Make data-driven decisions for transport & supply chain networks
Are you intrigued by the complexities of supply chains? Want to put your quantitative skills to the test?
Then the Transport and Supply Chain Management Master’s programme is for you.
We welcome ambitious students that possess at least an accredited Bachelor’s degree or equivalent, including sufficient training in supply chain / operations management / operations research and in economics. Experience in using Excel and R is highly recommended. The study programme is demanding and interactive. We therefore aim for high quality and strongly motivated students to guarantee study success and maximize learning outcomes of business games, case studies and company projects.
Admission requirements
With a Bachelor's degree in (International) Business Administration, Economics or Econometrics and Operations Research from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam you are admissible provided you successfully meet the requirements in this document.
Students are expected to have:
Application procedure
To enroll in the programme submit your enrolment application via Studielink.
Services for international (EBE, EOR, IBA) students / Residence permit:
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 extension of your residence permit if you continue your studies at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.
We welcome ambitious students that possess at least an accredited Bachelor’s degree or equivalent, including sufficient training in supply chain / operations management / operations research and in economics. Experience in using Excel and R is highly recommended. The study programme is demanding and interactive. We therefore aim for high quality and strongly motivated students to guarantee study success and maximize learning outcomes of business games, case studies and company projects.
Admission requirements
Transport Supply Chain Management is open to students with a university Bachelor's degree that provides a thorough knowledge of supply chain / operations management / operations research and economics.
Students are expected to have:
- A fascination for analysing and solving real-life supply chain challenges
- Solid background in Operations/Supply Chain Management and Economics
- Proven empirical and analytical skills
- Experience in using R and Excel
You need to have successfully completed courses and studied literature related to the core of this programme, summarized below:
1. To get up to speed with Supply Chain Management we expect students to be at least familiar with the contents of chapters 1-4 and 11/12/14 of the book "Supply Chain Management: Strategy, Planning, and Operation” by authors S. Chopra and P. Meindl; Global edition (latest edition). Pearson Higher Education.
2. For Transport Economics a good preparation source is "Applied Transport Economics: policy, management and decision making” by Stuart Cole (latest edition, Kogan Page).
3. We use R for data analysis and statistics. Familiarize yourself with the basic syntax and data input/output of this software before the start of our programme (e.g. via Youtube).
4. Make sure your MS Excel skills are at an advanced level.
Approval depends on specific backgrounds and the extent to which you are familiar with the topics mentioned under ‘admission requirements’.
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.
You will gain direct admission after completing the pre-master's programme; this is a full-time programme with courses on at least three days per week.
Pre-master's programme
The pre-master's programme is a deficiency programme that provides the necessary knowledge and prepares you for this master's programme. It is a 30 EC program that takes place in the second semester, from February through July. These courses involve both content as well as academic skills and knowledge, and research methods.
Course details in the study guide
Admission requirements
In order to be admitted to the pre-master’s programme you must have:
- a bachelor’s degree from a business or economics faculty from an NVAO accredited institute of Higher Education
AND
- a GPA of 7.5 or higher, calculated over the last three years.
If you do not meet these admission requirements you can remedy / eliminate these deficiencies by submitting a recent GMAT with a score of 550 or higher, or an equivalent GRE test.
GMAT
If you don’t meet the admission requirements of GPA and faculty, you can be admitted to the pre-master's programme by submitting a ‘Graduate Management Admission Test’ (GMAT) with a combined score of at least 550 for the parts Verbal and Quantitative.
Also note the following:
- The score may not be older than five years, counted from the date you start with the pre-master's
- The Integrated Reasoning and Analytical Writing Assessment score do not count for admission
Please fill in the test that 'Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam' may receive your score. The official score will be sent by GMAT to VU. Please note that it may take up to 20 calendar days for the VU to receive your GMAT score, so plan GMAT on time.
You can also submit a ‘Graduate Record Examinations’ (GRE) score for the parts Verbal and Quantitative to satisfy the GMAT score requirement. To convert your GRE score to its GMAT equivalent, use the GRE Comparison Tool!
Costs pre-master's
Go to this page for more information about tuition fee rates for pre-master's.
Deadlines and application
The programme starts each year in February, you must have completed your application before 31 January.
Application procedure
To enroll in the programme submit your enrolment application via Studielink.
