Admissions procedure for Dutch students
The application procedure distinguishes between Dutch students and international students. The criterium for this is nationality; living in or outside the Netherlands is not a criterium. The Academy of Architecture accepts a limited number of candidates to follow the Master's degree programmes. A selection is made on the basis of motivation and portfolio from the candidates who qualify for admission according to their previous education.
Student finance
The Academy of Architecture has a unique educational model, the so-called concurrent model. The master programmes in architecture, urban design and landscape architecture are four-year programs that combine studying and working in practice (the professional experience); in our educational vision, this combination dramatically adds value for the student's learning process.
The programmes are part-time, and the student is responsible for finding a relevant workplace. Partly for this reason, the master's programmes at the Academy of Architecture are part-time programs with a full-time study and workload. Part-time students, because they work, are not eligible for study financing from DUO.
Admission requirements
To be admitted to the selection procedure for the master's programs at the Academy of Architecture, your previous education must meet one of the three criteria below:
- You have a diploma from a Dutch bachelor's or master's program that is in line with the program to be followed at the Academy of Architecture. Are you unsure whether you have a relevant previous education? View the overall guidelines here, or the list of matching Dutch diplomas here.
- You have a foreign bachelor's or master's program that is in line with the master's program at the Academy of Architecture. If a foreign previous education is unknown to us, it can be assessed by Nuffic, the expertise and service center for internationalization in Dutch education.
- You have a relevant foreign previous education in combination with sufficient relevant work experience, so that you think you qualify for the desired education. The work experience is apparent from CV and portfolio. Relevance is weighed by the admissions committee.
Diploma still to be obtained:
If you have yet to obtain your (bachelor's) diploma, you can still participate in the selection process. If you are then admitted, it is with a proviso. In that case, a copy of the diploma must be in our possession no later than 1 September, otherwise the admission will expire. When you register, upload a note stating when you expect to have the diploma.
Not quite the right diploma?
If you want to follow a master's degree in Architecture, Urbanism or Landscape Architecture, but do not have a constructional technical training and/or lack important professional knowledge or design skills, you may be able to follow the pre-master Architecture & Technology or the pre-master Urbanism & Landscape architecture.
The portfolio must be accessible via a link to a digital online repository such as Dropbox or Google Drive. Please make sure it is publicly accessible to us, without the use of login codes or registration procedures. The portfolio must in any case be accessible until 1 September.
Please limit your portfolio to a maximum of about twenty pages. A good portfolio consists of:
A wide variety of your design work. These are projects from your previous education and/or from your professional practice. Preferably as diverse as possible.
Own projects in which you show what your design qualities are. In joint work you state exactly what your role was in that project. Or projects that you initiated and designed yourself.
Various design work - in scale - in which you show which design skills you have mastered. Don't just show final results. Also initiations in sketch stage and ideas. And images such as floor plans and cross-sections and surroundings in different scales, details, etc.
Various design work – in images – in which you show what your visual skills are, such as hand sketches, models, visuals, diagrams and models.
Work from relevant work experience or courses with which you can show your design knowledge
Your own fascinations within the profession – make sure you show us this!
Gaining practical experience is an important part of the master’s programme. At the start of the study (or shortly afterwards), the student must be working in a workplace relevant to the study. Please click here to learn more about this concurrent model.
Candidates whose native language is not English must be able to demonstrate a command of English at level B2 (Dutch: Havo level) of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), or equivalent. The language level must be demonstrated with the result of an English language test (TOEFL, IELTS), or a list of marks from a previous study, or another document that unequivocally shows that the command of English is at the required level.
International candidates who pass the first selection are invited for a short (online) interview with the admissions committee. During this conversation, the proficiency in the English language will become apparent.
Application procedure
To apply for the master's programme, you must first register with Studielink. If you officially live in the Netherlands, you can use DigiD to log in to Studielink. If you are not (yet) registered in the Netherlands, you will not have a DigiD code and you will have to log in with a Studielink username and password. You will need to create an account if you don't already have one.
Then follow the steps to log in. When selecting the programme, choose the following options when prompted:
- Educational institution: Amsterdamse Hogeschool voor de Kunsten.
- Programme level: HBO Master's programme.
- Programme type: Part-time
- Language of instruction: choose Dutch or English
- Choose 'Master Architecture', 'Master Landscape Architecture' or 'Master Urbanism' in the results list
- Start date: 1 September 2024.
