Admission and application
To enrol in the Master's Science for Sustainability, you must first be admitted to the programme. You can find all information about admission periods, requirements and the application procedure on this page.
Admission requirements
Select your previous education in the drop-down menu below to view your eligibility. Please check this admission requirements before contacting the admissions officers.
Admission period
Please select your nationality and previous education to view the admission periods.Admission period
Please select your previous education to view the admission periods.Admission period with Dutch degree and Dutch nationality
Admission period with non-Dutch degree and Dutch nationality
Admission period
Please select your previous education to view the admission periods.Admission period with Dutch degree and nationality EU/EEA country
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Apply by 1 May at the latest if you want to receive housing assistance by Radboud University. If you don’t want to receive housing assistance, then apply by 1 July at the latest.
Admission period with non-Dutch degree and nationality EU/EEA country
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Apply by 1 May at the latest if you want to receive housing assistance by Radboud University. If you don’t want to receive housing assistance, then apply by 1 July at the latest.
Admission period
Please select your previous education to view the admission periods.Admission period with Dutch degree and nationality non-EU/EEA country
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Please note: do you want to apply for a Radboud scholarship? Then you need to apply for this programme by 31 January at the latest.
Admission period with non-Dutch degree and nationality non-EU/EEA country
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Please note: do you want to apply for a Radboud scholarship? Then you need to apply for this programme by 31 January at the latest.
Dutch degree
Admission requirements
Entering the Master’s programme in Science and Sustainability requires a Bachelor’s degree in one of the subjects below. Your Bachelor's degree must be obtained from a Dutch Research University or University College.
- Natural Sciences bachelor’s degree (e.g. Chemistry, Biology, Physics or a closely related discipline) with demonstrable knowledge of the management and organisation sciences
- Management and Organization Sciences bachelor’s degree (e.g. Geography, Planning and Environment, Technical Business Administration, Political Science, Economy, Public Administration) with demonstrable knowledge in natural sciences
Students must have passed (preliminary) examinations containing the following subject matter:
- Students with background in the Natural Sciences: BSc in Chemistry, Biology, Physics or a closely related discipline + variety of a minimum of 15 credits Management and Organization Sciences courses or closely similar content. Examples of relevant courses can be found in the minor Sustainability Challenges - course guide Nijmegen School of Management.
- Students with background in the Management and Organization Sciences: BSc in Geography, Planning and Environment, Technical Business Administration, Political Science, Economy, Public Administration + variety of a minimum of 15 credit. See the attachment below for examples of relevant Natural Science courses. You must have demonstrable natural science knowledge (e.g., via a minor Biology, Chemistry, Physics or Environmental Science) and affinity with quantitative work.
Please note, the Nijmegen School of Management offers a 15 EC minor that upon completion will give direct access to the Science for Sustainability programme. Students from another Dutch research university can take this minor programme as subsidiary student.
Please note, the Faculty of Science offers a 15 EC minor that upon completion will give direct access to the Science for Sustainability programme. + link to the minor? Students from another Dutch research university can take this minor programme as subsidiary student.
Students must be familiar with research methods, academic writing and critical thinking, which could be demonstrated e.g. by having completed a final BSc thesis or internship.
Please note 1 credit is equal to 28 hours of study load.
Other previous education
Students with a different research university Bachelor's diploma who have sufficient demonstrable knowledge of the above mentioned criteria, both the natural sciences and the management and organisation sciences, including sufficient quantitative skills.
Examples include interdisciplinary programmes that focus on sustainability combining natural sciences and the management and organisation sciences like:
- Liberal Arts and Sciences
- Environmental Sciences
- Future Planet Studies
- Global Studies
- Philosophy, Politics & Economics
Access with these Bachelor's programmes
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Other students who have obtained a university Bachelor's diploma, and students with a suitable HBO diploma (e.g. Environmental Science, Water Management, Applied Biology, Business Administration, Public Administration) can be admitted via a pre-Master programme of maximum 60 EC. The decision on whether a student can be admitted, and what their pre-Master programme should look like, will be made on an individual basis by the admission officer.
Please send a detailed email to the admissions officer, stating clearly which diplomas you have achieved and in which country you have achieved them. We will then advise you which procedure to follow in your specific situation.
Non-Dutch degree
Admission requirements
Entering the Master’s programme in Science and Sustainability requires a Bachelor’s degree in one of the subjects below. Your foreign Bachelor's degree must be equivalent to a Bachelor's degree obtained at a Dutch research university (BA or BSc). Please be aware that there are two types of higher education in the Netherlands: a university of applied sciences and a research university. Learn more about the differences.
