Courses for Semester in Amsterdam students

Minor programmes are a set combination of Advanced Bachelor-level courses in a specific field. Minor programmes usually consist of 5 - 6 courses worth a total of 30 ECTS and are only offered during the fall semester. If you wish to return home before Christmas, then you are free to skip the last course(s) in period 3. 

All other courses in the minor are required. Sometimes courses offered as part of a minor are also available to be taken as individual courses. If this is the case, the course will also be listed in the online Exchange Study Guide as an individual course.

There are certain advantages to choosing a minor:

• Students gain specialized knowledge in a chosen field of study
• Students can immediately finalize their study plan because courses within a minor do not overlap
• Minors demonstrate a study specialization which can be listed on a CV
• Students will follow all courses with the same group of students 

Are you a student of another Dutch university wishing to take a minor programme? In this case, please follow the steps listed for non-VU students. Current students of other Dutch universities follow different application procedures and are not Semester in Amsterdam students.

You can find a full list of university minor programmes available to Semester in Amsterdam students below. You can find course descriptions with course codes for each of the courses in the minor programmes in the updated study guide via the link for Individual Courses. Only minors in the lists below are available to Semester in Amsterdam students.

• Anthropology
• Bible Translation in the Digital Age
• Buddhism, Yoga and Spirituality
• Business Administration
• Communication Science
• Decision Making in Business and Society
• Development and Global Challenges
• Digital Humanities and Social Analytics
• E-business and Online Commerce
• Economics
• English
• Entrepreneurship
• Foreign Language Learning
• Gender and Diversity
• Global Health
• History
• Law and Global Justice
• Managing Digital Innovation
• Peace and Conflict Studies
• Peace Theology and Anabaptist-Mennonite Traditions
• Philosophy
• Political Science
• Psychology and the Brain
• Religious Dimensions of Global Challenges
• Risk Management for Financial Institutions
• Spirituality, Yoga and Sustainability
• Sustainability: Global Challenges, Interdisciplinary Solutions
• Sustainability: Management and Innovation
• Technology, Law & Ethics
• Visual Evidence

You can find course descriptions with course codes for each of the courses in the minor programmes in the updated study guide via the link for Individual Courses. Only minors in the list below are available to Semester in Amsterdam students.

Please make sure to consult the tab "Admissions" on the minor page to see whether you meet the entry requirements.

• Applied Econometrics: A Big Data Experience for All
• Brain and Mind
• Earth Surface - Track Earth Sciences
• Earth Surface - Track Earth, Economics & Sustainability
• European Urban and Cultural History
• Evolutionary Biology and Ecology
• Five Big Issues in Health (Please note that this minor will only run with a minimum of 20 students; you will be informed in July if the minor will not be offered)
• Genes, Cognition and Behaviour
• Geology and Geochemistry
• Pharmaceutical Sciences

Minors Faculty of Medicine VU
VU partner exchange students who wish to apply need to have completed at least 90 ECTS in a relevant programme, for example medicine, biomedicine, psychobiology, technical medicine, medical biology, liberal arts & sciences or biopharmaceutical sciences. Please mind that some tracks are only open to medical students, and acceptance also depends on the availability of sufficient spots. More information: Minor within electives - International Minors Medicine

• Amsterdam Global Health
• Cancer-Immune Diseases-Personalized Therapies 
• CVR challenges: Pathological interactions between the cardiovascular and other organ systems
• Medical Research to Clinical Practice
• The Moving Body
• Hot Topics in Neurology and Psychiatry

If you prefer not to take a minor programme or will study abroad during the Spring semester (minors are only offered in the Fall), you can create your own course schedule from the courses listed in the Exchange Study Guide. We offer 1100+ courses in English.

2025-2026 Exchange Study Guide

Please carefully review the section "Selecting Individual Courses" in the drop-down menu below before choosing courses and make sure to only choose courses from the "Exchange Programme Courses". Courses offered through the regular degree programmes are not available to Semester in Amsterdam students. 

Note: Semester in Amsterdam students are not the same as Exchange students, but you choose from the same course guide. Semester in Amsterdam students follow a different course registration and application procedure. 

Basic Dutch on Campus

Semester in Amsterdam offers a special Dutch language course called Basic Dutch on Campus for students who wish to acquire basic Dutch language skills (A1 level). This is a special course organized by the VU language department, NT2.

