David von den Driesch

David von den Driesch, Germany
Master's student in Political Communication

Studying at the Graduate School of Communication is great. The topics covered in the lectures are interesting and always have a contemporary element. What I especially like is the mix of lectures, guest lectures and seminars, which not only provide a profound theoretical background, but also incorporate real-life case studies and insights from practitioners. Furthermore, the students and lecturers are highly motivated and passionate about what they do, which brings a good vibe to the classroom.

I studied business administration before, but I took some communication related courses during an exchange semester in Riga, Latvia. These new topics interested me so much, that I decided to write my bachelor thesis about the crisis communication management of a company in Germany. I also started looking for potential Graduate programmes and it did not take long until I came across the UvA´s Graduate School of Communication. The excellent reputation of the school, the possibility of studying in Amsterdam and my visit during one of UvA’s open days made my decision to study here quite easy.

I would advise international students to think early about what it actually is that you are interested in and would like to research further as this can make things a lot easier once you have to decide which topics to write about in assignments and lastly your thesis. But next to studying also enjoy living in such a bustling and beautiful city like Amsterdam.

Babette Pöll

Babette Pöll, The Netherlands
Master’s student in Political Communication

‘For me the main reason to choose this Master’s is the interesting connection between citizens, politicians and the media: a good democracy demands an informed public. This will be taught in small classes by motivated professors that aren’t afraid to start a discussion in class.

The large amount of international students makes the discussion very interesting. Furthermore, you will read both classic and contemporary texts about news production, journalism, media, and political systems. Also, practicing your skills to critically analyse literature on political journalism is something that you can learn from this Master’s.’