We welcome applications from motivated students with a passion for learning and critical thinking.
No rights can be derived from the following overview.
- You hold a bachelor's degree in the social sciences or the arts from a recognised Dutch research university or an equivalent qualification from an international higher education institution.
- You have basic knowledge of social scientific research methods.
- The average grade of your prior education is equivalent to the Dutch grade of 7,5 on a grading scale of 1 to 10.
You meet the English language requirement when:
- You hold a Dutch VWO diploma and have obtained a grade of 7 or higher for English on your final grade list;  
- 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 and the United States of America) and you have received secondary education in English for at least two and a half years in one of the above countries;   
- You hold a bachelor's degree or an equivalent qualification from a programme taught entirely in English in one of the following countries: Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. 
- We usually deem bachelor's degrees or equivalent qualifications from programmes taught entirely in English from Western European or Scandinavian universities sufficient to meet the English language requirement as well. 
If you do not meet one of the above requirements, then you need to demonstrate English proficiency through one of the following tests (you need to take the test in a test centre; we don't accept the IELTS Online, the TOEFL Home Edition, and similar online tests):  
- IELTS Academic with a minimum overall band score of 7.0 and minimum subscores of 6.5  (we don't accept the IELTS One Skill Retake; your scores on one single IELTS need to meet the requirement)
- TOEFL iBT  with a minimum total score of 5.0 (old scoring scale: 100) and minimum subscores of 4.5 (old scoring scale: 23) (we don't accept TOEFL MyBest Scores; your scores on one single TOEFL need to meet the requirement) 
- Cambridge C1 Advanced (CAE) or Cambridge C2 Proficiency (CPE) with a minimum overall score of 185
- LanguageCert with a minimum total score of 75 and minimum subscores of 70
- Pearson PTE Academic with a minimum overall score of 75 and minimum subscores of 66
Please note: test scores cannot be older than two years at the time that you submit your application. When scheduling your test close to the deadline, keep in mind that it can take several working days for the results to be available. If you have not yet taken a test, then we recommend that you take the IELTS Academic or the TOEFL iBT (you need to take the test in a test centre; we don't accept the IELTS Online, the TOEFL Home Edition, and similar online tests).
Deadlines for submitting proof of English proficiency:
- Non-EEA students: 1 May
- EEA students: 1 August
- Motivation letter;
- Curriculum vitae;
- One reference letter;
- Connection between prior education and the research master programme;
- Academic writing and analytical skills.
Abridged programme
For Erasmus University Rotterdam students: If you are currently enrolled in one of the one-year master programmes in Sociology, Media, or Arts and Culture Studies, then you may apply for an abridged version of the programme. This also applies to students who have already obtained a master’s degree in Sociology, Arts and Culture Studies, or Media from Erasmus University Rotterdam. To qualify, you must meet the following requirements: an average grade of at least 7,5, at least a 7,5 for your thesis, and you must meet the English language requirement and the additional requirements as described on this page. If you are admitted, then you will be exempt from selected courses, resulting in an abridged programme of approximately one year. The abridged programme is available on the programme overview page.
To apply for the abridged programme, use the application procedure in Studielink. Please indicate in the motivation letter that you apply for the abridged programme.