Geographical Information Sciences

Admission requirements & Premaster

• Requirements

  To ensure you to have the best experience both in starting and finishing this master programme, we assess whether it is relevant for you to brush up on some skills before being allegeable for starting this master. We assess three levels: 

  • GIS knowledge
  • Academic skills 
  • level of English 

  We make an initial assessment based on documentation, but during an intake conversation we decide upon your admissibility. Based on this assessment, we decide if you need to do one or both of our 10 week premaster courses. All admissions are discussed by our admissions board as well, but all are judged based on these three criteria. 

• Academic Skills

  To join the programme you need to have a university diploma of the EU education level. We prefer an MSc or an MA, but a university BSc or BA can suffice in most cases. Furthermore, we have several specific circumstances that lead to different steps, which are discussed in the intake conversation:

  If you have an applied sciences bachelor (HBO or Hogeschool): you have to take the premaster

  If you have any non-EU BA/BSc or MA/MSc: we run your diploma through our international office for evaluation, the premaster might be required

  If you have obtained your degree > 10 years ago: in our intake we discuss whether it is required or recommended to take the premaster

• GIS knowledge

  The programme attracts both students that have worked in GIS for many years, but also people who encountered GIS and want to learn how to operate and use it for the first time. To join the programme successful you need a starting level of GIS, both theoretically (know the terminology) and technically (operating GIS software). This means:

  • a 300 level GIS course at the university bachelor level
  • a similar certificate from a GIS training organization. 

  During an intake meeting your specific experiences that are not covered by either of these two criteria can be discussed, but the premaster could still be recommended. If you are beginner GIS user, our introduction to GIS premaster course teaches you all the required theory and skills to be set up to start the programme comfortably. 

• Level of Academic English

  As the programme is taught completely in English and most of our assessments are based on written assignments in English, we require a high standard of both written and spoken English. This mean we require a certificate unless you:

  • Have a Dutch VWO diploma with English
  • Are born or raised in a country on the list of native English speaking countries *
  • Have done a bachelor or master in an EU country taught fully in English

  *Canada (English-speaking provinces), USA, UK, Ireland, New Zealand or Australia

  The certificates and scores that make you allegeable for joining the programme: 

  • IELTS: both overall and sub scores 7 or more
  • TOEFL: internet-based 100 or more, paper and pencil based: 600 or more

• Premasters summary & cost

  The UNIGIS master provides two premasters that might be a prerequisite for joining the master programme. Both premasters are offered twice a year, in preparation for the master that starts in September they start in February  and April  and lasts 10 weeks. The study load for a premaster is about 15 hours per week, and they are taught completely online. 

  The costs are:

  • Academic skills:  €500
  • GIS:                       €100

• Premaster: Academic Skills

  In the premaster academic skills you will write your own thesis research proposal in 10 weeks, with access to the full VU library services. Based on textbooks, papers and videos, you’ll learn how about critical thinking scientific literature search, referencing and reading papers. Next, the determination of a research question and a literature review are on the menu, followed by learning about research methodologies, and selecting the right one for your research question. In this comprehensive course, all aspects are addressed that you need to partake in the exercises and assignments in the master UNGIS. 

• Premaster introduction to GIS

  In the premaster introduction to GIS you will learn to do basic GIS operations and operate GIS software. You have the choice between using the open source QGIS or the software from ESRI, in this case ArcGIS through our university license. Furthermore, through book chapters, papers and videos you will learn about GIS theory, terminology and developments. Each week has its own theme that teaches you both theory and applying GIS technology to answer questions. This will enable you to jumpstart your dive into the master to learn advance GIS skills.