Expanding your knowledge and at the same time developing your skills is key. That is why you will participate in a variety of teaching activities. Most of the courses are evaluated with one or more tests. This is usually a written examination, but it can also be an essay, a report, or a presentation.

Lectures
Lectures give an introductory overview into the course content. You will attend them together with your fellow students. You take notes and have the opportunity to ask questions.

Seminars
During seminars you will discuss specific subjects from the lectures in smaller groups. Exercises and practice assignments will help you to become adept with the theory.

Self-study
During your study week, you spend time to study theory, go over lectures and seminars, and prepare for exams and presentations.

The first course that you take is called Principles of Economics and Business. You learn about fundamental themes and theories in economics, business economics and business administration.

4 business perspectives

Business administration is a multidisciplinary science that draws on different disciplines for solving business problems. We’ve divided the various disciplines into 4 pillars:

• organisation
• people
• economics
• methods

The courses in this year are placed under these 4 themes.

In the second year, you dive deeper into specific business functions like marketing or finance and combine these later during courses such as:

• International Business: learn about doing business (and collaborating) across borders: an absolute must in the international business community;  

• Information and Data management: learn about the digital revolution and its impact on companies.

Real-life business case
To finish off this year, you work on your first real business case. In this assignment, you use your knowledge and skills to develop a plan for setting up your own business.

You have the freedom to structure this last year according to your own interests:

1. Choose one of these options:
   - Do an internship: work at a company where you can put the experience and skills that you have gained into practice.
   - Study abroad: spend a semester studying at a different university to give you an exciting international experience.
   - Take a minor: expand your knowledge and stand out from the crowd with a mini study programme in a completely different field such as Philosophy, Law or Italian Studies. You can choose between 121 Dutch and 73 English minors at the UvA.
   - Deepen your knowledge: choose between more than 40 specialised courses in the area of business and economics to deepen your business knowledge, ranging from Intercultural Skills to Consulting Methods, Corporate Social Responsibility and Business Analytics. 
2. Choose a specialisation that suits you: 'Accountancy and Control', 'Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Creativity', 'Finance' or 'Management in the Digital Age'.

Is there a particular recent development that sparks your enthusiasm or do you have a great idea of your own? Writing your thesis, you have the chance to explore it fully while simultaneously training your ability to independently conduct relevant academic research. Your thesis is the final requirement to be completed for your graduation. Under the supervision of our staff, you will follow a clearly defined path that will lead to your graduation with an internationally recognised Bachelor's in Science (BSc) degree.

The transition from secondary school to university can be a major step. For this reason, you will receive intensive academic counselling as a 1-year student. You can also count on individual support during the rest of your studies.

At UvA there are all sorts of activities you can undertake during your university years to explore and develop your network, talents and skills. You can follow more than 70 minors and more than 40 electives to broaden and deepen your knowledge and skills.

If you are ambitious, you can choose to take part in our Honours programme. You take the Honours programme alongside your regular studies. In interdisciplinary courses you will work together with students from other faculties on topics of high societal relevance. Completion results in you graduating 'with honours': an internationally recognised qualification.

During your Bachelor's programme, you could put your knowledge into practice by means of a work placement. Internships can be included in your programme for a maximum of 12 credits. They can be very useful for your future career.

Studying abroad allows you to get to know a different culture, language and country, and we strongly recommend you take advantage of this opportunity. We have made collaborative and exchange agreements with over a 100 universities all over the world, enabling you to study there for a semester.

Are you interested in learning Dutch? There are different options to give you the opportunity to maximise your Dutch experience and prepare for your future job in the Netherlands.

Many of our students are members of a study association. It is fun and useful for your future career at the same time. Faculty student associations are a great way to meet fellow students and future employers. They organise study trips (abroad), career events, weekly debates, parties and receptions with drinks. Usually you can also purchase your textbooks and course syllabi at reduced rates via our faculty student association: Sefa.

Overview Study Associations

• Faculty student association Sefa
• International Student Committee (ISC,part of Sefa)
• International Student Network Amsterdam (ISN, part of Sefa)
• Study Association Actuarial Sciences, Econometrics and Operational Research (VSAE)
• Financial Study Association Amsterdam (FSA)
• Marketing Association Amsterdam (MAA)
• International study association (AIESEC)

Amsterdam has a thriving student community with many activities organised outside of the university’s grounds. You will find student associations focusing on networking, specific interests and sports. It is only at sororities and fraternities that you can expect an initiation ritual (hazing).

At university, you are entitled to make your voice heard and assess the quality of your own education. Students can participate in the discussion on the university's education policy in various ways, such as by joining the Programme Committee, the Faculty Student Council or the student focus group panel. You can also stand for election and dedicate your efforts to the programme and your fellow students.

The course Principles of Economics and Business 1 and 2 focusses on main theoretical concepts in economics and business administration. Through practical assignments based on current topics in the media and real business cases, you will learn how to apply the literature to a current problem. These problems are related to ethics, corporate social responsibility or sustainability.

In the 2nd year, you take the Business Law and Ethics course, where you study topics such as data protection, privacy, business ethics, liability for human rights violations and international dispute resolution.

In the third year you can choose several different elective courses on sustainability or ethics & corporate social responsibility (e.g., Environmental Economics, Social Entrepreneurship, Non-Growth Entrepreneurship, Corporate Social Responsibility).

The main difference is the name of the degree programme. UvA’s Bachelor’s programme in Business Administration is taught in English. The students, teaching staff and study materials are international and students have the opportunity to go on an exchange to a university in another country, allowing them to study abroad for 6 months. In addition, the curriculum includes specialist courses on internationalisation, such as International Business and International Management. In short, the UvA’s Business Administration Bachelor’s programme’s focus on international business is reflected in its curriculum.

Although these 2 Bachelor’s programmes share certain aspects, there are major differences between them. Economics and Business Economics is an economics-focused, analytical degree programme that largely seeks to address mathematical issues. As a consequence, Economics and Business Economics students spend most of their time looking at issues relating to figures, such as in accountancy and finance, from a business administration perspective. Business Administration deals with everything involved in managing a business, especially strategic aspects and aspects related to people (customers, staff). This makes Business Administration a multidisciplinary Bachelor’s programme that involves a greater variety of disciplines than Economics and Business Economics.

As part of this 3-year Bachelor’s programme, you will learn how to solve business related problems with the help of a variety of disciplines. One of those is mathematics. In addition, you’ll acquire extensive knowledge on bookkeeping, finances and statistics - disciplines for which you will need to use your mathematical skills. This means that you will have an advantage if you are good at and enjoy mathematics.

To make the transition from secondary school to university as easy as possible, you will receive extra guidance in the 1st year and will be assigned a tutor. This tutor will introduce you to both the campus and the city of Amsterdam, so you will quickly feel at home. This senior student will also give you tips on how to study smart and you can discuss your study goals and progress. Also during the rest of your studies you can count on support from our study advisers, mentors, tutors and our Economics and Business Career Centre. You can contact our experienced student advisers for questions about your Bachelor's programme, study planning or personal circumstances that may affect your studies.

On this page about application and admission you find answers to frequently asked questions about enrolment, entry requirements, the selection procedure and selection test.