- Natural Sciences bachelor’s degree (e.g. Chemistry, Biology, Physics or a closely related discipline) with demonstrable knowledge of the management and organisation sciences
- Management and Organization Sciences bachelor’s degree (e.g. Geography, Planning and Environment, Technical Business Administration, Political Science, Economy, Public Administration) with demonstrable knowledge in natural sciences
Students must have passed (preliminary) examinations containing the following subject matter:
- Students with background in the Natural Sciences: BSc in Chemistry, Biology, Physics or a closely related discipline + variety of a minimum of 15 credits Management and Organization Sciences courses or closely similar content. Examples of relevant courses can be found in the minor Sustainability Challenges - course guide Nijmegen School of Management.
- Students with background in the Management and Organization Sciences: BSc in Geography, Planning and Environment, Technical Business Administration, Political Science, Economy, Public Administration + variety of a minimum of 15 credit. See the attachment below for examples of relevant Natural Science courses. Please note, you must have demonstrable natural science knowledge on the above mentioned courses and affinity with quantitative work.
Students must be familiar with research methods, academic writing and critical thinking, which could be demonstrated e.g. by having completed a final BSc thesis or internship.
Please note 1 credit is equal to 28 hours of study load.
Other previous education
Students with a different research university Bachelor's diploma who have sufficient demonstrable knowledge of the above mentioned criteria, both the natural sciences and the management and organisation sciences, including sufficient quantitative skills.
Examples include interdisciplinary programmes that focus on sustainability combining natural sciences and the management and organisation sciences like:
- Liberal Arts and Sciences
- Environmental Sciences
- Future Planet Studies
- Global Studies
- Philosophy, Politics & Economics
You need to have fluency in both written and spoken English. You can prove that with a language test (TOEFL iBT, IELTS Academic, or Cambridge) or with a Bachelor's degree from a research university in one of the following countries: Australia, Canada (excluding Quebec), New Zealand, United Kingdom and the United States of America.
TOEFL iBT
≥ 90 + subscores ≥ 22
(Please note: the TOEFL Home Edition is not accepted)
IELTS Academic
≥ 6,5 overall + subscores ≥ 6,0 + writing subscore ≥ 6,5
Cambridge certificate (C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency)
C1 Advanced: Overall minimum score 176, minimum component score 169, minimum writing component score: 176
C2 Proficiency: Overall minimum score 180, minimum component score 169, minimum writing component score: 176
Please send a detailed email to the admissions officer, stating clearly which diplomas you have achieved and in which country you have achieved them. We will then advise you which procedure to follow in your specific situation.
Application procedure
You must first make sure you meet the admission requirements of the Master's programme you would like to apply for. To apply for a programme, you need to submit an enrolment application in Studielink before the application deadline and then follow the steps below.
Steps
Step 1: Submit an enrolment application in Studielink
You can apply for a Master’s programme at Radboud University via Studielink. You can apply for a programme for the following academic year from 1 October onwards.
If you completed a Bachelor’s programme at Radboud University that grants you direct admission to your chosen Master’s programme, you can skip the steps below and enrol in the Master’s programme after you have applied in Studielink.
Step 2: Complete the digital questionnaire
If your previous education needs to be assessed by the Admissions Committee, you will receive login details for a digital questionnaire, OSIRIS Application, at the email address that you provided in Studielink. You will need to log in to the questionnaire, and once you have completed it you will need to upload the requested documents.
Please make sure that you complete the questionnaire and upload the documents before the application deadline. If you do this after the deadline, there is no guarantee that we will be able to process your application for admission in time. You can find the application deadline at the top of the Admission & Application page of the Master's programme.
Step 3: Keep an eye on your inbox
Your request for admission will then be processed. Within approximately three weeks after you have submitted the digital questionnaire, Student Admissions will inform you by email about the admission decision. There are three possible outcomes:
- You will be unconditionally admitted, which means you can enrol in the study programme.
- You will be conditionally admitted: your admission decision contains the conditions that you will need to fulfil before you will be able to enrol in the study programme.
- You will not be admitted: your application will then be withdrawn from Studielink. You will receive further details by email about why your application was rejected.
The details of this outcome will be sent to the email address that you provided in Studielink.
Have you been admitted ?
