Human Movement Sciences

Check whether you meet the admission requirements and apply

• I have a Dutch university level (WO) bachelor’s degree (VU bachelor's degree, VU pre-master's or bachelor's degree at another university)

  Entry requirements 
  In order to gain admission to the Master’s programme Human Movement Sciences, you need to have a relevant WO (academic) Bachelor’s degree and basic knowledge of Anatomy, Physiology and Psychology at the level of "Introductory textbooks". In addition, sufficient research skills and knowledge of Mathematics and Physics are required. Because the master's programme is taught in English, you also need a good command of English as a working language.

  Please consult the list of admission criteria. 
  
  Direct admission 
  You can be admitted directly to the master's programme, if you have one of the following WO bachelor's degrees: 

  • Human Movement Sciences (VU Amsterdam)
  • Human Movement Sciences (RUG)
  • Pre-master's programme Human Movement Sciences (VU)

  Direct admission requiring review by the Admission board 
  If you don’t hold one of the Bachelor’s degrees listed above, but you are confident that you meet all the admission criteria, the Admission board of the department of Human Movement Sciences will decide whether you are indeed directly admissible. 

  Background in mathematics
  Although mathematics (Wiskunde B) is not a formal entry requirement, it is expected that your basic knowledge of mathematics is sufficient. If you are not sure about this, or suspect that your knowledge may be insufficient, we strongly advise you to get additional mathematical training before entering the programme.

• Application with a Dutch degree

  Application with a Dutch degree

  Step 1: Register in Studielink

  Apply for the Master’s programme Human Movement Sciences. You will receive login details with which you can complete your registration in your dashboard on VU.nl. A registration does not commit you to anything and can be cancelled free of charge until 1 September.

  Step 2: submit a request to evaluate your eligibility

  • To determine whether you are eligible, upload your completed Application file on your dashboard on VU.nl. Your Application file consists of the following documents:

             - Application form;
             - Motivation letter. Please use the format in the Application file;
             - Description of courses that are relevant for Human Movement Sciences. Please use the Course
              descriptions form in the Application file;
              - Transcript of records of your Bachelor’s programme.  
               

  You can upload the Application file on your dashboard on VU.nl. Upload all your documents as one joint PDF-file.

  • The admission board will review your application as soon as it is complete. Normally this takes about four-six weeks, but it might take longer in busy periods so be sure to apply as soon as possible.
  • If you are not directly admissible, you may apply for the pre-master’s programme, as in the dropdown menu ‘pre-master’s programme’ below.

  The deadlines for application:

  • Deadline for submitting application in Studielink and on your dashboard on VU.nl: 1 June.
  • Deadline for completing your enrolment (including payment of tuition fees): 31 August.

• I have an international degree

  The Master’s programme in Human Movement Sciences is open to both Dutch and international students. The Faculty’s Admission Board will decide upon your admission after having evaluated your complete online application.

  Admission requirements

  In order to gain admission to the Master’s programme Human Movement Sciences, you need to have at least a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited research university including at least three full years of academic study amounting to a minimum of 180 EC or equivalent.

  Your Bachelor’s programme should include basic knowledge of Anatomy, Physiology and Psychology at the level of "Introductory textbooks". You also should have obtained sufficient research skills and knowledge of Mathematics and Physics. Please consult the list of admission criteria for a more detailed description of the required knowledge before starting applying for this master’s  programme.

  What if you do not meet all admission criteria?
  If you do not meet the admission criteria, the Admission board may decide that you are admissible after you have eliminated your deficiencies. These deficiencies depend on your educational background. If you do not meet the admission criteria, you will receive a list of online courses you will be asked to attend and pass in order to eliminate the deficiencies. We recommend to start the courses prior to 1 April if you intend to start in September. Furthermore, if you are unsure about your eligibility to our programme, we recommend applying before 1 March in order to leave sufficient time for the admission process and the deficiency programme.

  Please be aware that the online programme is challenging and only 20% of the participants successfully pass the exams. The costs of the online courses are €204,- per course and are non-refundable. The online courses particularly focus on research methods that are commonly used in the field of Human Movement Sciences, like mathematics, programming, biomechanics, statistics and measuring movement, and correspond to the “Requirements Methodological Knowledge” section in our list of admission criteria.

  English language proficiency

  If you are applying for one of our English-taught Master's degree programmes you will have to demonstrate sufficient English language proficiency by submitting English test results.  

  Although complete applications are preferred, you can begin your application before you have completed the test and then submit your passing score once you have been conditionally admitted. 

  You can find an overview of all accepted tests and scores that can be used to demonstrate your English language proficiency on the language requirement page.

• Application with an international degree

  Application documents

  Please download your Master application file to check which documents are required for this programme.  

  To apply you are required to provide the following documents: 

  • Scan of your passport or national ID card (ID for EEA students only) valid at the start date of the programme.
  • Master Application File please download the correct form here. 
  • Proof of English language proficiency (if already obtained) upload your proof of English language proficiency or English language test results. Please find the English language requirements here. 

