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uva.nl
Dual Master
Archival and Information Studies (Media Studies)
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Application & admission

Every programme at the Graduate School of Humanities has its own entry requirements, application procedure and deadlines. Please be sure to carefully follow the steps below.

Application process

  • 1. Check deadlines

    The application deadline for this selective Master's programme is 1 March 2024, 23:59 CET (register in Studielink before 27 February, see step 3).

    If you are interested in a scholarship, you need to apply for both the Master's programme and the scholarship before 15 January. Learn more at:

    Scholarships in the Humanities
  • 2. Check entry requirements

    The Master's programme in Archival and Information Studies is open for application to students with a

    • Bachelor's degree in the Humanities or Social Sciences from an accredited university.

    The dual Master's programme in Archival and Information Studies is selective; in the selection process, your motivation, study performance and work experience will be considered.

    Student profile

    As a student in the Master’s programme in Archival and Information Studies you are expected to have the following knowledge, insight and skills:

    • You are interested in the ways in which institutions, communities and individuals engage with their (archival) historical past, present and future through practices of appraising, collecting, preserving and curating.
    • You are able to conduct a research project independently, formulate clear and functional research questions, collect relevant primary and secondary sources, and analyse them from a well-defined perspective. You have previously written at least a BA thesis, or conducted a capstone project with a considerable written component.
    • You know how to construct a coherent argument, building on prior research in the field, and credit your sources in (academically) agreed-upon ways.

    Pre-Master's 

    If you do not meet the entry requirements above, for example if you have a relevant degree from a Dutch University of Applied Sciences (HBO) or an equivalent thereof, you can eliminate your deficiencies by completing the pre-Master’s programme Media Studies. 

    Pre-master Media Studies

    If you are unsure whether you meet the entry requirements, you are advised to get in touch with the programme coordinator before applying.

    English language requirements

    The programme is taught entirely in English; this includes all required reading. New Master's students therefore must be able to speak, read, write and understand English at an advanced academic level. Please check carefully whether you already meet the English language requirements or whether you need to arrange to take an official English language test. For more information, please read the English language requirements on the Graduate School of Humanities website.

    Read more about language requirements

    Selection procedure

    The MA in Archival and Information Studies is a dual (Professional) Master's programme. All prospective students of dual Master's programmes are subject to a selection procedure. The selection committee for the MA in Archival and Information Studies looks at a prospective student’s motivation (see ‘Motivation form’), the academic transcripts (applicants are advised to take into account the grade requirements specified below), their educational and professional background (curriculum vitae) and a writing sample.

    If you wish to apply for this Master's programme, you are advised to consider that incoming students generally have a grade average of at least:

    • 7.0 (Dutch educational system)
    • B/3.3 (American system)
    • 2:1 (an upper second class degree in the British system)
    • C (ECTS-system)
  • 3. Register for the Master's in Media Studies in Studielink
  • 4. Submit your application form in MyInfo

    After enrolling in Studielink, you will automatically receive an email with a link to your MyInfo UvA application form. To log in to MyInfo you need your UvAnetID. Please fill out the application form, upload the required documents and submit your MyInfo application form before the application deadline.

    Please make sure that in Studielink (step 3) you have selected Archival and Information Studies as the track you intend to follow, and it is the selected track in your MyInfo application. Applications for selective programmes that have been selected as a second track will not be processed.

    Application fee

    All applicants holding a nationality outside the EU/EEA are required to pay an application fee of €100 per Studielink enrolment before submitting your MyInfo application form. You will find payment instructions on your application form.

    Application documents

    Make sure you are well prepared before you start your application, and you have all necessary documents ready. You are asked to upload the following documents:

    • curriculum vitae;
    • proof of language proficiency (if required, see language requirements);
    • transcript of records, up-to-date and issued by your home institution (if you are already a student at the UvA, a screenshot from SIS is sufficient);
    • diploma (if already obtained)* or list of courses yet to complete;
    • translation of your diploma and transcript of records (if they are not in English, Dutch, German or French);
    • motivation form (PDF);
    • programme specific documents (see below).

    *Please note: If you have not yet obtained your diploma but are in possession of all other application documents, you may proceed with your application - as long as you obtain your Bachelor's degree before 1 September. If you have a non-Dutch prior education, please bear in mind that you must submit your certified documents before 1 May (non-EEA students) or 1 August (EEA students).

    Programme-specific documents

    In addition to the application documents that must be submitted for all Humanities Master’s programmes, applicants are expected to submit an English-language writing sample of around 5000 words (either a single paper, a combination of shorter essays, or a section from a longer thesis) that demonstrates their ability to use theory and handle sources in building up a sustained argument on a topic relevant to the programme. (If their first degree was not in English, they may also translate a text originally written in another language.)

    Please collect and prepare all necessary documents before starting your application. You can find detailed information and guidelines on the Graduate School of Humanities website:

After submitting your application

Because this is a selective programme, applications will be evaluated by the Admissions Board after the application deadline has passed. You will be notified of whether you have been admitted to the programme after this time.

If you are admitted to the programme, you will receive a letter of conditional acceptance. In order to proceed with your enrolment, you must accept this offer at your earliest convenience. Read more about the steps you need to take after (conditional) acceptance on the website of the Graduate School of Humanities: