Overview

In selecting the Arts & Culture - Contemporary Art History MA programme offered at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, you devote your attention to what is at stake now – to artworks that take on the challenges of the globalized information society, and of living in the Anthropocene.

Not only will you develop thorough knowledge of contemporary art, but you will also develop the skills to research, present and write about it. You will be well-equipped for a career in the cultural sector (museums, festivals, art galleries, archives), as an art critic or as a freelance cultural entrepreneur.

Today’s art includes installation art and site-specific projects, digital or new media art (interactive installations, locative media works, software art, networked art, electronic art and video art), artistic research, performative and activist projects.

Career Opportunities

On completing this Master’s programme, you are prepared for a position in which substantial knowledge and research skills in the field of contemporary and digital art are required, such as organizing exhibitions, galleries, events, or (art) festivals, writing about art for newspapers, magazines or online-media, working in public programming or educational departments of museums, the city council, festival organizations, in public or private archives, or pursue research on a freelance basis or within academia.

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:

Methods and Theories of Art History
Seminar Contemporary Art
Trending Topics Arts and Culture
Media Art History: The Digital Divide
Art Criticism
Study Trip

Key information

Duration

Full-time
- 12 months

Start dates & application deadlines

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

Language

English

TOEFL^® IBT

92

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Credits

60 ECTS

Delivered

On Campus

Campus Location

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Disciplines

Visual Arts Art History View 30 other Masters in Visual Arts 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

TOEFL^® IBT

92

Schedule TOEFL®

Other requirements

General requirements

You will need to have at least a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited research university. Your degree should include at least three full years of academic study amounting to a minimum of 180 ECTS or the equivalent.
If you have an academic Bachelor’s degree in the Humanities (history, media studies, philosophy, cultural studies), you must have completed a minimum of 60 ECTS in art history/theory.

You will also need:

To create an enrollment application in Studielink (the Dutch national education application system
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

17960 EUR/year

Tuition Fee

Based on the tuition of 17960 EUR per year during 12 months.
EU/EEA

2601 EUR/year

Tuition Fee

Based on the tuition of 2601 EUR per year during 12 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 Arts & Culture - Contemporary Art History.

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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