  After having prepared the required documents, please follow the online application procedure. 

  Application fee & deadlines 

  All students seeking admission to an international Master’s programme with an international degree are required to pay a non-refundable €100 application fee. Only after you have paid this fee will we be able to start the evaluation of your application file. If you are applying for more than one programme, you will only need to pay the application fee once. Your application fee payment is valid for two years.  

  Information on how to apply with an international university degree and deadlines can be found here. 

  Grants and scholarships

  As an international student planning to study at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, you can apply for a variety of grants and bursaries. Detailed information about scholarships and deadlines can be found on www.vu.nl/scholarships or www.grantfinder.nl.  

  International Student and Alumni Ambassadors

  Our International Student and Alumni Ambassadors are happy to tell you all about their experiences with studying at VU Amsterdam and living in Amsterdam.

  • Our Student Ambassadors are current students at VU Amsterdam that represent a wide variety of programmes and countries.
  • Our International Alumni Ambassadors are VU Amsterdam graduates who are currently either working in the Netherlands or abroad, or doing a PhD or (second) Master's.

  You will find the full overview of our Ambassadors here: vu.nl/ambassadors. There you can chat with them directly.

• Pre-master’s programme

  If you are not directly admissible to the Master's programme, it may be possible to enter the master's programme after completion of a pre-master's programme. Whether you can be admitted to the pre-master's programme depends on your educational background. More information about the pre-master's programme (in Dutch). Students with a bachelor degree such as Medicine, Biomedical Sciences and Health Sciences may follow an abridged pre-master’s programme.  

  Students with a bachelor Mechanical Engineering obtained at one of the Technical Universities, can become eligible for admission by completing the minor Sport, Bewegen en Gezondheid and the course Movement Analysis (students with a bachelor Mechanical Engineering will need to take the course Movement Analysis instead of the minor course Sportpsychologie or Revalidatie).

  Please note that the pre-master's programme is completely taught in Dutch and is therefore not suitable for international students.

• HBO Transition Programme

  The online Movement Sciences transition programme in is a tailor-made programme for talented and motivated higher professional education (HBO) students who want to speed up the process of qualifying for admission to a Master's programme in Movement Sciences at VU Amsterdam.

  As a student of one of our partner HBO programmes, you can start the Dutch Movement Sciences transition programme from the second year of your bachelor's programme. Because the transition programme uses a digital learning environment, you can follow the programme through distance learning (but you can also follow parts of the programme on campus). This makes it possible for you to combine it with your HBO programme. You can follow the transition programme as:

  • an accelerated programme for qualifying for a university Master's programme in Movement Sciences
  • a minor within your own HBO programme (depending on the options within your study programme)

  The standard transition programme is 30 EC and is comprised of the five standard courses from the pre-master’s programme. After completing the transition programme and a relevant HBO programme, you will qualify for direct admission to the one-year Master's programme in Human Movement Sciences: Sport, Exercise and Health. The same standard programme is required for admission to the Master's programme in Human Movement Sciences (Research), but you will need to meet additional requirements related to your grades and motivation. There is currently a partnership agreement in place with a number of HBO programmes:

  Hogeschool van Amsterdam: Academie voor Lichamelijke Opvoeding (ALO) en Sport, Management en Ondernemen (SM&O) en Oefentherapie Mensendieck
  Contactperson ALO: Hemke van Doorn
  E-mail: h.van.doorn@hva.nl
  
  Contactperson SM&O: René Randsdorp
  E-mail: i.d.m.randsdorp@hva.nl
  
  Contactperson Faculteit Gezondheid: Netty Winters-Prins
  E-mail: t.a.winters-prins@hva.nl

  Hogeschool Utrecht: Instituut voor bewegingsstudies (IBS)
  Contactperson Fysiotherapie: Monja Marzouk
  E-mail: monja.marzouk@hu.n
  
  Hogeschool Leiden: Opleiding Fysiotherapie
  Contactperson: Babs Juriën
  E-mail: jurien.b@hsleiden.nl

  Windesheim: School of Human Movement & Sports (CALO)
  Contactperson: Mariëtte van Maarseveen
  E-mail: mjj.van.maarseveen@windesheim.nl

  Haagse Hogeschool: Opleiding Bewegingstechnologie (BT) en Academie voor Lichamelijke Opvoeding (HALO)
  Contactperson BT: Herre Faber
  E-mail: h.faber@hhs.nl
  
  Contactperson HALO: Michiel Krijger  
  E-mail: m.krijger@hhs.nl

  If you are following one of the HBO programmes above and would like to know more about the transition programme, please contact the relevant staff member within your own study programme.

• Track High Performance

  If you are interested in the High Performance track, please email your motivation letter (please use this form) and curriculum vitae (CV) before June 1, 2025 to toelatingscommissie.fgb@vu.nl (please indicate subject: Application HPC track). You will be required to attend an information meeting. The Admission Board will inform you about the final decision no later than August 23, 2025.