Accounting and Control

Check whether you meet the programme requirements and sign up

• I have a School of Business and Economics Degree from VU Amsterdam

  Admission requirements
  With a Bachelor's degree in (International) Business Administration, Economics or Econometrics and Operations Research from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam you are admissible provided you successfully meet the requirements in this document. 
  
  Services for international (EBE, EOR, IBA) students / Residence permit:
  If you are planning to continue your studies at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam after your SBE Bachelor, please contact the Central Admission’s Support Team of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam for further information and specific questions about the offered services for international students like extending your residence permit. You will need to apply for extension of your residence permit if you continue your studies at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

• I have a Dutch university level (WO) Bachelor’s degree (VU Bachelor's degree, VU pre-master or Bachelor's degree at another university)

  Admission requirements

  The master programme Accounting and Control is open to students with a university Bachelor’s degree in economics, business or related disciplines. Apart from general academic and research skills, the programme should include quantitative research methods (statistics) of at least an intermediate level.  We are not necessarily looking for students who have specialized in accounting, but we do expect that you have a solid grounding in the discipline. This means that your programme must include a significant element  (as an indication, at least 40-45 EC) of accounting and finance with much of it at least at intermediate level.  Accounting is meant broadly and may include, in addition to the essentials of financial and management accounting, topics such as auditing, accounting and business information systems, and relevant elements of corporate governance and corporate law.  Apart from corporate finance, it may also include financial analysis,  financial management and financial markets.
  
  This means that we expect you to have successfully completed courses based on the following literature, or equivalent: 
  
  o    Financial Accounting
  Elliott & Elliott, Financial Accounting and Reporting (Pearson Education), recent edition, 
  o    Management Accounting
  Rajan, Datar & Horngren, Cost Accounting , Global Edition (Pearson Education), recent edition. 
  o    Finance
  Berk & DeMarzo  Corporate Finance, Global Edition (Pearson Education), recent edition 
  o    Statistics
  Doane & Seward, Applied Statistics in Business & Economics (McGraw-Hill), recent edition. 

  And preferably one more courses based on the following: 
  o    Financial Statement Analysis
  Healy & Palepu, Business Analysis Valuation: Using Financial Statements (Cengage Learning), recent edition. 
  o    Accounting Information Systems
  Romney & Steinbart, Accounting Information Systems, Global Edition (Pearson), recent edition 
  o    Auditing
  Principles of Auditing’ by Rick Hayes, Hans Gortemaker, and Philip Wallage, (Pearson), recent edition 
  
  Subject to the requirements above, approval is in most cases given to students who hold a bachelor’s degree in 
  •    Business Economics, 
  •    Business Administration, 
  •    Financial Management, 
  •    Economics or 
  •    Econometrics. 

  With a Bachelor's degree in (International) Business Administration, Economics or Econometrics and Operations Research from Dutch Universities you can review this document. Any additional admission requirements can be found on the Curriculum page of this website.

  Please note: this information is only meant as an indication of your admissibility. No rights can be derived from this table. This document is based on the obligatory courses and does not take electives into account. Students are recommended to apply for the Master via Studielink (without obligation) to find out if additional courses need to be completed. Every application will be reviewed individually by the Admission Board. The final admission decision may differ from the indication in this table. If your programme is not listed but contains enough relevant courses, please feel free to apply.

  Coding skills

  For the mandatory course Data Analytics for Accounting and Control we assume basic knowledge and skills for coding in Python, equivalent to the course Programming for Economists in the BSc Economics and Business Economics Programme.  If you have not followed such a course, this will not affect your admissibility to the programme. However, you should make sure before starting the course that your knowledge and skills are sufficient. A self-study module is freely available on http://dataanalyticsforaccountingandcontrol.com/ (links to an external site).

• I have a Dutch higher vocational education (HBO) Bachelor’s degree

  The MSc Accounting & Control has its own admission requirements for students with a HBO degree which differ significantly from those of other SBE master programmes.

