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Arts and Culture - Design Cultures, Master Degree, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

the Netherlands

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Study options for this course

The award	How you will study	Study duration	Course start	Domestic course fees	International course fees
Master Degree	Full-time	1 year	September	EUR 2694 per year	EUR 24830 per year

About Arts and Culture - Design Cultures, Master Degree - at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Interiors, fashion, artefacts, graphics and digital design define affect every aspect of our lives. Learn about how design shapes our world.

Design Cultures takes a Humanities perspective on the study of design. In this program you explore the history and theory of design, but also discover how design intersects with contemporary issues such as identity, mobility, ecology, overconsumption and inequality. Other programs train students to design objects. On this program you learn to interpret, reflect and write about design.

This programme raises these questions: What makes a design iconic? How is design used to construct national identity? How can we approach design from a post-colonial, ecological and feminist perspective? How do designers think and work? How can the very same object mean different things to different users? What is the future of design?

Amsterdam

The opportunities for collaboration between the design sector, cultural institutions and social enterprise in Amsterdam are endless. Through our wide-ranging academic courses, taught by our international team of distinguished researchers, you can explore the dimensions of these contexts and combine them in unique and exciting ways.

Design Cultures is one of the tracks of the master's programme in Arts & Culture.

Summer School

Apply to VU Amsterdam Summer School and develop your academic skills in a focused and inspiring study abroad experience.

Learn more about Arts and Culture - Design Cultures, Master Degree - at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

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Entry 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

Direct admission to the Master's programme in Arts and Culture, with a specialisation in Contemporary Art History, is possible with an academic Bachelor's degree (WO) in art history, MKDA, or an equivalent degree. If you have an academic Bachelor’s degree in the Humanities (history, media studies, philosophy, cultural studies), you must have completed a minimum of 60 ECTS in art history/theory. You must also submit a complete application for review by the Admissions Board.

Due to a lack of distinction between applied and academic universities abroad, the level of academic theory that you have studied will be determined based on your course descriptions, literature lists and a sample of academic writing.

How to demonstrate that you meet the above requirements

You are required to indicate in the course description section of the Application Form how you meet the programme specific admission requirements.

Whether you meet the admission requirements, is determined by the Admission Board based on your complete application.

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.

Fees, Funding and Scholarships at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Need financial assistance? Read about scholarships: Scholarships for Master's programmes

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Masters Webinar

Each year, we organise an online session for aspiring Master's students that covers everything you need to know about the application process and beyond. This year, the International Master's webinar took place on Tuesday, October 15, at 16:00 (CET). You can watch the recordings all year.

During the webinar, you will have the opportunity to:

Discover what it is like to study at VU Amsterdam;
Learn everything you need to know about the admission and application process;
Get the latest insights on scholarship opportunities;
Hear first-hand experiences from one of our current international students about being a student in the Netherlands' dynamic capital city.

Bachelors Webinar

Each year we organise an online session for aspiring Bachelor's students that covers all you need to know about the application process and beyond. This year, the International Bachelor's webinar took place on Thursday 24 October at 16:00 (CET). You can watch the recorder version all year.

During the webinar, you will have the opportunity to:

Discover what it is like to study at VU Amsterdam;
Learn everything you need to know about the admission and application process;
Ask all your questions about the housing market in Amsterdam;
Hear first-hand experiences from one of our current international students about being a student in the Netherlands' dynamic capital city.