VU Amsterdam Graduate Winter School

Every January, the Graduate Winter School offers a selection of intense short courses taught exclusively online.

Our winter courses are an excellent opportunity to sharpen your academic skills and boost your employability. You will also have the chance to meet leading academics and participate in cross-cultural discussions with like-minded professionals from all over the world.

All courses are taught fully online in English during weekday university hours. Each course has its own schedule, details of which can be found on the overview page for each course. You can even sign up for more than one course if the dates allow.

In leading international rankings, VU Amsterdam ranks among the world's top universities. We position ourselves strongly on scientific and social connections.

International rankings test the (inter)national visibility of universities. They are mainly based on research data. This includes, for example, the number of publications, number of citations, and most cited scientists. These rankings try to give an impression of the quality of education and research and are mainly aimed at international students. Each of the rankings uses different indicators and methods to measure the performance of universities worldwide. Dutch universities (including VU Amsterdam) are well-represented in international rankings and are among the world's best.

VU Amsterdam considers the CWTS Leiden Ranking, especially in terms of the top 10 percent scientific publications (PP top-10%), as an indicator of its international position in terms of scientific impact. In the 2023 edition, we are listed as number 66 in the world, number 20 in Europe, and number 3 in the Netherlands. For an impression of scientific impact, we also follow the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) or Shanghai Ranking. In this Shanghai Ranking, VU Amsterdam consistently ranks among the top 200 worldwide.

We see most of our ambitions reflected in Times Higher Education's Impact Ranking. This impact ranking has existed since 2018 and is socially relevant. Unlike the more traditional rankings that are mostly based on research output, it is about the contribution of universities to the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in the field of education and research but also in business management. This is in line with the ambitions we propagate, as described in the Strategy 2020-2025, especially with regard to our sustainability spearhead and our profile theme Science for Sustainability.

Shortcomings and undesirable effects

Since 2003, universities have been compared globally, trying to sum up a university in a number. For universities, this is a fact they have to deal with. But these rankings also have serious shortcomings (see this study) and bring unwanted effects. For this, we refer to the United Nations publication "Statement on Global University Rankings" which lists nine problems:

• They are conceptually invalid
• They are based on flawed and insufficiently transparent data and methods
• They are biased towards research, STEM subjects, and English-speaking scholars and universities
• They are colonial and accentuate global, regional, and national inequalities
• They undermine the development of higher education as a sector
• They pressure universities to adapt to frequent and short-term ranking cycles
• They produce reputational anxiety that negatively affects university behavior
• They are extractive and exploitative
• Global university rankers have a conflict of interest

University of the Netherlands (UNL) has also published a critical advisory document called "Ranking the University". For the above reasons, we explicitly point out the shortcomings and ask users (media, students, parents, academics, research funders, ministries, etc.) to handle this kind of ranking with care.

Entry Requirements

Courses are taught at the Master's and PhD levels and are suitable for students as well as staff and working professionals. There are some courses on the Bachelor level as well. The entry requirements are as follows:

Master's: at least enrolled in the 1st year of Master studies - professionals need to have a Bachelor's diploma
PhD: at least enrolled in 1st year of PhD studies.
Individual courses may have their own entry requirements, so please check the admissions page for the course you are interested in.

If doubts remain about the student’s academic level based on the documents provided, VU Graduate Winter School reserves the right to ask for additional documents and/or a telephone/video interview. If you are not eligible for the course, you will receive a full refund.

Application process

How to apply

First of all, we’re thrilled that you want to apply for one of our courses!

To go ahead with your application, it’s as simple as filling out our online application form. When completing the form, please make sure that you:

• Write briefly about your motivations for taking the course.
• Upload your Curriculum Vitae/Résumé in English (the file size mustn’t exceed 1 MB).

Your CV and motivation will be shared with the lecturers before the start of the course.

Before applying, please make sure that you read through the General Terms and Conditions.

Payment

After filling out the application form, you will be transferred to a payment page to complete the process. Your admission will be confirmed once we have reviewed your application according to the following factors: entry requirements, availability in the course, and whether or not your payment has been received.

Invoice request

If you or your department wish to pay via an invoice.

Are you currently a student?

If so, we kindly ask that you use your university email address when submitting your application so that we can apply your student discount.

Application deadline:

• 5 December 2024 23:59 CET

English language requirements

At VU Graduate Winter School, we don’t require proof of your proficiency in English.

However, we do expect you to understand enough of the language to follow classes taught in English. As such, you should have at least a B2 level of English, as developed within the Common European Framework of References for Languages (CEFR). This is comparable to a TOEFL internet test with a score of 92 or an IELTS score of 6.5.

VU Graduate Winter School offers a selection of high-level short courses with a very specific research focus.

Our intensive winter courses are an excellent opportunity to hone your academic research skills and boost your employability. You will be joined by leading academics and other like-minded students and professionals all eager to dive into the specific research topics of each course.

Our winter school programme is completely online and delivered in English. Each course has its own schedule, details of which can be found on their respective overview page.

What can you expect from VU Graduate Winter School?

• Personal development
• A new set of critical skills
• Expertise to help you specialise
• The possibility to earn study credits
• A chance to expand your international and professional network
• To bolster your CV and stay professionally competitive
• A commitment to providing you with the highest quality learning experience.