Step 1:
Apply for the programme via Studielink before 1 June.
Step 2:
After application in studielink you will receive a VUnet-ID and password. Please complete your application on your VU Dashboard by answering additional questions and uploading the following documents:
• a formal transcript of your bachelor grades. Your transcript must include an average score (GPA).
• A motivation letter in which you explain why you want to pursue the Master programme in TSCM at Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam . In your motivation letter you also need to include a 1 page summary of your bachelor thesis or a proposal for a bachelor thesis highlighting the research problem/question, the (intended) methodology and why that fits the research problem/question, as well as (intended) outcomes/results.
• A recent resume.
Please note: we can only process your application when you uploaded all documents.
Step 3:
The admission committee will assess if you meet the admission criteria and will inform you about the decision via email.
We welcome ambitious students that possess at least an accredited Bachelor’s degree or equivalent, including sufficient training in supply chain / operations management / operations research and in economics. Experience in using Excel and R is recommended. The study programme is demanding and interactive. We therefore aim for high quality and strongly motivated students to guarantee study success and maximize learning outcomes of business games, case studies and company projects.
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. Students are expected to have:
You need to have successfully completed courses and studied literature related to the core of this programme, summarized below:
Please note for students from mainland China: only students from project 2.11 universities are eligible to apply for TSCM.
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 an overview of all accepted tests and scores that can be used to demonstrate your English language proficiency on the language requirement page.
To apply you are required to provide the following documents:
After having prepared the required documents, please follow the online application procedure.
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.
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.
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.
Applying for the pre-master's programme directly is not possible. All international students are required to apply for the Master's programme of their choice first. If you do not meet the admission requirements directly, the Admission Board might refer you to the pre-master's programme. After completing the pre-master's programme you are directly eligible for the Master's programme.
The pre-master's programme is a deficiency programme that provides the necessary knowledge and skills to prepare you for this Master's programme. It is a programme of 30 ECTS that is offered in the second semester, from February through July. Content details of the offered pre-masters can be found here.
Admission requirements for the pre-master's programme
Deadlines and application
The programme starts 1 February. Because of visa application deadlines, non-EU citizens must have submitted their application before 1 November. EU citizens or students with a valid residence permit for the Netherlands have until January 31st to complete their application. However, to make sure everything is arranged before the enrolment deadline it is advised to submit your application well before this date.
Note: When applying, you can find the pre-master's programme in Studielink after selecting Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and by entering ‘pre-master's’ in the search bar.
Can I be admitted into an SBE Master with my Dutch university degree?
The admission board can make a decision regarding your admissibility based on several documents. Apply for the Master via Studielink and complete your application on your VU dashboard by uploading the required documents. Some Master programmes require additional documents such as an English CV and motivation letter, as well as your transcript of records. You will receive an admission decision within a couple of weeks after completing your application. Registration for the Master via Studielink is without obligation and does not commit you to anything yet.
I have a higher vocational (HBO) degree. Do I need to complete the pre-master's before I can start with an SBE Master?
Yes, we require all students with an HBO higher vocational Bachelor degree to complete the corresponding pre-master's before they can start with the Master. More information on the pre-master's can be found here.
I have a higher vocational (HBO) degree and wish to start with an SBE Master that does not have a specific pre-master's (MSc Econometrics & Operations Research, MSc Economics, MSc Spatial, Transport and Environmental Economics). How do I apply?
Please send your transcript of records directly to admissions.sbe@vu.nl/ toelating.sbe@vu.nl. Make sure the name of your education and institution are visible.
I do not want to start with a master in the next academic year, but the year after. How do I know if I am eligible?
You can still apply for the Master that starts in the next academic year via Studielink. Registration for the Master is without obligation and does not commit you to anything yet. If you need to complete additional courses in order to be admissible, you can do so during the next academic year. Because the admission decisions are valid for one year, make sure to check in advance if the admission requirements have not changed.
I am already completing a Master at a Dutch university. Can I be directly admitted into one of the SBE Masters?
You cannot be automatically admitted into one of the SBE Masters. First, your application needs to be reviewed by the admission board of the Master in the same way as all Bachelor students. Please apply for the Master via Studielink and upload all required documents. You can use an online PDF merger to upload both your Bachelor grades and (preliminary) Master grades.
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