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The programme provides unique opportunities to take courses outside your regular curriculum and explore topics in depth.

Courses are designed and delivered by our top faculty members. With small class sizes (10-25 students) and a strong emphasis on teacher-student interaction, these specially curated courses are offered at no additional cost.

All successfully completed Honours courses are listed as extracurricular achievements on your BSc diploma. Upon full completion of the programme, you receive a special BSc diploma that specifies:

* Participation in the VU Honours Programme
* Completion of your BSc degree within three years
* A minimum average grade of 7.5 for BSc courses
* An additional study load of 30 EC through Honours courses

The Honours Programme requires a total of 30 ECTS. You have flexibility in structuring these credits, provided your curriculum includes:

* Minimum 12 ECTS interfaculty courses (typically 2 courses)
* Minimum 12 ECTS faculty courses (typically 2 courses)
* Remaining credits (up to 6 ECTS) can be allocated to either category based on your academic interests.

Apply via the VU Honours website.

Admission Requirements

• Completion of all first-year bachelor courses
• Minimum average grade of 7.5
• The programme is selective; your faculty will make the final qualitative selection.

Contact Information

• General questions: honours@vu.nl
• Faculty of Science Honours Coordinator: Jet de Ligny (honourscommittee.sciences@vu.nl)
• Computer Science & AI track: Susanne Deen (s.j.deen@vu.nl)

To obtain the required 12-18 ECTS within the Department of Earth Sciences and Earth and Economics, Life Sciences or Natural Science and Mathematics you have the following three options.

• Faculty Courses (6 ECTS)
  • Course options: See overview here.
  • Instructions application: Apply via .

• Internship Extension (6 ECTS)
  • Goal: Research depth + academic skills.
  • Requirements: Written report + oral presentation.
  • Planning: Discuss early with thesis supervisor.

• Star Variants (3 ECTS) or Research Modules (6 ECTS)

Star Variant

• Deepen a course topic (literature review, presentation, poster for a conference, etc.).
• Requires supervisor and Honours coordinator approval.
• Send your proposal ≥ 2 weeks before the course starts.

Individual Research Module

• Gain additional research experience and improve your academic skills.
• Submit report about the project + presentation (see Canvas for guidelines).

If you are a talented and motivated student, the VU Honours Programme offers you the opportunity to invest more in your own area of study and to broaden your horizon. Enroll in the Honours Programme (HP), choose your tracks and topics of deep study, fulfill their requirements, and you will gain knowledge and experience that can change your life.

What?
The Information Sciences department has a unique offer: each student can mix and match courses, effectively creating individual tracks of excellence. There are two main types of courses:

1. Focused on a high quality, scientific research project that is unique for each student.

2. Focused on learning in the structure of a traditional course.

Please check the Canvas community Honours Programme CS/AI for more details, templates, and community access. 

How many courses should you take?
The general structure of the HP at the VU offers the prestigious HP annotation to their BSc degree, upon completing at least 30 ECs over the regular programme of 180 ECs (extra credits). This means you can tailor your own track to include 30 ECs or more extra credits; if you include more than 30 ECs, you invest in an even deeper study in your HP.

Which courses can you take?
Consult the extensive section ‘How to complete the Information Sciences HP?’

Who can apply, how, and when?
Are you highly motivated, have good grades (above 7.5 grade point average in the first year), and have passed all your first year courses? Then you can apply for the Honours Programme!

The application procedure is the same across the entire VU HP, so check the detailed requirements, the application form, and the next application deadline here:

How to complete the Information Sciences HP?
Are there any general restrictions about the courses you can take? The general structure of the HP at the VU requires that the 30 ECs must include at least 12 ECs and at most 18 ECs obtained from departmental, and at least 12 ECs and at most 18 ECs obtained from interfaculty courses

Are there any specific restrictions for the courses I can take?

What is in the research-oriented track?
By the end of these modules, you (the student) will learn the skills and knowledge corresponding to the level of a starting, independent researcher with high potential for further development. It is possible that the successful project will end with a high quality publication in a prestigious scientific venue - this mostly depends on you!

Within the research track, you will have the choice of pursuing a scientific research project, on one of the possible three variants, of at least 6 / 12 / 18 ECs respectively. This track is not available across faculties.

Steps for doing a research project

• Find a topic or supervisor first. If in doubt, please contact us. We can provide you with a list of supervisors or you can approach someone who you would like to work with and ask them if they are willing to supervise you.
• Both topic supervisor who agrees with an explicit topic
• Develop the problem statement in collaboration with the supervisor and determine the size in EC’s. The scope of the project can be adjusted at a later stage.
• Register a short form of the problem statement and EC’s with the HP coordinators.
• Develop research in collaboration with the supervisor.

Can I continue a research project beyond the 18 ECs?
You can. The HP does not limit the maximum number of ECs, it just specifies the mandatory minimum. For example, some of the successful students in the research-oriented track could choose to earn additional credits training for and then attending various conferences and seminars, where they can present their work to the national and international community.

Will the successful completion of the Honours Programme show on my transcript?
A student who has met the requirements of the regular Bachelor's programme within the nominal duration of study, who has achieved an average weighted mark of at least 7.5 for all components of the Bachelor's programme (excluded the honours components) and who has also met the requirements of the Honours programme will receive a Bachelor diploma with a transcript indicating that he or she has successfully completed the Honours programme.

Contact
For all emails about the Honours Programme, make sure you include the string “[vu] [hp]” in the subject of your email.

Community
The HP has a community on Canvas, to which we invite all students who have been accepted for the programme.

The Honours Programme offers a wide range of engaging interfaculty courses open to all Honours students. .

These interdisciplinary courses are primarily scheduled in the evenings and are taught by leading lecturers from VU Amsterdam, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam University College, as well as guest experts from the Netherlands and abroad. Classes are small, encouraging active participation through presentations, written assignments, and discussions.

Try Out Class

Before each semester begins, a Try Out Class event is organized where lecturers provide brief introductions to their courses. This event offers a valuable opportunity to learn more about the course content and ask questions. Shortly after, typically in early June and December, Honours students can apply for their preferred interfaculty courses by submitting a course registration form.

This programme is an excellent way to broaden your academic perspective and engage with a diverse community of students. We encourage you to explore the course offerings and participate in the upcoming Try Out Class.