Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam Master in Computer Science

The Computer Science Master's programme is a jointly-offered degree by the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU Amsterdam) and the University of Amsterdam (UvA). As technology has become more embedded in our daily lives, the programme offers seven specialisations that students can choose based on their interests.

Courses are taught in both universities and students can benefit from the expertise, networks, and research programmes of both institutions. Graduates will receive a joint degree certificate upon completing this two-year programme.  

Study programme

This programme covers the technical side of computer science including topics such as system software, computer networks, and programming environments as well as theoretical foundations covering the limits of what can be computed, computational efficiency, correctness and the intricacies of concurrent execution.

As mentioned above, students will have to select a specialisation track based on their interests. These are:

• Big Data Engineering (BDE)
• Computer Systems and Infrastructure (CSI)
• Foundations of Computing and Concurrency (FCC)
• Software Engineering and Green IT (SEG)
• International specialisation: Software Engineers for Green Deal (SE4GD) 

All specialisations exclusively consist of the following constrained choices:

• Big Data Engineering
• Computer Systems and Infrastructure
• Foundations of Computing and Concurrency
• Software Engineering and Green IT
• Computer Security
• Mathematics
• Societal Perspectives of Computer Science
• Research Skills

All students select one course from each of these constrained choices. For each specialisation learners select at least four courses from the respective constrained choice. This leaves room for four electives. You’ll carry out your Master’s project and write your thesis in the second half of your second year.

Data as a focus

In the internet era, data plays centre stage. We all continuously communicate via social networks; we expect all information to be accessible online; and world economies thrive on data-processing services where revenue is created by generating insights from raw data. These developments are enabled by a global data processing infrastructure, connecting the full range from small company computer clusters to data centres run by the world-leading IT giants.

In the Big Data Engineering specialisation, you’ll study the technology that allows you to design and operate solutions for processing, analysing and managing large quantities of data. This specialisation is part of the joint Master’s in Computer Science, in which renowned researchers from both VU and UvA contribute their varied expertise in one of the strongest Computer Science programmes available in Europe.