Go to the enrolment procedure and follow the steps to enrol.
Application procedure
You must first make sure you meet the admission requirements of the Master's programme you would like to apply for. The application procedure then consists of two steps: first, submitting an enrolment application in Studielink, then uploading documents in OSIRIS Application.
Steps
Step 1: Submit an enrolment application in Studielink
To apply for a Master’s programme, you have to create an account and an enrolment application in Studielink (the national online registration system for Dutch universities). First you will be asked to fill in your previous education, then select the programme you wish to apply for in the list that appears.
Step 2: Upload documents in OSIRIS Application
After you have submitted an enrolment request in Studielink, you will receive an email with personal login details for OSIRIS Application. You have 56 days to upload your documents and submit a complete application. If you have not submitted your application after this period, it will be automatically cancelled. Please note that if you apply close to the deadline, you will have fewer than 56 days.
You will be asked to upload the following documents:
- Scan of valid passport (personal details page only) or European ID card
- Bachelor’s diploma or equivalent
If you have graduated and received your diploma, you are required to upload it (signed and stamped) to your application. If you have graduated but have not received your diploma or if you have not yet graduated, you can indicate this in the application form. In OSIRIS Application, please list the full, official name of the diploma that you have or will receive. Please use the language and name in which the diploma is issued.
- An official transcript of your Bachelor's degree or equivalent
If you have not yet obtained your degree, upload your most recent signed and stamped transcript of records. If you have graduated, please upload your full and complete transcript of grades. Also, please upload the description of the grading scale that can usually be found at the end of your transcript (if applicable).
- Sworn translations of diploma and transcript of grades
Translations need to be made by a legally sworn translator. Certified translations are not required if your diploma and transcript are originally in Dutch, English or German. If your school provides English versions of your documents, please upload those along with versions of the documents in the original language.
- Course description for unfinished courses
If you have not yet completed your degree, please upload a list of the courses that you are currently taking or still need to take, including the course content, the number of hours, and the literature used per course; see the example below in downloads. Be sure to include information about research courses, practical work and your thesis/internship (if applicable).
- Course description for finished courses
Upload a list of all the courses you have taken during your degree, including the course content, the number of hours, and the literature used per course; see example below in downloads. Be sure to include information about research courses, practical work and your thesis/internship (if applicable).
- Personal statement/motivation letter (depending on programme)
Your personal statement should contain, at least, a brief description of why you have chosen this specific Master's programme and how it fits your previous education.
For the motivation letter please describe your future plans and what you would like to learn and research at Radboud University. What are the topics of the research you would like to do? Please be specific about your ambitions and explain how your previous education prepared you for this specific Master's programme. This will allow us to find out if your previous education is appropriate. Last but not least, include your interest in studying at Radboud University (specific disciplines, facilities or other considerations).
- Reference letter(s)
Reference letters are required if you are applying for a scholarship and/or a selective Master's programme and you will be asked to upload them to OSIRIS Application. Please note; these must be signed and stamped or signed and on official letterhead.
Reference letters are not required for non-selective programmes; however, it is still possible to upload one to your application if you wish.
- Overview of education/experience
Please upload an overview that contains, in chronological order, information about your education and knowledge/experience acquired during an internship, training, or work; for example, a resume.
- English language certificate
You are allowed to apply without a language certificate. However, if you are admitted to the programme and a language certificate is listed as a requirement in your admission email, you will be required to provide proof of proficiency before the enrolment deadline. If you can prove English proficiency through your previous education, a certificate is not required. Visit the language requirements page for full details.
- Handling fee
Non-EU/EEA applicants are required to pay a handling fee before their application can be processed. Visit the handling fee website for full details and how to pay.
Step 3: Admission decision
Your request for admission will then be processed. Within approximately 3 weeks after you have submitted the digital questionnaire, Student Admissions will inform you by email about the admission decision. There are three possible outcomes:
- You will be unconditionally admitted, which means that you can enrol in the study programme.
- You will be conditionally admitted: your admission decision contains the conditions that you will need to fulfil before you will be able to enrol in the study programme.
- You will not be admitted: your application will then be withdrawn from Studielink. You will receive further details by email about why your application was rejected.
The details of this outcome will be sent to the email address that you provided in Studielink.
Have you been admitted to the Master's?
Go to the enrolment procedure and follow the steps to enrol.
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Questions?
Please contact us via admissions [at] ru.nl (admissions[at]ru[dot]nl).