Overview

VU Amsterdam offers you a wide range of specialisations that will help you become a geoscientist who is aware of the complexity of the Earth’s inner and outer environment.

The international diversity of faculty members and students involved in Earth Sciences at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam make it a truly international Master’s programme. The Earth Sciences MSc programme offered at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is a programme in which the past present and future of our planet is the subject of our study.

VU Amsterdam is renowned for combining Earth Sciences specialisations with other subject areas. Earth Sciences is part of the Faculty of Science, together with Mathematics and Informatics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Environmental Sciences. When studying Earth Sciences you can choose to become a broadly trained Earth scientist or focus on one of the streams offered within the three specialisations.

The Earth Sciences Master’s programme is divided in three main specialisations:

Earth Surface Processes, Climate and Records
Geology and Geochemistry
Global Environmental Change and Policy

All these specialisations start with a series of compulsory courses that provide you with a solid basis. This basis is used to further specialise, but selecting one specialisation does not mean that you are restricted to just that one subject. You have the option of exploring every aspect of one specific area in great detail if you want to, but you are also free to choose your own subjects for up to a quarter of the required credits.

Career prospects

After the doctoral or master degree programmes, there are opportunities to continue your educational career in a number of PhD programmes at the Vrije Universiteit, organised within a number of research schools:

Inter University Centre for Geo-ecological Research (ICG);
Netherlands Research School for the Socio-Economic and Natural Sciences of the Environment (SENSE);
Research School Sedimentary Geology (NSG);

Integrated Solid Earth Sciences (ISES).

Promotion alumni sessions Master’s day

During the Master’s day, you can also meet our (international) alumni during several workshops. In these sessions they will tell you more about career opportunities after finishing your Master’s degree.

Programme Structure

Courses include:

Sedimentary Basins

Tectonic Geomorphology

Field excursion

Time series analysis

Key information

Duration

Full-time
- 24 months

Start dates & application deadlines

Starting 2026-09-04 00:00:00
- Apply before 2026-04-01 00:00:00 , International
- Apply before 2026-06-01 00:00:00 , National
- Apply before 2026-06-01 00:00:00 , EEA/EU

Language

English

IELTS

6.5

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TOEFL^® IBT

92

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Credits

120 ECTS

Delivered

On Campus

Campus Location

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Disciplines

Earth Sciences View 19 other Masters in Earth Sciences in Netherlands

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Academic requirements

We are not aware of any specific GRE, GMAT or GPA grading score requirements for this programme.

English requirements

IELTS

6.5

Free IELTS Mock Tests!

TOEFL^® IBT

92

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Other requirements

General requirements

A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited research university including at least three full years of academic study amounting to a minimum of 180 ECTS or equivalent.
at least 6 ECTS in Earth Sciences at the end of the 3rd year
at least 6 ECTS in Environmental Sciences or Sustainability Sciences at the end of the 1st year
Create an enrollment application in Studielink
Complete your application in Vuweb
Pay the application fee (€100)
Copy of your valid passport or ID
Curriculum Vitae
1 or 2 Letters of recommendation
Statement of Intent (Letter of Motivation)
Diploma(s): A copy of the original Bachelor's degree or certificate.
Transcript of records
Thesis (or alternative piece of academic writing)
A description of the relevant courses followed and literature used during your previous higher education

Student insurance

Make sure to cover your health, travel, and stay while studying abroad. Even global coverages can miss important items, so make sure your student insurance ticks all the following:

Additional medical costs (i.e. dental)
Repatriation, if something happens to you or your family
Liability
Home contents and baggage
Accidents
Legal aid

We partnered with Aon to provide you with the best affordable student insurance, for a carefree experience away from home.

Get your student insurance now

Starting from €0.53/day, free cancellation any time.

Remember, countries and universities may have specific insurance requirements. To learn more about how student insurance work at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and/or in Netherlands, please visit Student Insurance Portal.

Tuition Fee

To always see correct tuition fees

International

23490 EUR/year

Tuition Fee

Based on the tuition of 23490 EUR per year during 24 months.
EU/EEA

22000 EUR/year

Tuition Fee

Based on the tuition of 22000 EUR per year during 24 months.

Living costs for Amsterdam

1000 - 1500 EUR /month

Living costs

The living costs include the total expenses per month, covering accommodation, public transportation, utilities (electricity, internet), books and groceries.

Funding

Win a €10000 Scholarship! Deadline: 30 June 2020

Embark on your journey with the Studyportals Scholarship! We're giving away a total of 20,000 euros to help you achieve your dream of studying abroad.

Win a €10000 Scholarship! Deadline: 30 June 2020

Embark on your journey with the Studyportals Scholarship! We're giving away a total of 20,000 euros to help you achieve your dream of studying abroad.

In order for us to give you accurate scholarship information, we ask that you please confirm a few details and create an account with us.

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Scholarships Information

Below you will find Master's scholarship opportunities for Earth Sciences.

Available Scholarships

You are eligible to apply for these scholarships but a selection process will still be applied by the provider.

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