If you are a talented and motivated student the VU Honours Programme offers you the opportunity to invest more in your own area of study and to broaden your horizon.
What is the Honours Programme?
The Honours Programme is an additional block of academics on top of your own Bachelor’s programme that is designed to broaden and deepen your knowledge. The Honours Programme consists of 30 credits that you can earn in addition to the 180 credits for the standard Bachelor’s programme without paying any additional tuition fees.
The programme consists of two components:
1. Interdisciplinary component: you will earn 12 or 18 credits by taking courses at VU Amsterdam, UvA and/or AUC
The interdisciplinary courses are taught mainly in the evening by the finest lecturers from Vrije Universiteit, the University of Amsterdam and Amsterdam University College, as well as by guest lecturers from the Netherlands and abroad. The classes are small. You will be expected to give presentations, write papers and actively participate in discussions. You will find a detailed overview of the courses at www.vu.nl/honourscourses
2. Faculty component: you will earn 12 or 18 credits for this component
The faculty component of the programme gives you more in-depth perspective on your own field of studies. You will take extra courses, write a lengthier Bachelor’s thesis or conduct a research project. You will find more information about this component at this webpage.
Who can join the Honours Programme?
The Honours Programme is designed for students who have passed all of their first-year Bachelor’s subjects by the end of that year, who have achieved a GPA of at least 7.5 and who have the motivation to take extra subjects in the second and third year of their programme.
Who will receive an Honours Diploma?
Students who complete their Bachelors programme as well as the Honours Programme within three years and who achieve a GPA of at least 7.5 for their regular Bachelor’s courses will receive an Honours Diploma (the grades for honours courses are not taken into account in this calculation).
Start in your first Bachelor’s year?
If you passed all the exams of the 1st and 2nd period of your first Bachelor’s year with an average grade of at least 7.5, you may take an Honours course during the 2nd semester of your first year (limited places available). If you are likely to meet these criteria and you are interested in joining the programme, please send in the application form before 1 December.
Information session for 1st years students
Date: Wed 28 October 2020
Time: 17.30-18.30
Room: zoom
Programme:you can download the programme here
Why should you join?
The reasons for participation can differ from academic curiosity, intellectual challenge, broadening and deepening your knowledge, coming into contact with like-minded students (also from other faculties), the creative and interdisciplinary learning environment or the fact that you will stand out from your peers with an Honours degree. As most courses are taught in English, participation in this programme will also improve your English proficiency.
Other programme opportunities
The Honours Programme offers you more than just coursework. Every year we are allowed to select students for the Netherlands-Asia Honours Summer School. You can become a member of Extensus, the study association for Honours students, and you can join their study trip, Master’s classes and social activities. Upon completion of the programme, all students are invited to a festive Graduation Event. These are some of the attractive bonuses which come along with being an Honours student.
FAQ-Dutch and English
You can download the FAQ document here
How and when to apply
You can find the application procedure and application forms here