Statistics and research methods play an important role within our programme of Communication Science. In year 1 and 2, you will follow multiple statistics and methods courses and in year 3 you will apply the skills you have learned to your thesis and internship. We find it important that our students are being trained to assess the value of existing research and to be able to come to their own findings within the domain of Communication Science. After you have obtained your secondary education diploma (Dutch: vwo-diploma, i.e. pre-university level education), you should be prepared well enough to follow the first course of statistics and methods. Furthermore, actively participating in the UvA matching provides a good picture of what you can expect from the programme and the role of statistics within the program.

If you are a Dutch-speaking student, you can also follow our Dutch track. The programme of the Dutch track is exactly the same as the programme of the English track. Read more about the Dutch track Communicatiewetenschap.

Communication Science at the UvA is an academic discipline in the social and behavioral sciences and studies the contents, uses, and effects/consequences of media and communication. It focuses on 4 domains: Entertainment Communication, Persuasive Communication, Corporate Communication, and Political Communication. In addition, there is a strong emphasis on statistics and research methods. Our lecturers are affiliated with ASCoR, the research institute for Communication Science. Also, all our students have to do an internship, which is rarely a standard part of other (similar) programmes. In this way, our students can bring what they have learned into practice.

We understand very well that students have to work alongside their studies to earn a living. The study takes an average of 30 per 40 hours a week, so please keep this in mind while making your planning. The week prior to the start of the programme, you can see on which days you will have lectures and tutorials. To each individual student, the workload is experienced differently. In general, most students in the first semester, have to get used to the university, a different method of teaching, and the pace. With the tutorials, the guidance we offer, and enough self-study from you, the majority of the students succeed in making this a success. Below you can find an example of a weekly schedule of a first-year student. 

Within the Bachelor's of Communication Science at the University of Amsterdam, you obtain a Bachelor's of Science. Therefore, it is a scientific study. Within Communication Science you will be given a number of creative assignments. However, there are no specific classes in creative skills within the Communication Science programme. For example, you won’t receive assignments to design websites or set up graphic advertising campaigns. Basically, you will mainly follow courses on the theoretical aspects of these types of campaigns. How do you make a success out of a campaign, advertisement, intervention, entertainment product, etc.

Research and creativity

Initially, “research” sounds like the most theoretical part of the study. Think again. After all, every research is about practice. For example, if you are interested in fashion, the Corporate Communication course allows you to research different stakeholders in the problem of cultural appropriation in the high-end fashion industry. This is a real-life example of a project that has been done. In many such research projects, you are free to a certain extent to choose a topic yourself. In this way, you can align communication research with your own social interests

Electives and creativity

In the second half of the Communication Science programme, you have the opportunity to personalise your programme. During this period, you will follow electives, do an internship and write your graduation thesis. So, there is a lot of room here for integrating creativity. Especially when doing your internship, you will have the opportunity to acquire practical skills at a company that matches your interests.

Creativity outside of the study

Another option to combine creativity with Communication Science is through extracurricular activities. For example, you can go to CREA, the cultural student center of the University of Amsterdam. Each semester they offer a wide range of workshops and courses in music, dance, theatre, visual arts, writing and much more. They also offer courses related to Communication Science, for example, video editing with Final Cut Pro X or editing in Adobe Photoshop. In addition, the Communication Science programme itself also offers various extracurricular workshops in which these types of creative skills are taught, under the name of Career Matters.

If you have obtained a Dutch hbo degree or you have obtained an international degree equal to a Dutch hbo and would like to start the Master's in Communication Science, you first have to follow part of the Bachelor's programme, also called 'de verkorte bachelor' (in Dutch only).