Please keep in mind that, since this is a special course organized by our language department, it will not appear in your personal timetable at rooster.vu.nl like your other courses. Students will receive a separate timetable directly from the professor and a transcript (worth 6 ECTS) upon completion. Basic Dutch on Campus is scheduled in the evening so that it will not overlap with your other courses. Note that this course spans two periods; it is not possible to choose just one period or the other. 

Please confirm with your home university or provider if you are required to take a Dutch course. You can also take Basic Dutch on Campus as an elective.

Registration and Deregistration Deadlines

For the Fall 2025 semester, students who wish to cancel their registration for Basic Dutch on Campus must let us know by 25 August. No cancellations will be possible after this date.

Here you can find a previous syllabus and timetable for Basic Dutch on Campus (previously called "Discover Dutch"). You will receive an updated syllabus directly from the professor before the start of the course.

Imagining the Dutch: Themes in Dutch History

The course Imagining the Dutch will familiarize students with core aspects of Dutch history and the way the Netherlands is imagined. Students will learn how to connect Dutch history with a number of present-day public debates on issues such as national identity, tolerance, environment, colonialism, World War II, democracy, and multiculturalism. There is no language component for Imagining the Dutch. You can find more information in the course description in the Exchange Study Guide.

This course is offered twice a year, once during the Fall semester and once during the Spring semester. In the Fall semester, Imagining the Dutch takes place during Period 1. In the Spring semester, this course spans two periods, periods 4 and 5. This means that during the Spring semester, this course is spread out over a longer period of time, but you will meet fewer times per week. It is not possible to choose just one period or the other.

The course (de)registration deadlines for Imagining the Dutch are the same as other courses found in the Exchange Study Guide (see the course registration deadlines below).

Qualified students can take honours courses. Honours courses are interdisciplinary, small seminar-style courses that emphasize student discussion. They are offered in the evening hours and generally do not overlap with your other courses (though they may overlap with the elective Dutch courses that are also offered in the evening hours).

Students need a minimum grade point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale (comparable to 8.0 on a European ECTS scale) to qualify. Students who do not meet this minimum grade point average may be considered in special circumstances. 

Please note that honours programme students are given priority in these courses, so placement can unfortunately not be guaranteed.

Deadlines:

• Fall Semester: 1 July
• Spring Semester: 1 January

You can find a full list of all honours courses here 

**Please note that not all courses are open to be taken by Semester in Amsterdam students. We will publish the updated list of honours courses available to Semester in Amsterdam students by 10 June (Fall semester) and 10 December (Spring semester). Since not all courses are available, and not all courses require a motivation letter, we recommend waiting until the final list is published to apply for honours courses.

Semester in Amsterdam students are only eligible to take honours courses offered at VU Amsterdam. Courses offered through the University of Amsterdam or Amsterdam University College are NOT available to be taken through the Semester in Amsterdam programme.

How to Apply:

All applications for honours courses via the Semester in Amsterdam Programme should be sent directly to semesterinamsterdam@vu.nl. Motivation letters should be approximately 500 - 1000 words and describe your main motivation for choosing each specific course. If you are interested in more than one course, you must submit a motivation letter for each course. **If you submit one letter for multiple courses, your application will not be considered. 

• The course registration process consists of two parts: course pre-approval and course registration. 
• We will ask you to submit courses for pre-approval in June (Fall semester) or November/December (Spring semester) to check that you meet the background requirements for your chosen courses. If you don't meet the requirements, we will work with you to choose new courses. The approved courses are considered provisional until the academic timetable is published and you can officially enroll in courses. This happens once the course schedules are published in July (Fall semester) or December (Spring semester).
• Once the academic timetable is published, you are required to check for overlaps and register yourself for courses based on the list of courses you were previously approved for. If two of your chosen courses have class times that overlap, you will have to replace one of these courses with a different course instead. 
• Once you have been enrolled in courses, you will be able to view these courses in your personal timetable at rooster.vu.nl. Note that the timetable at rooster.vu.nl is also a public timetable, meaning you can view the course times and locations for any course at VU. It is not necessary to log into your VU account to view the public timetable.

Course Pre-Approval Period

• Fall Semester: Beginning of June
• Spring Semester: End of November

Course Registration Period

• Spring 2025 Semester: Monday, 9 December 2024 - Monday, 6 May 2025 at 23:59 CET
• Fall 2025 Semester: Monday, 21 July 2025 - Monday, 8 December 2025 at 23:59 CET

If you will create your own schedule of courses, please carefully read the following information and make sure to choose from the right course lists.

You can choose from 1,100+ English-taught bachelor's and master's level courses.

