Public Administration

Direct admission

You can gain direct admission to the Master’s programme in Public Administration: Artificial Intelligence and Governance on completion of one of the following Bachelor's programmes at a research university:

• Public Administration (at a Dutch University)
• Administration and Organisation (at a Dutch University)
• Political Science (at a Dutch University)
• Liberal Arts and Sciences (University College)
• Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE-VU, track Political Science)
• Politics, Psychology, Law and Economics (PPLE-UvA, Major Politics)

Furthermore, you are admissible to the Master of Public Administration with any completed WO bachelor's degree (from a Dutch university), provided you have completed a WO minor (from a Dutch university) in Public Administration (30 EC) or a WO minor (from a Dutch university) in Administrative and Organizational Science (30 EC).

 Conditional admission

With a different WO bachelor's and master's degree you are admissible to the Master of Public Administration after completing a bridging course of max. 30 EC. Depending on the WO bachelor's or master's program you followed, this bridging course consists of a number of WO courses in the field of methods and techniques of social science research (12 or 18 EC) and/or public administration (6 or 12 EC). 

For each admission request, the Admissions Committee for the Master’s programme in Public Administration will decide on the contents and scope of a bridging programme where necessary. The subjects of this bridging programme can be taken at VU Amsterdam or at any other Dutch university, after approval by the Admissions Committee.

At the VU the following relevant courses are offered in the field of methods & techniques of social scientific research:

• Methodology of Social Science Research (S_MTSWO): this course focuses on quantitative methods;
• Methods and techniques of qualitative research (S_PMMTKOZ) to master qualitative research methods.

At VU, the following relevant courses are offered in the field of public administration:

• Public Management (S_PM) 
• Economics, Market and Government (S_EMO)
• EU Governance in an International Context (S_EUGIC)
• Philosophy of Governance and Organization (S_FBO)
• Policy and decision-making (S_BLB)
• Law for governing and organizing (S_RBO)

The Admissions Committee may also refer to the premaster in Public Administration (Dutch taught). 

Assessing admissibility (submitting documents)

If you want to know whether you are directly eligible to apply to the Master's programme or whether you would first need to complete a bridging course, then apply (without obligation) in Studielink by 31 May and subsequently add the following documents to your VU Dashboard as soon as possible:

• CV
• certified (provisional) transcript
• relevant course information on your prior educational training (preferably a description from a study guide with an indication of the study load and possibly also a literature list).
• a cover letter, i.e. a brief justification of your choice, so that the Admissions Committee can establish whether the Master’s programme is a good match.

It must become apparent from the course descriptions that you meet the following criteria:

1. Minimum 12 EC /maximum 18 EC in the field of (quantitative and/or qualitative methods/statistics) methods & techniques of social science research
2. Minimum 6 EC/maximum 12 EC in the field of public administration

The Admissions Committee may contact you to request or provide additional information.

English language requirements

An applicant should demonstrate that he or she has sufficient level of proficiency in English by meeting at least one of the following standards, no more than two (2) years before the start of the programme at the VU:

• IELTS score with a minimum of 7.0;
• TOEFL paper based test: 600;
• TOEFL computer based test: 250;
• TOEFL internet based test: 100;
• VU TOEFL-ITP: 600(only valid at the VU).

Exemptions from the requirements mentioned above apply to candidates who:

• completed an English-taught secondary or higher education degree in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand or Australia
• have earned a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in an English-taught programme accredited by NVAO in the Netherlands have earned a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in an accredited English-taught programme in another member state of the European Union
• have obtained a Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE): A, B or C or a Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English (CAE): A or B.
• have earned a VWO diploma or equivalent diploma in which English of a comparable level is required or
• are enrolled in the pre-Master’s programme Communicatiewetenschap and have thus passed the pre-Master’s assessment in advance.

Make sure to register on time at Taalloket for the VU TOEFL-ITP, as the possibilities are limited, especially during the busy summer period. If you have a Dutch Bachelor's degree obtained at a Dutch university, the first take of the VU TOEFL-ITP is free of charge when registering via this page. Please make sure to apply for the master via Studielink before registering for the TOEFL-ITP.

If you have a Bachelor’s degree from a university of applied sciences, you will be admitted to the Master's programme in Public Administration: Artificial Intelligence and Governance once you have successfully completed the corresponding pre-master's programme. 

Application procedure
1. Register for the pre-master's programme in Studielink by 31 May at the latest .
  After having applied you will receive your login information for your VU Dashboard.
2. Complete your application in the VU Dashboard, including your application for the pre-master’s assessment.
3. You must pass your pre-master’s assessment and obtain your Bachelor’s degree from a university of applied sciences by 31 August .
4. Ensure that your payment for the pre-master’s has been received by  31 August in order to complete your registration.

You will receive practical information on your pre-master's programme before the start of the programme.

Qualifying Minor in SWO (social scientific research) from Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (HvA)

If you have a Bachelor’s degree from a university of applied sciences including the qualifying Minor in Social Science Research at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (Hogeschool van Amsterdam), you will be admitted after passing the following two courses, which are part of a Bachelor’s programme at VU Amsterdam:Public Management (S_PM) 

• Economics, Market and Government (S_EMO)
• EU Governance in an International Context (S_EUGIC)
• Philosophy of Governance and Organization (S_FBO)
• Policy and decision-making (S_BLB)
• Law for governing and organizing (S_RBO)

To take these courses you will need to register as a Minor student.

You will not need to complete a pre-master's programme nor take the pre-master's assessment.

