24,830 Tuition Fee/year
SepStarting Month
Programme overview
Main Subject
Politics
Degree
MSc
Study Level
Master's
Study Mode
On Campus
Find solutions to social and political problems
Never before have political decisions been so interconnected across the world. Climate change, threats to democracy, shifts in global economic power, the rise of AI and big data. They all impact global politics. But how? Who are the main actors? And what are the critical factors in the choices that political actors make and the outcomes we get?
The Master’s in Political Science at VU Amsterdam teaches you to analyse political power in its social and international context. Offering a broad range of theoretical perspectives and research skills, the programme enables you to analyse the major political challenges of our time and the solutions proposed for them.
The VU Master Political Science is set up as an integrated programme with a special focus on the interactions between national and international politics. From 2025-2026 onwards, we offer four specialisations in which you can graduate under the guidance of our expert faculty:
International Relations: Geopolitics and Global Political Economy
International Relations: Peace and Security
Apply to VU Amsterdam Summer School and develop your academic skills in a focused and inspiring study abroad experience.
Programme overview
Main Subject
Politics
Degree
MSc
Study Level
Master's
Study Mode
On Campus
Find solutions to social and political problems
Never before have political decisions been so interconnected across the world. Climate change, threats to democracy, shifts in global economic power, the rise of AI and big data. They all impact global politics. But how? Who are the main actors? And what are the critical factors in the choices that political actors make and the outcomes we get?
The Master’s in Political Science at VU Amsterdam teaches you to analyse political power in its social and international context. Offering a broad range of theoretical perspectives and research skills, the programme enables you to analyse the major political challenges of our time and the solutions proposed for them.
The VU Master Political Science is set up as an integrated programme with a special focus on the interactions between national and international politics. From 2025-2026 onwards, we offer four specialisations in which you can graduate under the guidance of our expert faculty:
International Relations: Geopolitics and Global Political Economy
International Relations: Peace and Security
Apply to VU Amsterdam Summer School and develop your academic skills in a focused and inspiring study abroad experience.
Admission Requirements
Students must meet the following admission requirements:
1. Academic requirements
Your previous education needs to be deemed equivalent to at least a Dutch academic Bachelor’s degree ( wetenschappelijk onderwijs, WO ) obtained at a research university (nominal duration 3 years).
2. Programme specific requirements
The Admission Board needs to establish that you meet all of the following admission requirements:
A sufficient background in the field of quantitative and qualitative methods and techniques of social science research
A sufficient background in the field of political science
This can be demonstrated by having a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Political Science obtained at a research university and with a curriculum including social science research methods. After completing such a degree, you are sufficiently equipped with both quantitative and qualitative methodology and academic writing and analytical skills, which are requirements for admission to the programme.
Furthermore you are admissible to the Master’s programme in Political Science with a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree obtained at the Faculty of Social Sciences (FSS) at the Vrije Universiteit (VU) including a minor programme in Political Science, such as the VU FSS minor Political Science.
In all cases, your bachelor must be equivalent to a Dutch academic (WO) bachelor and therefore must be completed at a research university.
3. English language proficiency requirements
You will have to demonstrate sufficient English language proficiency. You can find an overview of relevant information to demonstrate your English language proficiency on the language requirement page .
You can already submit your application form without having met the English language requirements, but if you are conditionally admitted, you still have to meet the English language requirements.
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Scholarships
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