When choosing courses, you should only choose courses listed under the Exchange programme in the study guide. Not all courses listed in degree programmes are available to be taken as a Semester in Amsterdam student. All courses listed in the Exchange Study Guide are taught in English, but you can always check the language via the details in the course description.

Please note the following:

• Although Semester in Amsterdam students choose from the same course list as exchange students, Semester in Amsterdam students follow a different course registration procedure than exchange students.
• Course lists for the new academic year are posted in April/May and the timetables are published a few months before the start of each semester. 
• Until the academic timetable is published, your choices are considered provisional and subject to change. For this reason, we suggest having backup course selections ready.

Check the Entry Requirements

Please pay special attention to any recommended or required background knowledge listed in the course descriptions. While some courses are open to be taken as elective courses by students with different kinds of academic backgrounds, other courses require you to have background knowledge in a specific field. We will check that you meet the requirements before we enroll you in courses.

Faculty of Behaviour and Movement Science 
Psychology courses available to Semester in Amsterdam students are offered by the Faculty of Behavioral and Movement Sciences at VU Amsterdam and the focus is on Biological Psychology; Clinical, Neuro- and Developmental Psychology; Experimental and Applied Psychology. Students must have completed the equivalent of at least 30 ECTS of psychology courses to be eligible to participate in courses offered by the faculty of Behavior and Movement Sciences. If you do not have a background in psychology, you are not eligible to take these courses.

Faculty of Business and Economics 
Students who wish to take Business and Economics courses should pay special attention to the listed background requirements. For these courses, the recommended background knowledge is usually required. 

Course Levels

Bachelor-level Courses
In general, you should choose courses which match your level. Bachelor-level (undergraduate) courses at VU Amsterdam range from level 100 to 300. 100 level courses are first-year/introductory-level courses, 200 are second-year, and 300 are third-year/advanced-level courses. If you wish to take a 200-level course, then you should at least be in your second year of bachelor's study. If you wish to take a 300-level course, then you should at least be in your third year of bachelor's study. 

Master-level Courses 
Bachelor’s students are not allowed to follow master’s courses unless these courses are also listed in the Exchange Study Guide under Bachelor’s courses. 

Master’s courses range from level 400 to 600. In addition to course-specific entry requirements, students interested in following master-level courses must also meet the admission requirements for the graduate degree programme to which the course belongs. This includes submitting a copy of your bachelor's diploma and proof that you meet the English language requirements for master-level applicants, which can be found on our How to Apply-page.

Choose Courses From the Right Period

At Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the academic year is divided into two semesters. Each semester is then divided into three periods. The first semester (Fall) consists of periods 1, 2, and 3 and takes place from the beginning of September to the end of January. The second semester (Spring) consists of periods 4, 5, and 6 and takes place from the beginning of February to the end of June. 

Due to the semester/period structure, courses may be shorter and more intense than you are used to. Rather than taking a few courses that last the entire semester, you will take 4 - 5 courses that each last 4 - 8 weeks. This means you have quite a bit of flexibility in how you plan your schedule. You are free to skip the last period (P3/P6) and return home in December (Fall) or the end of May (Spring) if you prefer. This also applies to students following a minor programme. As an alternative to taking a course in periods 3 or 6, you can choose to take an extra course in another period. 

Students generally take 2 - 3 courses in each of the first two periods, though this is not required. You could, for example, take one course during Period 1, three courses during Period 2, and one course during Period 3. We strongly recommend that you do not take more than 3 courses in any one period as this is usually too many, and most students are not able to take that many courses at once and still pass.

Please see the Practical Information section below for more information about the semester/period structure at VU Amsterdam and the ECTS credit system.

Choose a Maximum of 30 ECTS

Semester in Amsterdam students are required to take a minimum of 18 ECTS and a maximum of 30 ECTS worth of courses per semester. A regular workload for one semester is 30 ECTS (usually 5 courses worth 6 ECTS each). Most students take 24 - 30 ECTS. If you do not have to meet specific degree requirements or other requirements set by your home university or study abroad provider, we recommend taking 2 courses per period. This will give you a little extra time to study and explore during your semester abroad.

Below you can find the deadlines to add and drop courses for the Spring 2025 and Fall 2025 semesters. Note that the deadline to add new courses usually occurs earlier than the deadline to remove courses, which means you will not have a chance to "try out" your courses before they start. Also note that if you are enrolled in a minor programme, you are only permitted to drop period 3 courses unless you want to drop the whole minor.

