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Lead the way in digitalisation for a smart, sustainable society

Are you keen to guide organisations, the business world and society at large in responsible digital transformation? Then the one-year, full-time Information Sciences programme at VU Amsterdam may be the perfect choice for you.

Our Information Sciences Master’s is the number one programme of its kind in the Netherlands: it is the frontrunner when it comes to responsible, sustainable and socially aware software and data systems – the new kind of ICT that’s essential for a thriving smart society. Having completed this Master’s programme, you’ll be both an all-round ICT professional and a specialist in this future-proof approach!

The programme has a unique multidisciplinary focus on digital socio-technical systems and sustainability in a broad sense. Teaching is composed of compulsory core courses, a selection of elective courses, and a Master’s project in Information Sciences. For your project, you can choose to take a professional internship with a partner organisation or carry out cutting-edge research on a topic of your choice. Either way, the programme culminates with writing a thesis on your chosen project. 

To offer you even more professional expertise, the faculty has close contacts with local, national and international trade and industry. New developments are integrated seamlessly into the programme all the time. Faculty staff work with consultancy firms, the financial services sector, the music industry, electricity suppliers, cultural institutions and many more.

The start date of this programme is September 1st.

Content of the programme

The course content of the Information Sciences programme has been recently revamped to reflect the ever-evolving digital landscape of our society.

Courses on offer cover topics like digitalisation and sustainability, the disruption of eco-systems by IT, questions of ethics and privacy, and a digital transition and sustainability portfolio course.

Research is also an important component of the programme – especially when it comes to writing your Master’s thesis. You’ll therefore take an academic research course that teaches you both qualitative and quantitative methodologies for performing academic research. And you’ll apply these methods directly to the design of your thesis.

Based on your thesis design, you’ll carry out your Master’s project – which takes the form of either an internship or a research project. The thesis that you’ll write at the end of it can be a regular thesis or a 10 to 15-page academic paper. You’ll discuss the options with your supervisor and decide the best course of action for your project.

See also the study guide for a complete overview of the study programme. Or download the year schedule directly. 

Compulsory courses

  • Master Project Information Sciences
  • Digitalization and Sustainability
  • Knowledge Organization
  • Digital Architecture
  • The Social Web
  • Research Methodology and Thesis Design

You can find the complete course overview for this year in the study guide

Information Sciences Advisory Board

Information Sciences Advisory Board

The Master's programme Information Sciences has excellent alumni and professionals who are engaged. Every year we collect feedback on the programme from the field to align the needs and serve our students with up to date competences and skills. 

Members Information Sciences Advisory Board

Jannie Minnema Managing Director European Operations at FarmTrace
Jannie looks forward to sharing her experience gained from working in private and public sector organisations at the intersection of Technology, Education and Innovation.

Rosa Henriques IT Director at ABN AMRO Bank
Rosa is a seasoned Information Technology Director with 15 years of experience working in the financial services industry. She is skilled in Management, Project Portfolio Management and Outsourcing and has a Data Science background as a PhD physicist. 

Bas van der Raadt enterprise architect, founder hapsah.org
Bas is an experienced enterprise architect with a broad spectrum of knowledge and skills. He knows how to connect people within the business and tech domains, and guide them from abstract concepts to concrete implementations.

Martin van den Berg researcher and lecturer at HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht
At the moment his main roles are researcher and lecturer at the HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht in the areas of Artificial Intelligence and Enterprise Architecture. Martin loves the combination of teaching and research. His current research topics are explainable AI, anti-fragility and digital transformation.

Software, sustainability and the semantic web

The Information Sciences programme builds on the world-class reputation of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in the areas of software, sustainability and the semantic web. The university is also actively involved in the Network Institute (NI) and the Amsterdam Sustainability Institute (ASI). The NI is a joint initiative in which the Faculties of Science, School of Business & Economics and Social Sciences work together. The ASI provides an inclusive umbrella for sustainability-related research across all disciplines. VU Amsterdam offers you a high-quality working environment with talented teaching staff and modern study facilities.

Grants and Scholarships

If you’re looking for ways to fund your studies, there are several possibilities to do it. Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Dutch government and other organisations all offer scholarships, fellowships and grants.

Change your future with the Information Sciences programme

Change your future with the Information Sciences programme

On completing this Master’s programme, you can choose to work in the private or public sector, pursue a career in academic research, or become a teacher/coach in ICT. As a graduate in Information Sciences, you could work as a researcher in software or information sciences, or you could go into industry as a consultant, data specialist, data steward, project leader or junior architect.

Discover your future prospects
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Want to know more about the curriculum of the programme?

Please contact the Master's programme director

Prof. Patricia Lago
p.lago@vu.nl