Prior education
You are eligible for admission to the programme if you have obtained a relevant bachelor or undergraduate degree (comparable to the Dutch academic level according to the standards of the Dutch Organisation for International Cooperation in Higher Education (Nuffic)) from a research university.
In addition, you should have obtained both:
- ≥ 10 ECTS in social sciences
- ≥ 7.5 ECTS in social science research methods and techniques
Examples of studies that make you eligible for our master programme include:
- Social Sciences
- Psychology
- Business administration
- Organisation studies
- International Relations
- Political Science
- Media- & Culture Studies
- Public Administration
- Communication Studies
- Science & Technology Studies
- Economics
- Pedagogical Sciences
- Health Sciences, Policy & Management
- Philosophy
- Anthropology
Please note you’ll have the option to choose one out of three MSc tracks in the digitalisation in work and society programme, to obtain a degree in:
- Track 1: International MSC of Psychology
- Track 2: International MSC of Public Administration
- Track 3: International MSC of Sociology
All three tracks require the following:
- Motivation letter
Please use 1 A4 to demonstrate your motivation to apply for the programme. (e.g. Relevant knowledge, experience and affinity with the field of studies) - Academic performance
List of courses you’ve completed - Resume
Please note: the master Psychology implements a capacity limitation per 2022-2023, meaning that a selection procedure will take place when the number of students who are deemed eligible for admission exceed the set capacity.
Possible additional documents
You may choose to provide the Admissions Board with additional information about yourself by uploading additional documents that you think might contribute to your profile. An example of such documents could be a reference letter.
Please check the additional criteria that apply for each track by clicking on one of the three tracks. Note that the Psychology track has additional requirements.
You are eligible for admission to the Master programme if you have successfully completed a Bachelor’s or undergraduate degree* from a research university. Whether you are eligible for admission, depends on the specific degree you have obtained.
* Comparable to the Dutch academic level according to the standards of the Dutch Organisation for International Cooperation in Higher Education (Nuffic).
Direct admission
You will be admitted to the master’s programme Psychology if you have successfully completed one of the following programmes:
- Bachelor Psychology at Erasmus University Rotterdam
- Bachelor Psychology at a Dutch research university (i.e., you will not be admitted with a degree from a University of Applied Sciences (i.e., “Hoger Beroepsonderwijs”))
Admission to be decided upon by the Admissions Committee
If you have successfully completed a programme in Psychology at a foreign university, you may also be eligible for admission to the master’s programme Psychology. Likewise, you may be eligible for admission to the master’s programme Psychology, if you have successfully completed a programme that is comparable to the bachelor Psychology (from a Dutch or foreign research university). Examples of such programmes include Cognition, Language & Communication, Liberal Arts & Sciences, Psychobiology and Health Sciences. Whether you are eligible for admission to the master’s specialization of your preference, depends on the curriculum of your prior education and your results in statistics courses as part of this education.
We expect you to have obtained at least:
- 25 EC in relevant courses, of which at least 15 EC in the field of Psychology; and
- 15 EC in statistics courses and basic skills in SPSS, JASP or R. You are expected to be familiar with the following statistical techniques (and able to apply them in statistical packages such SPSS, JASP or R): descriptive statistics, correlation, confidence intervals, hypothesis testing, between-subjects versus within-subjects designs, multiple regression, 1-factor and 2-factor ANOVA, repeated measures ANOVA, GLM, psychometrics, non-parametric testing.
When you apply for the master’s specialization of your preference, the Admissions Committee will assess whether you are eligible for direct admission to the master’s specialisation.
Please note that if you are eligible for admission to a specialisation, based on another prior education than the bachelor’s degree Psychology at EUR (or: with the EUR bachelor’s degree in Psychology but with specialisation that does not align with the master’s programme specialisation of your preference, there is no guarantee that you can directly obtain your degree. You are responsible for filling the gaps in your knowledge and skills of statistics or the specialisation that you have chosen. On this page you will find a list with recommended literature that can help you overcome knowledge deficiencies.
There may be additional requirements, next to a master’s degree, if you want to enroll in certain post-academic vocational training or become a member of a specific professional association. It is your own responsibility to acquire information related to these requirements in case you are considering such options.
Please note: If you apply to this programme through the Psychology track, the English language requirements are different. For the IELTS tests a band score of >7.0 with sub-scores of >6.0 is required. For the (iBT) TOEFL a band score of >100 is required.
Should you have chosen to pursue the degree in Public Administration, there are some admission requirements.
Direct admission
Should the student have chosen to pursue the degree in Public Administration, there are some admission requirements. You are eligible for direct admission to the master’s programme Public Administration if you have obtained a relevant Bachelor’s or undergraduate degree* from a research university that includes at least 7.5 EC in social science research methods and techniques and 10 EC in other social science courses. When you apply to the master’s specialisation of your preference, the Admissions Committee will assess whether you are eligible for direct admission to that master’s specialisation.
* Comparable to the Dutch academic level according to the standards of the Dutch Organisation for International Cooperation in Higher Education (Nuffic).
Should you have chosen to pursue the degree in Sociology, there are some admission requirements.
Direct admission
You are directly eligible for admission to the master’s programme Sociology if you have obtained a relevant Bachelor’s or undergraduate degree* from a research university that includes at least 7.5 EC in social science research methods and techniques and 10 EC in other social science courses. When you apply to the master’s specialisation of your preference, the Admissions Committee will assess whether you are eligible for direct admission to that master’s specialisation.
* Comparable to the Dutch academic level according to the standards of the Dutch Organisation for International Cooperation in Higher Education (Nuffic).
English Language requirements
A good command of English is essential. Therefore you will have to submit proof of English proficiency in your application.