For courses that take place during two periods (courses in period 1+2 or 4+5), the registration deadline of the period in which the course starts always applies (period 1 for period 1+2 courses). If a course lists more than one period, this course is continuous and you must participate in both periods.

Course Registration (Add/Drop) Deadlines 

Spring 2025 (2024/2025 academic year)

Fall 2025 (2025/2026 academic year)

2024-2025 Academic Year

2025-2026 Academic Year

For more information, please consult the academic calendar.

The Period Structure

The academic year is divided into two semesters. Each semester is then divided into three periods. 

Periods 1, 2, and 3 take place during the fall semester (semester 1) and periods 4, 5, and 6 take place during the spring semester (semester 2). The first two periods of each semester are 8 weeks long (periods 1, 2, 4, and 5) and the last period is 4 weeks long (periods 3 and 6). Students generally take at least two courses in each of the first two periods of each semester. Courses that take place in more than one period (1+2, 4+5, etc.) are continuous courses that take place throughout the duration of both periods. If you want to enroll in the course, you must enroll in both periods; it's not possible to choose just one period or the other.

You are free to skip the last period and return home in December (Fall) or the end of May (Spring) if you prefer (this also applies to minor programmes). As an alternative to taking a course in periods 3 or 6, you can also choose to take an extra course in another period. Students can take a maximum of 30 ECTS (usually 5 courses worth 6 ECTS each) per semester. It is up to you to decide how many courses to take in each period. We advise students not to take more than 3 courses in any one period.

ECTS Credit System and Study Hours

A regular semester workload consists of 24 - 30 ECTS. Each ECTS credit is equivalent to 28 study hours. Unlike many other academic systems, ECTS credits include hours spent in class as well as self-study hours spent independently working by yourself outside of the classroom. A course that is worth 6 ECTS credits would be equal to 168 study hours (including time spent both in and outside of class). Students are advised to take 24-30 ECTS per semester.

You can also find more information in the ECTS user’s guide (though this is quite a lengthy document).

The Academic Timetable: Rooster.vu.nl

Course Registration will take place after the academic timetable has been published. Once you have been registered for courses, you can view these courses in your personal academic timetable by logging in with your VU ID and password at rooster.vu.nl. Please note that the timetable is public and can be viewed by anyone, but you can also view your personal course registrations by logging in using the link in the upper righthand corner. 

Please note that in order to view your courses and exams, you must always first select the "List" tab and then the correct academic year and semester. Otherwise, some of your courses and exams will not appear. It is also possible to manually select and deselect groups or exams in your personal timetable. If you have de-selected the exam or a specific group, this will no longer appear in your timetable. 

A few helpful notes about "groups":

• HC and LE stand for the main lecture – you are always required to take this group.
• TE/01 is the first exam – you must always take this group.
• TE/02 is the re-take exam - you cannot sign up for re-takes until after your final grades are published, but it's a good idea to keep this date in mind so that you know whether or not you will be present in Amsterdam and thus able to take the exam if needed.
• TE/02_Extra Time and TE/01_Extra Time refer to extra time for exams. Unless you have requested academic accommodations, you should ignore this. If you requested accommodations, this is when your extra time is scheduled.
• WG and SG stand for workgroup or seminar group. Not all courses will have one of these groups, but if it’s listed you must enroll in only one group (for example, WG08).
• Sometimes there are other sections listed such as DX (Digital Exam).  You must always register for one of each section listed except for the re-sit exam (TE/02) – see notes about re-sits above. 
• It is possible that a course only has one study group and no main lecture. In this case, you must register for the study group.
• If there is a main lecture listed in the timetable (HC), you must enroll in this group. If there is a study group with multiple sections (SG/04, SG/05 or WG/01, WG/02 etc.), you should only enroll in one of these groups.
• You should always plan to take the first final exam (TE/01). If there is a digital exam (DX), you must also enroll in this group unless the professor later states otherwise. 

Some helpful tips about using the timetable:

• Note whether or not you need to be in a specific workgroup in order to avoid an overlap with another course. 
• You can easily edit the timetables you have added via the list on the right side of the screen.  You can simply de-select a timetable so that it no longer appears, or you can delete it from your list entirely.
• You can edit the groups you have selected by clicking the 3 dots which appear when you move your cursor over a course title in the panel on the right side of your screen.
• If two of your chosen courses have exam times that overlap, this is an overlap. You will need to choose a backup course selection instead. Don’t forget to check your exam times in the timetable.
• Once you have actually been registered for courses, you can remove all courses and groups you are not registered for from your timetable by clicking the 3 little dots which appear when you hover your cursor over “2022/23” in the panel on the right side of the screen and then clicking “Remove all and restore default timetables.” Then click “Remove All.” 

