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Every programme at the Faculty of Humanities has its own entry requirements, application procedure and deadlines. Please be sure to carefully follow the steps below.

Application deadline

The application deadline for this selective Master's programme is 1 March 2025, 23:59 CET (register in Studielink before 23 February, see step 4).

Application process

Please make sure to follow the steps of the application process carefully to ensure that your application can be processed.

  • 1. Check entry requirements: prior education

    Hbo-bachelor not eligible

    It is not possible to apply to this programme with a degree from a Dutch University of Applied Sciences (hbo). We do not offer a pre-Master's programme (schakelprogramma) for this Master's.

    You are eligible to apply for admission if you hold an academic Bachelor's degree from an accredited research university in:

    • the Humanities or Social Sciences with a minimum of 30 ECTS (equivalent to a full-time semester of academic study) taken in the field of media, film, television or communication studies or digital culture

    If you obtained your degree outside the Netherlands, the minimum level of your diploma should be at least equivalent to or comparable to three years of a Dutch research-oriented university. The assessment of whether your degree is considered equivalent will be completed by professional diploma evaluators according to the guidelines set forth by Nuffic, the independent organisation for internationalisation in education in the Netherlands. More information on this assessment can be found on the Graduate School of Humanities website.

  • 2. Check entry requirements: language proficiency

    New Master's students should be able to speak, read, write and understand English at an advanced academic level. Please check carefully on the page below whether:

    • you already meet the English language requirements based on your prior education; or
    • you need to arrange to take an official English language test. If you have serious reasons to believe you should be exempted from taking an official English language test, you will need to file a strongly motivated, official exemption request at the Graduate School of Humanities’ Examinations Board. Please note that there is a strict deadline in place for such a request, which is one month prior to the Master's application deadline.
  • 3. Check entry requirements: selection criteria

    This is a selective Master's programme, which means that apart from having to meet the entry requirements, you also need to meet the selection crtieria. Because of the limited number of places available, prospective students are subject to a selection process, where we will compare your file to that of other applicants. The selection criteria are as follows.

    Grade average

    A/3.6 (American system)
    2.1 HONS (an upper second class honours degree in the British system)
    B (ECTS-system), or 
    7.5 (Dutch system)

    If you obtained a lower grade average you can still apply, particularly if you obtained a sufficient grade average for the courses related to the research master’s programme and/or courses taken in the advanced phase of your prior education. Please include an explanation in your Motivation form.

    Motivation Statement

    You must submit a completed motivation form as part of your application. In your statement, be sure to explain:

    • Why you want to pursue this particular master's programme.
    • How this programme fits with your career goals and future ambitions.
    • How your previous education relates to the programme's focus areas and objectives.

    Make sure your motivation aligns with the structure and objectives of the programme.

    Sample of written work (3000 words)

    For the programme-specific document, you are asked to submit a sample of written work wherein you demonstrate critical engagement with theory and your analytical capacities.

  • 4. Register in Studielink
  • 5. Pay the application fee (international prior education only)

    All students applying for a Master’s degree programme with an international bachelor’s diploma are required to pay a non-refundable €100 application fee*. Only after you have paid this fee, the UvA can start to process your application.

    Applying for programmes at multiple Graduate Schools?

    It can take up to 24 hours for your fee payment to be registered in SIS and you are able to submit your application in MyInfo or Datanose. Make sure to pay your application fee at least 24 hours before the application deadline of your programme.

    You do not have to pay the application fee:

    • If you have or will obtain a bachelor’s degree from a Dutch research university or university of applied sciences (HBO).
    • If you have already applied and have paid the application fee for another master’s programme at the UvA for the academic year 2025-2026.
    • If you are an exchange student.
    • If you are applying through the Foundation for Refugee Students (UAF).

    Please note that the application fee is non-refundable. You are not entitled to a refund even if you do not submit your application form, if you submit an application form after the deadline (which will not be taken into consideration) or if you submit an incomplete application.

  • 6. Submit your application form in MyInfo

    After enrolling in Studielink, you will automatically receive an email with a link to your MyInfo UvA application form. To log in to MyInfo you need your UvAnetID. Please fill out the application form, upload the required documents and submit your MyInfo application form before the application deadline.

    Application documents

    Make sure you are well prepared before you start your application, and you have all necessary documents ready. You are asked to upload the following documents:

    • curriculum vitae;
    • proof of language proficiency (if required, see language requirements);
    • transcript of records, up-to-date and issued by your home institution (if you are already a student at the UvA, a screenshot from SIS is sufficient);
    • diploma (if already obtained)* or list of courses yet to complete;
    • translation of your diploma and transcript of records (if they are not in English, Dutch, German or French);
    • motivation form (PDF);
    • programme specific documents (see below).

    *Please note: If you have not yet obtained your diploma but are in possession of all other application documents, you may proceed with your application - as long as you obtain your Bachelor's degree before 1 September. If you have a non-Dutch prior education, please bear in mind that you must submit your certified documents before 1 August.

    Programme-specific document

    Applicants to the Research Master’s programme in Media Studies are asked to submit an academic writing sample in English of no more than 3000 words, preferably from a media studies (or equivalent) course in their previous degree. Writing samples will be assessed on the basis of argumentation, analysis, language use and evidence of research skills.

    This programme does not require any other documents, such as a reference letter. Only the above-mentioned documents are taken into consideration by the Admissions Board.

After submitting your application

Because this is a selective programme, applications will be evaluated by the Admissions Board after the application deadline has passed. You will be notified of whether you have been admitted to the programme after this time.

If you are admitted to the programme, you will receive a letter of conditional acceptance. In order to proceed with your enrolment, you must accept this offer at your earliest convenience. Read more about the steps you need to take after (conditional) acceptance on the website of the Graduate School of Humanities:

Frequently Asked Questions
  • What knowledge, insight and skills should I have?

    As a student in the Master’s programme in Media Studies you are expected to have the following knowledge, insight and skills:

    • You are expected to have an awareness of basic theoretical notions regarding at least one of the following: cultural discourses and practices, media technologies and/or political-economic infrastructures.
    • You are interested in the rapidly changing impact of media practices, processes and platforms on contemporary culture.
    • You are able to read and understand complex theoretical and historical texts (in English); you are self-motivated and can work independently; and you know how to apply theory to formulate provocative research questions.
    • You wish to learn advanced research skills leading to a research-oriented career or doctoral study.
  • Can I apply for more than one Master's programme?

    Yes, you can apply for up to a maximum of four Master’s programmes. Some Master’s programmes offer different tracks. You indicate in Studielink which track you want to follow, and for this you submit an application file via MyInfo. It is possible to submit a second preference for a track within the same master via the contact form. Please note that we will only look at the second track if you are not (conditionally) admitted to the track of your first preference. If you are (conditionally) admitted to the track of your first choice, this does not mean that you will also be admitted to the track of your second choice.

    Due to the selection procedure, it is not possible to enter a selective track as your second choice. If you are interested in a selective track, you must select it as your first choice. 

  • Can I apply before having completed my Bachelor's?

    Many applicants to Master's programmes have not finished their previous education when they apply. If this applies to you, then you can upload a transcript of records with the courses and grades obtained so far. Make sure to also include a list of courses from your Bachelor's that you still need to complete. This applies to the scholarship applications as well.