After completing your registration in Studielink, you will receive an automatic e-mail with information on where and how to upload the required documents. On this Academy of Architecture upload page, we will ask you for the following:
- A copy of your passport or identity card
- A recent passport photo in JPEG format. This will be used for your student card if you are admitted
- Diploma(s) and marksheets from the study at question 1. If the diploma is yet to be obtained, upload a note with the expected date, but send the diploma to Theo Peters before 1 September. Also upload the pre-master's certificate, if applicable in your case.
- Curriculum Vitae. We do not require specific software knowledge, but would like to know if you have any. If so, please mention these in your CV!
- Motivation (maximum 500 words). Upload a short motivation why you are specifically applying for the Academy of Architecture Amsterdam and this graduate programme.
- Proof of command of the English language. Students must have sufficient command of the English language, equivalent to level B2 (Havo level) of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). Upload proof or explanation.
- Link to portfolio (max. about 20 pages!) Accessible link to your online portfolio. The portfolio must be accessible at least until 1 September. Make sure it is publicly accessible to us, without the use of login codes or login procedures. See also the portfolio tips & tricks in the 'entry requirements' block above!
Please note that by 1 May, both your Studielink registration must be completed and the necessary documents for registration must be submitted.
Frequently asked questions
Those who do not meet the aforementioned criteria, but believe they are eligible due to a combination of prior education and long-term relevant work experience, may in some cases be admitted on the basis of an entrance examination. The committee for this examination consists of the head of the programme and the study advisor. Candidates are requested to contact the study advisor for an exploratory interview in this case. To do so, please send an e-mail to avb-studysecretariat@ahk.nl.
In addition, in some cases it is necessary to take a pre-master's degree first. Check the admission requirements in the block above to see if this applies in your case.
You may do so until 1 September at the latest. If the copy of the diploma is not in our possession by 1 September, you cannot start the course. Until then, a declaration from the school is required that the educational programme has been completed successfully and that the diploma will follow.
The portfolio should be available online and downloadable through a link (if you use ISSUU for example, make sure that the settings are such that the document can be downloaded), you can copy this link in the Application form you will receive after enrolment in Studielink. There are several ways to share documents in the cloud with others. You will find the instruction for two regularly used applications below. However, you can also share your portfolio with us through other means. Make sure you portfolio is available online for at least two months after sending in your application.
Google Drive
If you already possess a Google account, you do not have to create a new account. You can use Google Drive via drive.google.com. Log in with your Google-account details.
- To add a new document, click “New”.
- Subsequently, you can upload a new document.
- When the document has been uploaded, click on the document with the right mouse button and choose “Retrieve link”.
- Copy the link that appears into the Application form.
Dropbox
Dropbox is a free software programme through which you can share folders with other users. Register and log in via www.dropbox.com.
- Go to the Dropbox folder on your computer. Click with the right mouse button on the document you want to share and select Dropbox -> Get link
- The link to the document is now on your clipboard.
- Press Paste (ctrl + V) to paste the link in the Application form.
- Tip: you can also use Dropbox online or through the Dropbox App.
Most likely, you probably did not submit all the required application documents. Our application system only receives complete applications. If you have not submitted all required documents, we cannot process your application.
In any case you will have to upload a digital portfolio that shows your design talent and design experience. Create one if you do not have a digital portfolio yet. If a candidate wants to submit a physical copy then that’s possible only to supplement the mandatory digital portfolio. In that case, first contact avb-studysecretariat@ahk.nl.
Selection
A selection procedure is part of admission to one of the master's programmes at the Academy of Architecture. Selection is based on motivation, portfolio, and the requirements set. Every year, more students apply than we can admit, which is why the selection is careful. We also pay attention to a balanced mix in the cohort to be admitted.
Candidates who do not qualify after an initial assessment will be notified as soon as possible, but not before 1 April. Candidates who do pass the first round of selection may be invited for a 15-minute online interview with one or two members of the admissions committee in April or May.
Within three weeks of uploading your application documents, you will receive confirmation of receipt from the Academy of Architecture and information about the rest of the procedure. If you have not received a message by the end of this period, please contact avb-studysecretariat@ahk.nl.
Results
We expect to give the final results as soon as possible in June. If you are admitted, you will start the academic year on Wednesday 21 August 2024.