English language requirements

To be admitted to the master’s programme all applicants must meet the following results in the English language test (no older than 2 years):

• IELTS score with a minimum of 7.0
• TOEFL score paper based test: 600
• TOEFL score computer based test: 250
• TOEFL score internet based test: 100
• Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English (CAE): A or B
• Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE): A, B or C
• VU TOEFL-ITP: 600 (only valid for VU University Amsterdam)

Exemptions from the language test requirements are granted in the following cases:

• Your bachelor's or master's diploma on the basis of which you ask for admission at the VU Amsterdam, was obtained in an English-language university programme in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, UK or USA.
• Your bachelor's or master's diploma was obtained in an NVAO-accredited English-taught programme at a Dutch university.
• Your bachelor's or master's diploma was obtained in an accredited English-taught programme in a different EU-country.
• You have a Dutch vwo-diploma (level 6 vwo-nieuw).
• You are a pre-master's student and have passed the pre-master’s assessment.

Make sure to register on time at Taalloket for the VU TOEFL-ITP, as the possibilities are limited, especially during the busy summer period. If you have a Dutch Bachelor's degree obtained at a Dutch university, the first take of the VU TOEFL-ITP is free of charge.

Please upload a scan of the result of your test to your VU Dashboard before 31 August at the latest.

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.

2. Programme specific requirements

The Admission Board needs to establish that you meet all of the following admission requirements:

• 12 ECTS in social science research methods, of which 6 ECTS in quantitative methods/statistics
• 12 ECTS in public administration

In all cases, your bachelor must be equivalent to a Dutch academic (WO) bachelor and therefore must be completed at a research university.

How to demonstrate that you meet the above requirements:

You are required to indicate in the course description section of the Application Form how you meet the programme specific admission requirements. The Admission Board decides based on your complete application whether you meet the admission requirements or not.

Premaster:

VU Amsterdam’s Faculty of Social Sciences offers a premaster/bridging programme to students who do not meet the admission requirements for the MSc Public Administration. However, international students cannot apply to this premaster directly. International students must apply to the master programme. The Admission Board may award the premaster as part of their decision on an applicant’s eligibility for the master. The premaster is only a relevant option if it would be sufficient to cover the gap between an applicant’s academic background and the admission requirements. In addition, it is very important to be aware that this premaster is not typically awarded to international students, because the premaster is fully taught in Dutch. This means that starting and completing the premaster is only a viable option if you speak Dutch at a very high level.

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. 

You can already submit your application form without having met the English language requirements, but if you are conditionally admitted, you still have to meet the English language requirements.

How to apply

Direct admission

1. Apply for the Master’s programme in Studielink by 31 May. After applying in Studielink you will receive login information for your VU Dashboard.
2. Finish your VU Dashboard. As your admissibility doesn’t have to be assessed, you don’t need to add any documents (just tick the box “I upload this later”).
3. Upon receipt of your application, your admission request will be processed and you will be notified whether you have been admitted or whether you must first meet additional requirements.
4. Ensure that your payment of tuition fees for the pre-Master’s has been received by 31 August in order to complete your registration by then.
5. Upload a scan of the result of your English language test to your VU Dashboard before 31 August.

You will receive practical information on the programme before it starts.

An application is not the same as enrolment. If you register for a degree programme in Studielink, you are not yet enrolled. You will be enrolled once you receive a message from Studielink to this effect. To be eligible you must have submitted all the required documents and arranged for the payment of the tuition fees before 31 August. An application commits you to nothing and it can be cancelled free of charge before 31 August.

Additional information on the enrolment procedure.

Conditional admission

1. Apply for the Master’s programme in Studielink by 31 May. After applying in Studielink you will receive login information for your VU Dashboard.
2. Add the requested documents* to your VU Dashboard and complete your application.
3. Upon receipt of your application, your admission request will be processed and you will be notified whether you have been admitted or whether you must first meet additional requirements.
4. Ensure that your payment of tuition fees for the pre-Master’s has been received by 31 August so that you can complete your registration by then.
5. Upload a scan of the result of your English language test to your VU Dashboard before 31 August.

You will receive practical information on the programme before it starts.

*In order to complete your application you must upload the following documents:

• a curriculum vitae (résumé), listing your previous education and relevant work experience.
• a certified transcript of the grades you obtained in your Bachelor’s programme in English or translated into English by your university or a sworn translator. If you have followed or are following a master’s programme and/or more than one bachelor’s programme, please include transcripts of all these programmes.
• a description of the relevant courses/modules followed and literature used during your previous higher education, that were part of your Bachelor's (and Master's, if applicable) programme, with a short description of the contents of these courses and the literature used (bibliography) to assess the theoretical background of the programme. You can either copy this from a study guide or type a 5-10 line description for each relevant course, if a study guide is not readily available. For the literature please mention the most relevant academic textbooks or articles used during your previous education.

In order to determine whether your choice for the Master’s programme is a good match, please also add the following documents (in English):

• a (short) letter motivating your choice and explaining how you meet the entry requirements;
• a proof of academic writing, such as (parts of) a thesis, paper or essay, that includes a clear research question, an explicit research methodology, a theoretical framework and academic literature references.

The Admissions Committee will determine whether you are directly admissible to the Master’s programme or whether you first have to follow a bridging programme and if so, which courses you should take.

The Committee might contact you for additional information and/or explain content and level of the Master’s in Communication Science.

Please upload a scan with the result of your English language test to your VU Dashboard before 31 August at the latest.

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.