VU Amsterdam’s educational objective, as articulated in the Educational Vision, is: "To bring talent to maturity by educating academic professionals who are able to think independently and reason scientifically, who can solve problems, who can critically analyse the discourse of others, who are able to make unexpected connections, who are willing to take responsibility and who are able to lead within a society characterised by a high degree of dynamism, diversity, complexity and internationalisation."
To achieve this objective, both VU Amsterdam’s Bachelor's and Master's degree programmes have a number of profiling characteristics. These are embedded in the Bachelor’s and Master’s education guidelines respectively.
The Bachelor’s and Master’s Education Guidelines describe that subjects are divided into levels. This memo contains a description of these levels.
On 11 May 2015, the Consultation of Portfolio Holders for Education (OPO in Dutch: Overleg Portefeuillehouders Onderwijs) adopted the minor policy for VU. This policy framework specifies what we mean by a minor (and what not) and what quality requirements we set for minors. For instance, a minor has a size of 30 EC, of which a maximum of 6 EC is at the 100-level and a minimum of 12 EC is at the 300-level, and consists of a coherent package of subjects, a 'mini curriculum' with final attainment levels at the minor level. The minor is preferably offered in the first semester of the third bachelor year. University minors are minors that are pre-approved by the Steering Committee Educational Quality (STOK in Dutch: Stuurgroep Onderwijskwaliteit) and in which all VU students can participate, without having to seek permission from their own examination board.
The Executive Board decided to introduce an institutional policy on the binding recommendation on continuation of studies (BSA in Dutch: Bindend Studieadvies) for VU Amsterdam’s Bachelor's degree programmes in the academic year of 2011/2012. A university-wide BSA Framework Regulation is enforced to implement the BSA.
The framework regulation sets out a number of preconditions for education; indicates how information on study progress, study guidance and study advice takes shape and lays down the procedure for the BSA.
VU Amsterdam has established a uniform terminology for the names of courses, which is in line with legal terminology. See the document attached below for more information.
In 2011/12, the concept of an Academic Core Curriculum (AK in Dutch: Academische Kern) was introduced to all VU's undergraduate programmes. In 2013 and 2017, the introduction of the academic core curriculum was evaluated and certain parts were adjusted. The final report of the academic core curriculum evaluation working group of February 2017 can be found below. The advice of this working group was endorsed by the Consultation of Portfolio Holders for Education (OPO in Dutch: Overleg Portefeuillehouders Onderwijs) and included in the revision of the Bachelor's degree guideline (see above).
Every Bachelor's programme has a recognisable academic core curriculum of at least 24 EC comprising at least academic education, methods and techniques of scientific research and philosophical education. If necessary, the academic core curriculum is supplemented by one or more other subjects in the field of academic education, methods and techniques and/or philosophy or history of science.
Final attainment levels academic core curriculum
By recommendation of the academic core curriculum evaluation working group, the final attainment levels for the academic core curriculum were reformulated in 2017 and adopted by the OPO (March 2017). The final attainment levels are included in the document below. No central agreements are made about the form and testing of the academic core curriculum final attainment levels. Of course, the programme is obliged to test whether the final attainment levels are actually met.
On 2 July 2019, the Executive Board adopted the Master's accessibility policy (NL). The policy contains agreements on admission requirements and methods, the admission procedure, transparency in information, admission after completing a bridging programme and qualification in the Bachelor's programme. With the policy agreements, VU Amsterdam implements the national frameworks: the Higher education and Research Act (WHW in Dutch: Wet op het hoger onderwijs wetenschappelijk onderzoek), the national framework for accessibility of master’s programmes and the code of conduct for international students.
The admission requirements and the organisation of the admission procedure fit within the VU core values 'open, personal and responsible'. We are an accessible university. Master's programmes are therefore not selective, unless there is a specific reason to do so.