Canvas

Once your professors have added you to each of your registered courses, you can view your course materials using the VU online learning platform, Canvas. Keep in mind that Canvas is managed by your professors and is not a list of course registrations. Your professors must first add you to the course before you will see it in Canvas. 

Questions about Canvas? You can find a full list of instruction videos and resources for students here.

VU Dashboard

Once your final grades have been published, you can find them in your VU Dashboard. Please note that only grades published in your VU Dashboard are final grades (grades published in Canvas are not final grades). All grades at VU Amsterdam are rounded up or down to the nearest decimal. Please see the information provided under Dutch Grading System below.

Re-Sit Exams

You must be present in Amsterdam if you want to take the re-sit exam. Most courses offer the chance to take a re-sit exam if you fail the first exam, but if you only stay until period 2 in the Fall semester or period 5 in the Spring semester, then the date of the re-sit exam often occurs after you have already returned home. The Semester in Amsterdam staff does not have the power to arrange proctored re-sit exams.

1. If you received a No Show (NS) for your exam, you have to manually register for the resit via the registration module at least 1 week before the resit takes place. For instance: you can register until Friday 15 December 23:59h for an exam held on Friday 23 December.
2. If you did not pass the exam or received an NVD (requirements not met), you will be automatically registered for the resit. 
3. If you did pass the exam but still wish to retake it, you must manually register for the re-sit

If you decide to take the re-sit exam, the re-sit grade is the grade that counts, even if it is lower than the grade you received for your first final exam. If you register for a re-sit but do not participate, a No Show will be registered but the grade you received on the original exam will still remain valid.

Dutch grades range from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest). The highest grades of 9 and 10 are only rarely awarded. An 8 is considered a high mark while 7's and 6's are more common. Grades from 1 (very poor) to 3 are rare. Grades of 5.5 and higher are passing grades in the Netherlands, but we advise you to confirm what constitutes a passing grade with your home university. 

It is up to your home university to determine a conversion scale. Grades at VU Amsterdam are always rounded up or down. For example, an 8.3 will be rounded up to an 8.5 and an 8.2 will be rounded down to an 8.0. The exception to this rule is a 5.5, which is always rounded up to a 6.0.

Please be prepared for the fact that your final grade may be made up of only one final exam. Most courses offer the chance to take a re-sit exam if you fail the first exam, but if you only stay until period 2 in the Fall semester or period 5 in the Spring semester, then the resit exam will likely occur after you have returned home. You must be present in Amsterdam to take the re-sit exam.

Study hours at VU Amsterdam are a combination of hours spent in class with the instructor and hours spent out of class working independently. In general, a VU student has about 10 hours per week of strictly student/professor contact hours. The remaining hours are spent outside of the classroom and can include time spent working on assignments with other students from your course, known as “work groups,” or time spent working individually on assignments, known as “self-study.” 

The Dutch understanding of “self-study” is a fixed number of hours spent working on specific assignments. Although the number of hours spent by each student may vary, all students are expected to complete a minimum number of hours of self-study for each course. This varies per course, but you should be prepared to spend more time studying independently than you may be used to. Self-study hours are weighted the same as in-class hours and are thus included in the 1 ECTS = 28 contact hours calculation.

Studying at VU Amsterdam: What is expected of you?

• Be an active learner and critical thinker: ask questions, participate, and share your opinion
• Be present and on time: many teachers have a 100% attendance policy; it's wise to check this with your professor beforehand
• Be prepared: fewer lectures, more self-study
• Be accountable: you are responsible for knowing when your assignments are due and when the exams take place
• Be transparent: always mention your source of information; plagiarism may result in automatic failure of the course

Studying at VU Amsterdam: What can you expect?

• High level of classroom interaction
• Independence and active learning
• Relative lack of competition
• Direct feedback
• Social equality
• No grade inflation or scaling

After completing your studies at VU Amsterdam you will receive a transcript of records. 

Your study abroad provider or university may require that your final transcript include failed grades. If you participated in Semester in Amsterdam through direct enrollment (not via a provider), then you are free to request a transcript without failed grades. All students (regardless of whether they participated through a provider or not) have the option of requesting a transcript without failed grades 6 months after the completion of the programme.