Environment and Resource Management
Application deadlines
Deadlines for applications are as follows:
- Current students at VU University Amsterdam: 1 July
- Students with a Bachelor's, Master's, drs, mr or ir degree obtained at a Dutch University: 1 July
- Students with a Bachelor's or Master's degree obtained at a University in Germany, Belgium, France, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland or the United Kingdom: 1 April
- Students who need an admission letter for a fellowship (e.g. NFP) on 15 February latest: 15 December
- All other students (including students from higher vocational education): 1 April
Application procedure
The Master’s coordinator receives and evaluates the applications and advises the Examination Board on conditions for admission. The board reviews the application and the advice and decides if the applicant can be admitted and under which conditions. The applicant will then receive an e-mail of admission, which allows the applicant to start his or her study in September.
Required documentation for MSc ERM application
- Cv and motivation letter
- Transcripts of grades
- Diploma(s)
- Two letters of recommendation
- Sample of academic writing, including a bibliography/works cited, in English (this could be a chapter of your Bachelor/Master thesis or a senior year term paper)
- Description of courses relevant to the ERM, if they are not explained on your transcript or in your motivation letter
- Copy of passport or id
Visa/ residence permit/ Nuffic certificate for Chinese students
All information about visa and residence permits is available under the section:
Visa/ residence permit
Here you can learn more about:
- The visa deadlines and procedure
- The Nuffic certificate for Chinese students (which was known as a NESO Certificate until 1 June 2010)
- Legalisation
- Residence permit
International Office
For additional information please contact: international@falw.vu.nl.
Admission requirements
New applicants must at least hold a Bachelor's degree from a university or an institute of higher vocational education (with a minimum of three years of full-time study). Please note that a Bachelor’s degree with lower Second division does not meet the requirements. All applications will be assessed by the Examination Board. Students from all disciplinary backgrounds will be considered, but the following subjects provide a particularly relevant basis for participating in the ERM programme:
- Economics, Social Sciences (especially Political Science, Law and Policy Studies)
- Natural Sciences
- Engineering
- Environmental Studies and Environmental Sciences
- Environmental Law
The criteria for evaluating applications include:
- Quality of former study programmes;
- Results obtained in former studies;
- Writing/speaking skills in English;
- Disciplinary knowledge and skills;
- Academic motivation;
- Letters of recommendation;
- Basic knowledge of environmental issues;
- Pre-Master assessment outcomes (see below);
- Publications;
- Working experience (including voluntary).
Language proficiency requirements
VU University Amsterdam requires internationalapplicants to take an English test and to submit their score as a part of the application. Exceptions are made for students who have completed their education in Canada, USA, UK, Ireland, New Zealand or Australia or who have obtained an international Baccalaureate or European Baccalaureate diploma.
Further information on the minimum English language proficiency requirements (TOEFL, IELTS, CAE, CPE) is available under the section:
Admission of Chinese students
Chinese students are required to contact the Netherlands Education Support Office (NESO) in Beijing about certification of their diplomas and English language test (IELTS). This regulation applies to all students with the Chinese nationality who are not living in the Netherlands.Applicants from mainland China are required to submit an Academic IELTS or TOEFL iBT test scores due to visa requirements (an average IELTS result of 6.5 and sufficient on all separate modules).
More information on the NESO procedure:
NESO Beijing
Premaster and premaster assessment
Bachelor students from VU University Amsterdam who have obtained at least 168 ECTS can be admitted to the pre-Master programme of ERM and can start following ERM courses while finishing their Bachelor's programme. Full registration as an ERM student will follow after obtaining the Bachelor's degree.
At VU University Amsterdam, students coming from higher vocational education (hbo) must take a pre-Master assessment. The outcome of this assessment is not binding for admittance, but it will be an important criterion for the Examination Board.
In some cases an additional programme may be prescribed for students, e.g. research approaches (methods and techniques), or courses on scientific writing in English.
Pre-Master assessment for students from Hogescholen
In general the Examination Board requires a premaster's programme for students with a Hogeschool Bachelor's degree. This programme includes the following courses:
- Inleiding Economie (code 450214; 6 ECTS credits)
- Ruimtelijke economie 1.4 (Transport- en milieueconomie) (code 60131080; 3 ECTS credits)
- Bestuur en omgeving deel 1 (code 701010; 5 ECTS credits)
- Basiscursus Milieukunde I (code 450105; 6 ECTS credits)
- Scriptie milieubeleid (code 450136; 4 ECTS credits)
- Any other course(s) at the VU (see studiegids.vu.nl) (minimum 6 credits)
Preparing for the programme
We recommend that students admitted to the programme prepare for the courses by reading an introductory textbook in environmental sciences. The following title is particularly useful:
- William P. Cunningham, Mary Ann Cunningham and Barbara Woodworth Saigo (2004). Environmental science: a global concern. 600 pp. McGraw Hill, New York, ISBN 0-07-290932-3 (6th edition), 0-07-243956-4 (8th edition).
Other useful books include:
- D.B. Botkin and E.A. Keller - Environmental science, Earth as a living planet, Wiley
- B.J. Nebel and R.T. Wright - Environmental science, Prentice Hall
- T. O'Riordan - Environmental science for environmental management, Prentice Hall
