Direct admission
Students who completed one of the following academic bachelors at a Dutch research university* with a weighted average grade (GPA) of at least 7.0 in social-scientific research methods and techniques as part of the bachelor:
- European Studies (University of Maastricht)
- Global Responsibility and Leadership
- Government and Society
- International Relations and International Organizations
- Liberal Arts & Sciences with a major Political Science & International Relations
- Management of International Social Challenges
- Philosophy, Politics, Economics
- Political Science
- Politics, Psychology, Law and Economics
- Pre-master Public Administration
- Public Administration
- Public Administration and Organizational Sciences
- Security Studies (University of Leiden)
Eligibility for admission to be assessed by Admissions Committee
Students who completed a different academic bachelor in the Netherlands, or who completed an academic bachelor* abroad, may also be eligible for admission to the master programme, if the student has completed their bachelor with an average grade (GPA) of at least 7.0, and with at least 7.5 EC in wo-courses in social-scientific research methods and techniques as part of their bachelor.
Some example academic bachelor programmes with which you may be eligible for admission, after assessment by the Admissions Committee, are:
- The bachelor programmes mentioned above from a non-Dutch University
- Business Administration
- Economics
- European Studies
- International Studies
- Liberal Arts and Sciences with a different social-science oriented major
- Sociology
- Interdisciplinary Social Sciences
- Cultural Anthropology and Development Studies from Utrecht University
If a student thinks they comply with the minimum requirement regarding the GPA and methods education, they can apply for admission to the master’s programme. The Admissions then assess whether the student, based on their individual list of completed courses, is eligible for admission.
* Comparable to the Dutch academic level according to the standards of the Dutch Organisation for Internationalisation in Education (Nuffic).
English Language requirements
A good command of English is essential. Therefore, you must submit proof of English proficiency when applying.
- You have obtained a bachelor's diploma from a university in the Netherlands; or
- You have obtained a pre-university education (VWO) diploma, and English was one of the subjects included in the assessment, which conferred that diploma and you were graded a 7.0 or higher; or
- You have obtained a diploma of International Baccalaureate (valid for 5 years); or
- You are a native speaker of English (i.e. a national of one of the following countries: Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom or the United States of America) and you have obtained a diploma of secondary education in English for at least 2,5 years in one of the above countries; or
- You have obtained your diploma of higher education in English (the entire programme) in one of the following countries: Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom or the United States of America.
- We usually consider the level of English bachelor's programmes at Western European or Scandinavian universities sufficient.
Please note that if you meet one or more of the above-mentioned English language requirements, you must present proof of your compliance. For example, suppose you have obtained your higher education diploma in English. In that case, we need to see written evidence of it in either a passage in the certificate, grade list, or a letter from the university stating that the language of instruction was English for the entire programme.
Please note that the test may not be older than two years at the time of application. Also, note that it takes several weeks before the results of the tests are known.
| Language Test | Minimum Score | Minimum Sub-scores |
|---|---|---|
| Internet-based (iBT) TOEFL (our TOEFL ID Code 5971)* | 5 (100 in the old format) (internet based) | 4.5 (20 in the old format) |
| IELTS Academic** | 7 | 6.0 |
| Cambridge EFL (English as a Foreign Language) Examinations | CAE level B CPE level C | |
| Language Cert Academic | 75 | 65 |
| Pearson Academic | 75 | 66 |
* Please note that Institutional (ITP) TOEFL tests and the Home Edition are not accepted.
** Please note that we do not accept the IELTS Academic online test.
Would you like to take a language test at Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR)? Based on CEF, the language test is organised by the Language & Training Centre of EUR and tailored specially for our applicants. More information can be found on the language centre's website.
If you do not meet our language requirements for the upcoming academic year, but already study at ESSB as a pre-master student, we offer a special arrangement: you can take the English assessment at the Language & Training Centre of EUR at our expense once.
If you wish to do so, please email master@essb.eur.nl (subject “English assessment for pre-master students”) and mention your name, student number, the master's programme and specialisation you want to apply for. We will inform you on how to register for the English assessment.
The English assessment test rounds will occur in late November & March, so please email us as soon as possible.
Please note: This test is only valid for our master's programmes, and you will not receive a certificate for other purposes.
Academic performance
In addition to the credentials mentioned above, the Admissions Board will also consider your academic performance, i.e. your grades, to assess whether you are eligible for admission. The general guideline is a minimum average grade of 7.0 out of 10.0 (based on a Dutch grading system).
The eligibility of your prior education can only be determined after you have submitted an application and only after we have received all requested documents. Prior inquiries will be purely hypothetical. For this reason, we encourage you to officially apply for admission. You can also assess your eligibility yourself by taking a look at the detailed admissions criteria on this page. We have tried to make the criteria as transparent as possible.
No, it is a full-time programme.
No, the programme starts only once a year, in September.
A transfer of grades is not possible. Due to the special educational build-up of the curriculum, which mainly consists of obligatory as opposed to optional courses, we, unfortunately, cannot accept transfer students.
Our programme is an English-taught programme. All lectures and literature are in English. This requires that you can read, write, speak, and understand English at an academic level; thus, we need proof thereof from our applicants. This applies to our Dutch and non-Dutch applicants.
No, you cannot. You will need to do the official TOEFL test at a TOEFL-certified institute. In both cases please visit TOEFL.org for more information.
Yes, in some cases, you might be exempted from presenting the results of an English proficiency test. Please look at the admission page to determine your eligibility for exemption. Keep in mind that if you believe you qualify for an exemption, you need to present proof thereof.
No, you cannot apply directly to our programme, you will first need to do a transition year/ pre-master (Dutch: schakeljaar). Passing the transition programme makes you eligible to apply but it is no guarantee for admission. Please keep in mind that the transition year/ pre-master is taught completely in Dutch.