International Minors in Medicine (electives/exchange)

Admission, registration and questions about the programme

• Admission

  The minor electives programme is open to students of the Bachelors Programme in Medicine of the Faculty of Medicine VU, students from other faculties, and to foreign Exchange and Semester in Amsterdam students.

  Faculty of Medicine VU students must have completed the first bachelor year and have acquired at least
  30 ECTS in the second year (= at least 90 ECTS in total), of which 18 ECTS are acquired in the first semester of the second year. For more information check Canvas.

  The minor programme at the Faculty of Medicine VU is also open to third year bachelor students in Biomedical Sciences, Health and Life Sciences (major clinical sciences or major biomedical sciences), Medical Natural Sciences and the beta track at Amsterdam University College. Students must have completed the first bachelor year and have acquired at least 30 ECTS in the second year (= at least 90 ECTS in total).
  In addition, good English language proficiency is required (at least VWO level). Please note that some tracks are only open to medical students and acceptance is also subject to availability of places.
  To apply, fill in this form before 1st of April 2025. 

  Global Health Indonesia, Challenges in Women's & Child Healthcare, Clinical & Reasoning in Internal Medicine and Comprehensive Care, and Anatomy are only open to medical students of the Faculty of Medicine VU. Please mind that in the last three minors some parts (e.g. patient presentations) will be taught in Dutch. 

  The minor also accepts Exchange and Semester in Amsterdam students. In order to be eligible, they must have completed at least 90 EC in a relevant programme such as: medicine, biomedical sciences, psychobiology, technical medicine, or biopharmaceutical sciences. Furthermore, good English language proficiency is required. Please note that some tracks are only open to medical students, and acceptance is also subject to availability of places. For acceptance and registration into a minor, exchange students can contact the Incoming Exchange Team: incoming@vu.nl. International exchange students should be selected and proposed by the international offices of the partner universities.
  Semester in Amsterdam students can contact: semesterinamsterdam@vu.nl

  Interested? See Admission and Registration

• Minor registration

  If you wish to follow a minor, you must apply before 1st of April 2025. As part of your application, please submit a transcript of records and include information on your prior and current education.  
  Please note: The number of places for the International Minors Medicine is limited. Applying for a minor does not mean that you are guaranteed a place. The places are therefore allocated with priority. 

  Check the registration procedure for minors.
  
  Are you an exchange student or Semester in Amsterdam student? The International Office is responsible for course approval and registration. Please contact either the Incoming Exchange Team or Semester in Amsterdam Team for details:

  • Exchange programme 
    email: incoming@vu.nl
  • Semester in Amsterdam programme 
    email: semesterinamsterdam@vu.nl

• Finding out more about the programme

  The international minors in medicine are scheduled in the first semester of the third year of the Bachelors Programme in Medicine.

  For Faculty of Medicine VU students information sessions are organised in the second year of the medicine programme:

  • In October general information will be provided about the minor within the degree programme and the options available;
  • In November there will be an information session about the possibilities for taking a minor at a foreign university;
  • On the 13th of March there will be an information fair about the Faculty of Medicine VU minors. All minors present themselves during this information fair. You can obtain detailed information about the various minors at the different stands at the information fair. The fair will be at the Foyer of the Amstelzaal in AmsterdamUMC location VUmc Hospital, from 12:30 till 14:00.

  Clinical Research and Reasoning in Internal Medicine, Challenges in Women's & Child Healthcare, Global Health Indonesia and Comprehensive Care and Anatomy are only accessible to Bachelor’s students of Faculty of Medicine VU.

  If you are an exchange student and you want to take part in Comprehensive Care and Anatomy, an exception can be made if you meet all the requirements. This differs per exchange student and will be considered individually after your application.

  For more information about the programme or general questions:
  - VU students can send a message via this contact form
  - Students (Foreign) from partner institutions can send an email to international@vumc.nl

• Frequently Asked Questions

  When are the minors offered at the Faculty of Medicine VU?
  The minor programme is offered from September to December (24 ECTS). You have the option to complete your minor with a literature essay in January (6 ECTS) to make it 30 ECTS. 

  What conditions do I have to meet to be eligible to take a minor?
  The minor electives program is open to students of the Faculty of Medicine VU, students from other faculties, and to foreign Exchange and Semester in Amsterdam students.

  Am I allowed to take two minors, simultaneously at the Faculty of Medicine VU?
  Unfortunately, you cannot take two minors simultaneously at the Faculty of Medicine VU. All minors are taught in the same period. You can choose to take a minor at two different faculties, click here for an overview of all minors at VU.  
  Please note: In order to include a second minor in your programme, you will need approval from your
  programme’s Board of Examiners. 

  Can I choose or switch to another minor? 
  If you would like to change minors, you need to do this before the application deadline 31 March.
  Making changes after approval is not possible.  

  When and how you will be notified of the timetable for your minor?
  The timetables are published late July or at the beginning of August. You can find the timetable of your minor at rooster.vu.nl  

  I cannot register (course) in VUweb. What do I have to do?
  You cannot register for the minor courses yourself. The Faculty of Medicine VU education office carries out the registration. 

  Where can I find more minor course information
  When you are registered for a course, you are automatically registered for the corresponding module on CANVAS where more information will be posted.  

  For how many credits (ECTS) may I register?
  A minor is 24 ECTS (September- December). You can complete your minor with a literature essay in January (bachelor thesis) (6 ECTS) to make it 30 ECTS. For non-medical students enrollment in the literture study is optional, please specify during your admission if you want to participate in the literature study.

• Crossing boundaries magazine

  Are you an international student interested in medical sciences? Would you like to study in the vibrant and multicultural city of Amsterdam? In this magazine you can read everything about the options for studying at the Faculty of Medicine Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the experiences of our former exchange students, and we give you practical information on how to get started.

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