- You have obtained a bachelor diploma from a university in the Netherlands; or
- You have obtained a pre-university education (VWO) diploma and English was one of the subjects included in the assessment conferring that diploma and graded a 7.0 or higher; or
- You have obtained a diploma of International Baccalaureate (valid for 5 years); or
- You are a native speaker of English (i.e. a national of one of the following countries: Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, United Kingdom and the United States of America) and you have obtained a diploma of secondary education in English for at least 2,5 years in one of the above countries; or
- You have obtained your diploma of higher education in English (the entire programme) in one of the following countries: Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, United Kingdom or the United States of America.
- We usually deem the level of English Bachelor programmes at West European or Scandinavian universities sufficient as well.
Please mind that in case you meet one or more of the above-mentioned English language requirements, you need to present a proof thereof. For example, if you have obtained your diploma of higher education in English, we need to see a written proof of it in the form of either a passage in the diploma, grade list, or a letter from the university stating that the language of instruction was English for the entire program.
Please note that the test may not be older than two years at the time of application. Also note that it takes several weeks before the results of the tests are known.
| Language Test for Sociology & Public Administration | Minimum Score | Minimum Sub-scores |
|---|---|---|
| Internet based (iBT) TOEFL (our TOEFL ID Code 5971)* | 90 (internet based) | 20 |
| IELTS Academic** | 6.5 | 6.0 |
| CEF (Common European Framework) | C1-level | |
| Cambridge EFL (English as a Foreign Language) Examinations | CAE level B CPE level C |
* Please note that Institutional (ITP) TOEFL tests are not accepted.
**We do not accept the online IELTS test
| Language Test for Psychology | Minimum Score | Minimum Sub-scores |
|---|---|---|
| Internet based (iBT) TOEFL (our TOEFL ID Code 5971)* | 100 (internet based) | 20 |
| IELTS Academic** | 7.0 | 6.0 |
| CEF (Common European Framework) | C1-level | |
| Cambridge EFL (English as a Foreign Language) Examinations | CAE level B CPE level C |
* Please note that Institutional (ITP) TOEFL tests are not accepted.
** We do not accept the online IELTS test.
Would you like to take a language test at Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR)? The language test, based on CEF, is organised by the Language & Training Centre of EUR and tailored specially for our applicants. More information can be found on the website of the language centre.
If you do not meet our language requirements for upcoming academic year, but already study at ESSB as a pre-master student, we offer a special arrangement: you can take the English assessment at the Language & Training Centre of EUR at our expense once.
If you wish to do so, please send an e-mail to master@essb.eur.nl (subject “English assessment for pre-master students”) and mention your name, student number, the master programme and specialization you want to apply for. We will inform you on how to register for the English assessment.
The English assessment test rounds will take place in November, March and May. So make sure you email us in time.
This test is only valid for our master programmes and you will therefore not receive a certificate for other purposes.
*If you decide to take a TOEFL or IELTS test instead, this will be at your own risk and expense, meaning you will receive refund with a maximum of €85,-. This refund is based on the cost of the English assessment at the Language & Training Centre of EUR (see above).
Additional information
Should the admissions criteria mentioned above be too concise, please refer to additional information on this topic.
Prior education
Bachelor’s/undergraduate research university are meant as opposed to diplomas of university of applied sciences or vocational programmes. Diplomas will be carefully evaluated to determine whether they qualify as degrees from research universities (as opposed to universities of applied sciences). An evaluation can only be done after the submission of the on-line application form and all required supporting documents.
In order to be eligible for admission to the programme, you must have fulfilled all the requirements for your Bachelor’s degree by August 20 at the very latest. In case it does not happen, candidates have to account with the fact that this will result in a denial of admission.
If you have not yet completed your Bachelor’s degree but expect to before August 20, please send us an official copy of your academic record(s) at the moment of application. In case the transcript of records does not contain any of the following:
- The name of the programme you are enrolled in;
- The kind of degree you are studying for;
- The date of enrollment;
- The amount of credits you have obtained so far,
you must also provide a statement of your university (please read more information about this) mentioning the date you expect to fulfil all the requirements necessary for graduation. Until we have your documents you might receive a conditional offer, which might become unconditional if we receive the missing documents.
Proof of English proficiency
- If you have obtained your diploma of higher education in English we need to see a written proof of it in the form of either a passage in the diploma, grade list, or a letter from the university stating that the language of instruction was English.
- Institutional TOEFL tests are not accepted.
- The Examination Board makes the final decision on granting you an exemption for English language proficiency.
- Erasmus University Rotterdam does not offer any preparatory English courses.
- Information of the language test, based on CEF, organized by the Language & Training Centre of Erasmus University Rotterdam and tailored specially for our applicants, can be found here.
The eligibility of your prior education can only be determined after you have submitted an application and only after we have received all requested documents. Prior inquiries will be purely hypothetical. For this reason, we encourage you to officially apply for admission. You can also assess your eligibility yourself by taking a look at the detailed admissions criteria on this page. We have tried to make the criteria as transparent as possible.
No, it is a full-time programme.
No, the programme starts only once a year, in September.
A transfer of grades is not possible. Due to the special educational build-up of the curriculum, which mainly consists of obligatory as opposed to optional courses, we, unfortunately, cannot accept transfer students.
Our programme is an English-taught programme. All lectures and all literature are in English. This requires that you can read, write, speak and understand English at an academic level and thus we need proof thereof from our applicants. This applies to our Dutch and non-Dutch applicants.
No, you cannot. You will need to do the official TOEFL test at a TOEFL-certified institute. In both cases please visit TOEFL.org for more information.
Yes, in some cases you might be exempted from presenting the results of an English proficiency test. Please have a look on the admission page to find out if you are eligible for exemption. Keep in mind that in case you believe that you qualify for exemption you need to present a proof thereof.