Artificial Intelligence (AI) is widely adopted in our society: we find applications of AI ranging from cars that detect pedestrians to Apple’s virtual assistant, Siri. Such applications use AI techniques to interpret information from a wide variety of sources and use it to enable intelligent, goal-directed behaviour.
The Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam’s AI Master programme offers a program that is oriented towards Hybrid intelligence, where AI systems and humans collaborate. You can study a technical approach to AI, focusing on the understanding, analysis and development of novel AI algorithms, and you can study AI technology from a societal or human perspective, looking into questions such as “how can we develop and evaluate computer-based technology that exploits knowledge about human functioning?” and “how can human and AI-technology complement each other?”.A Master of Science degree in Artificial Intelligence gives you a strong foundation for working in key positions, in knowledge-intensive research centres or business.
Job Prospects
Examples of positions our alumni currently hold are:
· Software Engineer at Google
· Data Scientist at Airbnb / Booking.com
· Project Manager at Volvo Car Group
· Computer Vision Expert at Eagle Vision
· PhD student at Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm
The job marketOverall, the career perspectives for AI graduates are good. Most of our alumni find a job within three months after graduation.
Academic staff
All the Master’s courses are taught by researchers who are experts in their domain. This ensures you an advanced academic level of education, and integration of the latest developments in the field. The majority of lecturers are also involved in collaborative projects with industry players, creating a link to applications in real-world situations. And the active role our lecturers at international conferences contributes to solid and state-of-the-art course material.
Students
The Master's programme in Artificial Intelligence will have a student population of approximately 75 students each year, with many nationalities and backgrounds. Courses take place in small groups which leads to an informal teaching environment. As a graduate student you are encouraged to regularly present and discuss your work, to optimally learn from the staff and your fellow students.
Pioneer in developing intelligent systems
This programme is a pioneer in the development of intelligent systems. As a Master's student, you will be given the opportunity to work on advanced information systems at a wide range of companies and institutions. Some recent examples include:
Research institutes
The joint Master's programme in Artificial Intelligence is strongly connected to research topics of the informatics research institutes of both universities.
The Network Institute brings together researchers from many different academic disciplines, including information systems, communication science, computer science, business and management research, knowledge management, marketing and strategy, economics, artificial intelligence, mathematics, and organization science. The Network Institute is part of VU Amsterdam.
CAMeRA provides an environment for the study and the development of media applications, with the focus on their impact on people's physical and mental wellbeing. CAMeRA recognizes its mission in both fundamental research and applied projects to be socially responsible in nature.
The mission of the Informatics Institute is to perform curiosity driven and use-inspired fundamental research in Computer Science. The research in the institute involves complex information systems at large, with a focus on Collaborative, Data Driven, Computational and Intelligent Systems, all with a strong interactive component.
What are the mathematical properties of information? How can we describe how information flows between humans or computers? Questions such as these lie at the heart of the research conducted at the Institute for Logic, Language and Computation (ILLC), a world-class research institute in the interdisciplinary area between mathematics, linguistics, computer science, philosophy and artificial intelligence.
LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION
English
DURATION
2 years
TUITION FEE
APPLICATION DEADLINE
1 June for Dutch students. 1 April for EU/EEA and non-EU/EEA students.* * EU/EEA students with an international degree who do not need housing services through VU Amsterdam can still apply until 1 June.
START DATE
1 September
STUDY TYPE
Full-time
SPECIALIZATIONS
Cognitive Science, Socially Aware Computing
FIELD OF INTEREST
Behavioural and Social Sciences
Computer Science, Mathematics and Business
Each Master’s programme concludes with a graduation project or internship. This can be an individual project or a group project. Internships proposed by the student need approval in advance from a member of staff, who will also be involved with supervising the project. For details, please visit the site of the Computer Science department.
Rianne van Lambalgen, graduate Artificial Intelligence - specialization Cognitive Science
"After finishing my studies in Cognitive Psychology I started the specialization Cognitive Science, part of the Master’s programme in Artificial Intelligence. I enjoyed this programme very much as it was a good combination of technically and theoretically challenging material. I learned about theories in psychology, but also their application within artificial intelligence.
For me, this course emphasized the practical use of scientific research, which is one of the reasons I started my current PhD position at the Agent Research group at the department of Artificial Intelligence.
In addition to the interesting content, joining this Master’s programme was also fun as the group is relatively small and practical work is often done in small groups, which gives you a good opportunity to meet people."
Arjon Buikstra conducted his master's thesis in Berlin
Experience abroad:
Fun in a whole new environment
Through ISEP, I had the chance to study in California for a few months during the third year of my studies. It was great fun to be in a whole new environment, studying completely different courses to the ones I would have taken in the Netherlands and getting to know all kinds of different people. Since my time in America had been so much fun, when it came to my Master’s project I once again started looking for the chance to venture a little further afield.
Two teachers and a little luck
More or less by accident I came across a project in Berlin. I was sitting an exam in a lecturer’s office when another lecturer came in. She later sent me an e-mail, apologizing for interrupting me. At the same time she asked if I might be interested in a project in Berlin. I sure was! So in the end it was down to luck and help from two teachers that I came into contact with the researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin.
