master’scoordinator for advice on the possibility of entering the MSc 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.

  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

  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.

  In order to gain admission to the Hydrology 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. A Bachelor's degree obtained at an applied university or higher vocational education (HBO in Dutch) in most cases does not grant direct access to the programme (only exceptionally high ranking students stand a chance of admission).

  Specific requirements for the Hydrology Master’s programme

  You can gain admission to the Master’s programme in Hydrology with a Bachelor’s degree in earth sciences, geology or geography. The same applies if you have a three-year BSc in other natural sciences and technology. To be eligible, a BSc-level knowledge of physics, mathematics, chemistry and basic earth science subjects is required. Additional requirements in terms of background knowledge may be required for certain specializations. Admittance to the Master’s programme in Hydrology is based on a decision taken by the Admission Board.

  English language requirements

  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 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.