M.Sc. in Information Sciences

Are you keen to guide organizations, the business world, and society at large in responsible digital transformation? Then the one-year, full-time Information Sciences program at VU Amsterdam may be the perfect choice for you.

Our Information Sciences Master’s is the number one program of its kind in the Netherlands: it is the frontrunner when it comes to responsible, sustainable, and socially aware software and data systems – the new kind of ICT that’s essential for a thriving smart society. Having completed this Master’s program, you’ll be both an all-around ICT professional and a specialist in this future-proof approach!

The programme has a unique multidisciplinary focus on digital socio-technical systems and sustainability in a broad sense. Teaching is composed of compulsory core courses, a selection of elective courses, and a Master’s project in Information Sciences. For your project, you can choose to take a professional internship with a partner organisation or carry out cutting-edge research on a topic of your choice. Either way, the programme culminates with writing a thesis on your chosen project.

To offer you even more professional expertise, the faculty has close contacts with local, national and international trade and industry. New developments are integrated seamlessly into the programme all the time. Faculty staff work with consultancy firms, the financial services sector, the music industry, electricity suppliers, cultural institutions and many more.

The start date of this program is September 1st.

The course content of the Information Sciences programme has been recently revamped to reflect the ever-evolving digital landscape of our society.

Courses on offer cover topics like digitalisation and sustainability, the disruption of eco-systems by IT, questions of ethics and privacy, and a digital transition and sustainability portfolio course.

Research is also an important component of the programme – especially when it comes to writing your Master’s thesis. You’ll therefore take an academic research course that teaches you both qualitative and quantitative methodologies for performing academic research. And you’ll apply these methods directly to the design of your thesis.

Based on your thesis design, you’ll carry out your Master’s project – which takes the form of either an internship or a research project. The thesis that you’ll write at the end of it can be a regular thesis or a 10 to 15-page academic paper. You’ll discuss the options with your supervisor and decide the best course of action for your project.

Compulsory courses

• Master Project Information Sciences

• Digitalization and Sustainability

• Knowledge Organization

• Digital Architecture

• The Social Web

• Research Methodology and Thesis Design

Having graduated in Information Sciences, you’ll be ready to make a real difference: helping organisations in their responsible digital transformation.

You’ll be not only an all-round ICT professional but also a specialist in responsible, sustainable and socially aware software and data systems that are essential in today’s society.

You’ll have independent problem-solving and critical-thinking skills that you can put to work in designing and applying complex IT systems in modern businesses. You’ll also be well versed in putting scientific research into practice – making you an asset to any business.

What can you do after your Master's degree?

Start working

Career prospects for graduates are excellent. Alumni from the programme work in a wide range of companies and public institutions, both inside and outside the ICT sector. Positions include consultants, junior architects, product owners, data analysts, data managers/stewards, ethics specialists, sustainability specialists (e.g. for eco-procurement, data centres), project management officers and researchers.

You’ll be particularly well prepared for roles acting as a bridge between ICT and non-ICT professionals: you’ll speak both languages and understand both domains. There’s a large and growing demand for professionals with these skills.

Here are three examples of curriculum journeys that the Master programme suggests for a future carreer as:
- an IT Consultant/Data Analyst
- a Digital Architect
- a Chief Sustainability Officer

Or pursue an academic career

The programme is also excellent preparation for your development as a scientific researcher in the area of information sciences. If you have top grades, you may want to apply for a PhD position. These are normally awarded for four years, during which you’re expected to conduct research, present at conferences, teach and write your PhD thesis.

For more information about our (upcoming) open days and webinars please visit us