Heritage Studies at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Explore the conservation and transformation of spatial heritage

This programme challenges you to take a critical view on conservation and transformation of spatial heritage. It offers a unique combination of interdisciplinary reflections on politics, history, theory and praxis, exposing tensions between preservation and transformation of landscapes, urban areas, architecture and archaeological remains. Based in the World Heritage city of Amsterdam, the Master’s attracts Dutch and international students interested in monument preservation, heritage tourism, spatial planning and design.

Alumni work on adaptive re-use of industrial heritage, implementation of renewable energy in historic landscapes, or the valorisation of very young architecture as heritage.

Mehr Infos zum Studiengang? Besuche die Website!

weiter: Studieninhalte »

Heritage Studies

The one-year Heritage Studies Master's programme will equip you with the knowledge, methods and skills to act as a heritage expert among architects, spatial planners and policymakers. You’ll be studying in an interdisciplinary environment that encourages you to adopt a spatial perspective with an eye for the past, present and future.

Your study programme will involve not only lectures but also field trips, guest speakers, interactive discussions, group work and case study assignments, such as essays, presentations and transformation proposals. Mandatory courses form the core of the programme, but leave many options for you to specialise through elective courses, free choice of assignment topics, individual tutorials, internships and your Master’s thesis. Recent Master’s theses have focused on the remains of the Atlantic Wall, Westminster Abbey as a tourist-historic icon, heritage strategies in shrinking regions, and the re-use of stolp farms in Noord-Holland.

The professors who will be teaching you are all architectural historians, archaeologists, historians and (historical) geographers. Each of them performs academic research as part of research institute CLUE+ while most also take up roles in the professional heritage field.

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam offers the only Heritage Studies Master's programme that focuses on a spatial perspective in Europe. The university has a highly international outlook, making it the ideal place to study heritage in an international context. The Amsterdam Canal District is a UNESCO World Heritage site, while the city of Amsterdam is world-renowned for its culture, art and tolerance. It offers the perfect context for studying spatial heritage in relationship to urban transformations and tourism.

Mehr Infos zum Studiengang? Besuche die Website!

« zurück: Kurzprofil

weiter: Karriere »

Heritage Studies

Your qualification in Heritage Studies will make you an expert in negotiating with designers, planners, board members, politicians, entrepreneurs and other decision-makers.

National, provincial and municipal government bodies and stakeholders in the market need highly educated professionals in heritage, who are able to use their knowledge to solve societal issues, contribute to policy matters, and ask and answer design questions in the spatial arena.

Mehr Infos zum Studiengang? Besuche die Website!

« zurück: Studieninhalte

weiter: Zulassung »

Heritage Studies

I have an international degree

Admission is based on a strict selection procedure. The Faculty’s Admission Board will decide upon your admission after having evaluated your complete online application.

The MA Heritage Studies is open to students who have completed a Bachelor’s degree in: Archaeology; Art History (with a specialization in Architectural History); Ancient Studies (provided that 60 ECTS is spent on Archaeology); Social Geography (with knowledge of Historical Geography); History (with some specialization in environmental or city-country relations); or Students who have completed a Bachelor’s degree in one of the following design disciplines: Planning; Architecture; Landscape Architecture; Town planning (preferably with a focus on the history of the built environment or the history of the discipline). If you have an academic Ba in a different field, please contact the course coordinator to discuss your possibilities. 

English language requirements

You must always present official test results proving your proficiency in English. You can apply online without having the test results, but in case you haven’t taken a test yet we advise you to plan a test date as soon as possible. The qualification or test result must have been awarded no more than two years prior to the proposed date of enrolment. Below you will find the minimum English test scores for the English taught programmes at the Faculty of Humanities:

• TOEFL score 600 paper based with a minimum of 55 in each of the subtests plus 4.0 in TWE, score 250 computer based or score 100 internet based with a minimum of 20-23 in each of the subtests).
• IELTS score of 7.0 overall band score (with none of the separate section scores dropping below a minimum score of 6.5).
• Cambridge English: Cambridge Proficiency Exam with score A, B, or C; or Cambridge Advanced Exam with score A, B, or C.

Exemptions from providing the English test scores are applicable to students, who:

• have completed an English-taught secondary or higher education degree in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand or Australia; or
• have earned a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in an English-taught programme accredited by NVAO in the Netherlands, or
• have earned a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in an accredited English-taught programme in another member state of the European Union

The required evidence should, if possible, be included with the complete application. If either unsatisfactory or no evidence of English language proficiency has been provided with the application, admission will be conditional upon the provision of such evidence. This condition will be clearly indicated on the offer letter and must be fulfilled before enrolment at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

See the Admission and language requirements page for further information on the general requirements.

I have a Dutch university level (WO) Bachelor’s degree (VU Bachelor's degree, VU premaster or Bachelor's degree at another university)

The MA Heritage Studies is open to students who have completed a Bachelor’s degree in: Archaeology; Art History (with a specialization in Architectural History); Ancient Studies (provided that 60 ECTS is spent on Archaeology); Social Geography (with knowledge of Historical Geography); History (with some specialization in environmental or city-country relations); or Students who have completed a Bachelor’s degree in one of the following design disciplines: Planning; Architecture; Landscape Architecture; Town planning (preferably with a focus on the history of the built environment or the history of the discipline). If you have an academic Ba in a different field, please contact the course coordinator to discuss your possibilities. 

Your application will be reviewed by the Admission Board of Faculty of Humanities.

Mehr Infos zum Studiengang? Besuche die Website!

« zurück: Karriere

weiter: Masterstudiengänge »

Übersicht der Masterstudiengänge - Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Mehr Infos zum Studiengang? Besuche die Website!

« zurück: Zulassung

weiter: Kontakt »

« zurück: Masterstudiengänge