  Students with higher vocational qualifications (Dutch HBO or equivalent) in business, economics or related disciplines are admissible to our pre-master's programme. All HBO students follow the same pre-master’s programme, with limited modifications depending on your prior education. This is offered on a part-time basis, as part of a track including also the part-time master Accounting & Control and the Postgraduate Accountancy Programme, as this is the track chosen by most HBO students. However, after completion of the Pre-master’s programme, you can choose to continue your studies in the full-time master Accounting and Control. After completion of the master Accounting and Control, either in full-time or in part-time, you are not required to continue with the postgraduate programme. Admission and registration of Pre-master students are handled by the Postgraduate Accountancy programme (RA opleiding).  

  The Accounting & Control pre-master’s programme includes elements in both English and Dutch and is therefore not available to international students. No GMAT score is required to enter this pre-master’s programme. This pre-master includes its own mandatory assessment.

• Application procedure with a Dutch degree

  Applying with a School of Business and Economics Degree

  To enroll in the programme submit your enrolment application via Studielink. 
  
  Step 1:
  Apply for the MSc programme Accounting and Control via Studielink before 1 June. 
  
  Step 2:
  Please complete your application in your VU Dashboard by answering additional questions and uploading a formal transcript of your bachelor grades. Your transcript must include an average score (GPA). 
    
  More information regarding registration WO-bachelors, see the VU website. 

  Applying with a Dutch university level (WO) Bachelor’s degree (VU Bachelor's degree, VU pre-master or Bachelor's degree at another university)

  To enroll in the programme submit your enrolment application via Studielink. 
  
  Step 1:
  Apply for the MSc programme Accounting and Control via Studielink before 1 June. 
  
  Step 2:
  After applying for the programme in Studielink you will receive a VUnet-ID and password. Please complete your application in your VU Dashboard by answering additional questions and uploading a formal transcript of your bachelor grades. Your transcript must include an average score (GPA). 
  Please note: we can only process your application when your transcript is uploaded. 
  
  Step 3:
  The admission committee will assess your application and decide whether you are admissible. You will be informed about this decision via email. 
  
  More information regarding registration WO-bachelors, see the VU website. 

• I have an international degree

  Admission requirements

  In order to gain admission to our Master’s programme, you need to have at least a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited research university including at least three full years of academic study amounting to a minimum of 180 EC or equivalent. We do not require a GRE or GMAT test score. Your degree should be in economics, business or related disciplines. Apart from general academic and research skills, the programme should include quantitative research methods (statistics) of at least an intermediate level.  We are not necessarily looking for students who have specialized in accounting, but we do expect that you have a solid grounding in the discipline. This means that your programme must include a significant element (as an indication, at least 40-45 EC) of accounting and finance with much of it at least at intermediate level. Accounting is meant broadly and may include, in addition to the essentials of financial and management accounting, topics such as auditing, accounting information systems, and elements of corporate governance. Apart from corporate finance, it may also include financial analysis and financial management. 
  
  This means that we expect you to have successfully completed courses based on the following literature, or equivalent:

  • Financial Accounting
    Elliott & Elliott, Financial Accounting and Reporting (Pearson Education), recent edition
  • Management Accounting
    Rajan, Datar & Horngren, Cost Accounting , Global Edition (Pearson Education), recent edition
  • Finance
    Berk & DeMarzo  Corporate Finance, Global Edition (Pearson Education), recent edition
  • Statistics
    Doane & Seward, Applied Statistics in Business & Economics (McGraw-Hill), recent edition

  And preferably one more courses based on the following, or equivalent:

  • Financial Statement Analysis
    Healy & Palepu, Business Analysis Valuation: Using Financial Statements (Cengage Learning), recent edition
  • Accounting Information Systems
    Romney & Steinbart, Accounting Information Systems, Global Edition (Pearson), recent edition
  • Auditing
    Principles of Auditing’ by Rick Hayes, Hans Gortemaker, and Philip Wallage, (Pearson), recent edition

  Coding skills

  For the mandatory course Data Analytics for Accounting and Control we assume basic knowledge and skills for coding in Python, equivalent to the course Programming for Economists in the BSc Economics and Business Economics Programme.  If you have not followed such a course, this will not affect your admissibility to the programme. However, you should make sure before starting the course that your knowledge and skills are sufficient. A self-study module is freely available on http://dataanalyticsforaccountingandcontrol.com/ (links to an external site).