Three months in Berlin
Eventually I spent three months living in Berlin. Every day I went to the Max Planck Institute, flipped open my laptop and began working with the LarKC workflow (in Eclipse). LarKC stands for Large Knowledge Collider. It’s a platform with a smart way of finding the right information among masses of data, like the billions of facts on Wikipedia, combined with iMDB. The aim of my Master's project was to improve the search features in these types of large information files. My challenge was finding search and filter algorithms - strategies for providing maximum results with minimal input. I was in touch with my supervisors at VU Amsterdam on a weekly basis via Skype. There was always a new path to unravel or a difficult question to answer.
Fascinating summer school
The research group I was working with holds an annual summer school, which I was allowed to attend during my project. There I learned a great deal about Decision Theory, and Bounded Rationality in particular. I’d already had a taste of this during my studies at VU Amsterdam, but it was great to learn everything there is to know at this time from the true experts in the field.
Decision Theory is all about determining the consequences of decisions. Within this field, Bounded Rationality takes into account the limited availability of information, cognitive constraints and the limited time available to reach a decision. The weighted importance of limited information in decision-making and the uncertainty factor make it a theory you can tinker with endlessly.
Lifelong memories
I would recommend studying abroad to anyone. I wouldn’t want to have missed a single one of the experiences I’ve had. You are more or less forced to meet a lot of new people and to discover new places. It's not the evenings at home or the weekends relaxing that you remember later, but that one weird night out that ended with four of you trying to push over the Berlin Wall at sunrise. Above all, the weekends in Berlin were much more fun than if I’d stayed at home! It deserves its reputation as an open-minded party town for sure - and the low rent is nothing to complain about either.
The requirements are split up into Masters’ specialization specific requirements and general requirements.
Specific requirements master’s programme
General language proficiency requirements
VU Amsterdam requires English at VWO level. Therefore, international applicants are required to take an English test and to submit their score as a part of the application. Exceptions are made for students who have completed their education in Canada, USA, UK, Ireland, New Zealand or Australia or who have obtained an international Baccalaureate or European Baccalaureate diploma.
Admission to a Master’s programme: the Bachelor-before-Master rule
The Bachelor-before-Master rule (‘harde knip’) will be applied to all VU programmes as of 1 September 2013. This means that you can only start a Master’s programme on 1 September 2013 if you have obtained your Bachelor’s degree. Uncompleted Bachelor’s subjects are not permitted if you want to start a Master programme. What does this mean now for students? You may have to adjust your study plan. For example, if you’re planning a semester abroad in the first semester of the academic year 2012-2013, and you would like to start the following Master’s programme in September 2013, please note that every part of the Bachelor’s study programme has to be completed – not only the compulsory parts of the programme. Other (short) interruptions of your study programme can also have an effect on your ability to proceed onto a Master’s programme. If the Bachelor’s programme is not fully completed, you cannot start the Master’s programme until the start of the next academic year. Take this into account when planning your study path! Please contact our faculty’s study advisors when you have any questions. |
Check all general information on admission and application to Master's programmes.
Always contact the Master's coordinator for advice before sending in your application.
For further information about admission to the programme you can contact the study advisor:
VU Amsterdam
Faculty of Sciences
Dr. Mark Hoogendoorn
De Boelelaan 1083a, T-333
1081 HV Amsterdam
T +31 (0)20 598 7772
E m.hoogendoorn@vu.nl
Or contact the programme director dr. Annette ten Teije: annette.ten.teije@vu.nl
Would you like to read the key points of the Master's programme? Order the brochure. Or find out more about the Master's programmes and visit our information days.
The requirements are split up into Masters’ specialization specific requirements and general requirements.
Specific requirements master’s programme
General language proficiency requirements
VU Amsterdam requires all applicants to take an English test and to submit their score as a part of the application. Exceptions are made for students who have completed their education in Canada, USA, UK, Ireland, New Zealand or Australia or who have obtained an international Baccalaureate or European Baccalaureate diploma.
Admission to a Master’s programme: the Bachelor-before-Master rule
The Bachelor-before-Master rule (‘harde knip’) will be applied to all VU programmes as of 1 September 2013. This means that you can only start a Master’s programme on 1 September 2013 if you have obtained your Bachelor’s degree. Uncompleted Bachelor’s subjects are not permitted if you want to start a Master programme. What does this mean now for students? You may have to adjust your study plan. For example, if you’re planning a semester abroad in the first semester of the academic year 2012-2013, and you would like to start the following Master’s programme in September 2013, please note that every part of the Bachelor’s study programme has to be completed – not only the compulsory parts of the programme. Other (short) interruptions of your study programme can also have an effect on your ability to proceed onto a Master’s programme. If the Bachelor’s programme is not fully completed, you cannot start the Master’s programme until the start of the next academic year. Take this into account when planning your study path! Please contact our faculty’s study advisors when you have any questions. |
Check all general information on admission and application to Master's programmes here.
Always contact the Master's coordinator for advice before sending in your application.
There are several possibilities for obtaining funding. VU Amsterdam, the Dutch governement and other organisations offer scholarships, fellowships and grants.
For further information about admission to the programme you can contact the programme director:
dr. Annette ten Teije: annette.ten.teije@vu.nl
Would you like to know more about our courses, scholarships and application & registration procedure? Please contact our International Office.
Email: masters.fs@vu.nl
General information about VU Amsterdam
Please phone us at +31 (0)20 598 5000 (Monday – Friday, 9.00 to 12:00). You may also e-mail us at study@vu.nl.
Would you like to read the key points of the Master's programme? Order the brochure. Or find out more about the Master's programmes and visit our information days.