Overview

Evolution of Behaviour and Mind programme at University of Amsterdam will suit you, if you...

are interested in studying the behaviour of humans and other animals and the underlying motives from an evolutionary perspective.
want to explore behaviour and mind from a comparative perspective.
want to learn more about behaviour and mind from the integrative perspective of biology, psychology, anthropology, and other sciences.

are interested in creating your own learning path with a lot of freedom to choose electives and projects related to the evolution of behaviour and mind in the Netherlands, Europe or anywhere in the world.

Career Prospects

Graduates of the Master's programme in Evolution of Behaviour and Mind will have had excellent research training that allows them to pursue their PhD at the UvA or at other universities, academic institutes and international research organisations. Other career paths may include:

working for the government or city,
advising companies about and managing behavioural and organizational change programs and strategies,
working as a data analyst,
working in media,
working in human resource management.

Programme Structure

Learning by Research

The primary focus of the track Evolution of Behaviour and Mind is learning by doing research, conducted either within the university at the Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED), the Psychology Research Institute (PRI), the Center for Research in Experimental Economics and Political Decision Making (CREED), or at other research institutes in the Netherlands or abroad. The following research areas are available within the university:

Behavioural ecology
Animal behaviour
Evolutionary psychology
Decision making

Courses

Courses offer you the foundation required to conduct research in different topics related to Evolution of Behaviour and Mind. The programme's curriculum covers a variety of topics in different disciplines, including evolutionary modeling, comparative research, evolutionary psychology and evolutionary medicine. In addition, you will be trained in data analysis and statistics, and in skills such as programming, and in doing research with an experimental, observational, or questionnaire design.

Courses include Current Trends in Evolution of Behaviour and Mind (EBM), Ecological Data Analysis, and Masterclasses in EBM. In addition, there is a wide range of elective courses you can choose from. For detailed information regarding the courses and curriculum, please see the UvA Course Catalogue via the link below or download the study schedule.

Research project

The Research Project is a compulsory component of the track. Research projects give you the opportunity to acquire practical experience by empirical scientific research methods and to learn to work independently as a researcher. You will design and carry out your own projects, under supervision of and with feedback by research staff. A research project is carried out full-time, and its topic must be different from that of any other research project or the literature review. Unless students choose a major (see below), two research projects must be done, each with a minimum of 30 EC.

Literature review

The Literature Review (12 EC) is another compulsory part of the track. By writing a literature review you are challenged to make a detailed study of the recent literature on a chosen topic. You are free to choose and develop a proposal on a topic of your interest after consultation with one the lecturers. Your topic should fit within the scope of the programme or track.

Key information

Duration

Full-time
- 24 months

Start dates & application deadlines

Starting 2027-09-01 00:00:00
- Apply before 2027-04-30 00:00:00 , National
- Apply before 2027-01-31 00:00:00 , International
- Apply before 2026-04-30 00:00:00 , EEA/EU

Language

English

TOEFL^® IBT

100

Schedule TOEFL®

IELTS

6.5

Prepare for Your English Test

Cathoven AI IELTS Preparation

Learn your IELTS Score

AI-powered IELTS feedback. Clear, actionable, and tailored to boost your writing & speaking score. No credit card or upfront payment required.

Trusted by 300k learners
98 accuracy using real exam data
4.9/5 student rating

Credits

120 ECTS

Delivered

On Campus

Campus Location

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Disciplines

Anthropology Psychology Biology View 67 other Masters in Psychology in Netherlands

Join for free or log in to access our complete career info list.

Academic requirements

GPA

Upper Second Class

3.0 (American system)
2.1 (a second class upper/division one degree in the British system)
C (ECTS-system)

English requirements

TOEFL^® IBT

100

Schedule TOEFL®

IELTS

6.5

Prepare for Your English Test

Cathoven AI IELTS Preparation

Learn your IELTS Score

AI-powered IELTS feedback. Clear, actionable, and tailored to boost your writing & speaking score. No credit card or upfront payment required.

Trusted by 300k learners
98 accuracy using real exam data
4.9/5 student rating

Other requirements

General requirements

To be eligible for the Mastertrack Evolution of Behaviour and Mind, students need to have a Bachelor's degree in Biology, Future Planet Studies with a major Future Earth, or Beta-Gamma with a major Biology, or an equivalent degree

2. Grade point average and additional requirements

You have an overall grade point average (GPA) equivalent to at least:

3.0 (American system)
2.1 (a second class upper/division one degree in the British system)
C (ECTS-system)

The GPA is the average of the bachelor’s course grades weighed by course/study load. Admission, however, will not be granted based on a sufficient grade point average alone.

You have obtained your Bachelor’s degree
You must have completed a Bachelor's Thesis (experimental work or field work) of at least 15 EC. The subject of the Bachelor's thesis must show affinity with of Biological Sciences.
Demonstrable experience in doing research following the empirical cycle - e.g. a Bachelor project.
Demonstrated knowledge of statistics.
At least one course (6 EC) on evolution and behaviour.

3. English language proficiency

For more details about the English language test and required scores, please visit the page about English language proficiency.

Deadlines for English test results

For both non-EU and EU/EEA+Swiss students: the application deadline for the Master programme of your choice will also be the deadline for submitting an English proficiency test result.

In addition: your application will be dealt with when we receive a sufficient English proficiency test result (see English language requirements under the (‘Application and Admission’ page). Our International Admissions Team will keep your application on hold until we have received this test result.

Note that if you want to apply for a scholarship from the UvA other deadlines (may) apply.

Selection criteria

Up to, but no more than, 140 students are admitted to the Master’s Programme as a whole. If more than the maximum number of candidates are found suitable, candidates will be selected on (in random order):

Study programme
GPA score
Motivation
Study progress Bachelor’s programme

Tuition Fees

Tuition fees are shown in and the most likely applicable fee is shown based on your nationality.

International Applies to you

Applies to you

Non-residents

23455 EUR / year

≈ 23455 EUR / year
EU/EEA Applies to you

Applies to you

EU/EEA Nationals

2695 EUR / year

≈ 2695 EUR / year

Additional Details

https://www.uva.nl/en/education/fees-and-funding/tuition-fees/tuition-fees.html

Living costs

Amsterdam

Netherlands

1000 - 1500 EUR / month

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

Funding

https://www.uva.nl/en/education/fees-and-funding/fees-and-funding.html

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.

Loading

Scholarships Information

Below you will find Master's scholarship opportunities for Evolution of Behaviour and Mind (Biological Sciences).

Available Scholarships

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

On this page

About

Overview

Career Prospects

Programme Structure

Key information

Duration

Start dates & application deadlines

Language

Prepare for Your English Test

Credits

Delivered

Campus Location

Disciplines

What students do after studying

Academic requirements

English requirements

Prepare for Your English Test

Other requirements

General requirements

Tuition Fees

International Applies to you

EU/EEA Applies to you

Additional Details

Living costs

Amsterdam

Funding

Scholarships Information

Available Scholarships

Our partners