  English language requirements

  The admission board wants to stress the intensity of the programme: reading scientific articles and writing papers will be a key part, all in a very high pace. Your English language skills, both oral and written, are extremely important in this programme. As you will have to communicate frequently with your fellow students and you will be working with and for international companies.
  
  If you are applying for one of our English-taught Master's degree programmes you will have to demonstrate sufficient English language proficiency by submitting English test results.  

  Although complete applications are preferred, you can begin your application before you have completed the test and then submit your passing score once you have been conditionally admitted. 

  You can find an overview of all accepted tests and scores that can be used to demonstrate your English language proficiency on the language requirement page.

• Application procedure with an international degree

  Application documents

  To apply you are required to provide the following documents:

  • Scan of your passport or national ID card (ID for EEA students only) valid at the start date of the programme
  • Master Application File please download the correct file from this page. In this file you can see which documents are required to apply for your programme.
  • Proof of English language proficiency (if already obtained): upload your proof of English language proficiency or English language test results. Please find the English language requirements here.

  After having prepared the required documents, please follow the online application procedure. 

  Application fee & deadlines

  All students seeking admission to an international Master’s programme with an international degree are required to pay a non-refundable €100 application fee. Only after you have paid this fee will we be able to start the evaluation of your application file. If you are applying for more than one programme, you will only need to pay the application fee once. Your application fee payment is valid for two years.
  
  Information on how to apply with an international university degree and deadlines can be found here. 

  Grants and scholarships

  As an international student planning to study at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, you can apply for a variety of grants and bursaries. Detailed information about scholarships and deadlines can be found on www.vu.nl/scholarships or www.grantfinder.nl.

  International Student and Alumni Ambassadors 

  Our International Student and Alumni Ambassadors are happy to tell you all about their experiences with studying at VU Amsterdam and living in Amsterdam.

  • Our Student Ambassadors are current students at VU Amsterdam that represent a wide variety of programmes and countries.
  • Our International Alumni Ambassadors are VU Amsterdam graduates who are currently either working in the Netherlands or abroad, or doing a PhD or (second) Master's.

  You will find the full overview of our Ambassadors here: vu.nl/ambassadors. There you can chat with them directly.

• FAQ for students with a Dutch degree

  Can I be admitted into an SBE Master with my Dutch university degree?

  The admission board can make a decision regarding your admissibility based on several documents. Apply for the Master via Studielink and complete your application on your VU dashboard by uploading the required documents. Some Master programmes require additional documents such as an English CV and motivation letter, as well as your transcript of records. You will receive an admission decision within a couple of weeks after completing your application. Registration for the Master via Studielink is without obligation and does not commit you to anything yet.

  I have a higher vocational (HBO) degree. Do I need to complete the pre-master before I can start with an SBE Master?

  Yes, we require all students with an HBO higher vocational Bachelor degree to complete the corresponding pre-master before they can start with the Master. More information on the pre-master can be found here.

  I have a higher vocational (HBO) degree and wish to start with an SBE Master that does not have a specific pre-master (MSc Econometrics & Operations Research, MSc Economics, MSc Spatial, Transport and Environmental Economics). How do I apply?

  Please send your transcript of records directly to admissions.sbe@vu.nl/ toelating.sbe@vu.nl. Make sure the name of your education and institution are visible.

  I do not want to start with a master in the next academic year, but the year after. How do I know if I am eligible?

  You can still apply for the Master that starts in the next academic year via Studielink. Registration for the Master is without obligation and does not commit you to anything yet. If you need to complete additional courses in order to be admissible, you can do so during the next academic year. Because the admission decisions are valid for one year, make sure to check in advance if the admission requirements have not changed.

  I am already completing a Master at a Dutch university. Can I be directly admitted into one of the SBE Masters?

  You cannot be automatically admitted into one of the SBE Masters. First, your application needs to be reviewed by the admission board of the Master in the same way as all Bachelor students. Please apply for the Master via Studielink and upload all required documents. You can use an online PDF merger to upload both your Bachelor grades and (preliminary) Master grades.