VU University Amsterdam

The programmes are of a high quality, the atmosphere is conducive to study, and the teaching staff are very accessible. VU Amsterdam provides an inspirational educational setting in which students from the Netherlands and abroad can develop their potential to the full.

The mission

Due to its Christian heritage the VU University Amsterdam places emphasis on social commitment in the university’s teaching and research programmes. The university aims to be inspiring, innovative and socially involved - indeed, that could be described as the mission of VU University Amsterdam. The Netherlands does not have a ranking system for universities, unlike many other countries. However, a range of studies have shown VU University Amsterdam to be one of the best universities in the country.

A worldwide network

The international Bachelor’s programme International Business Administration (IBA) is a three-year Bachelor’s of Science that is taught entirely in English. The faculty of Economics and Business Administration welcomes around 190 international students each year, divided over IBA, Master’s programmes and partnership programmes with international universities. The faculty currently has around 50 such partnerships with universities worldwide, such as the University of Western Australia, Perth, Universidade de Sao Paulo Brasil, Kansai Gaidai University Japan, Stellenbosch University South Africa, Chulalongkorn University Bangkok Thailand, and Copenhagen Business School Denmark. For a complete list of partners please check http://www.feweb.vu.nl/exchange and go to "partner universities".

Why study IBA? A small case study as an example

A Dutch ICT service provider with a high standard of service and a fair measure of success over the past decade, now finds itself faced with a difficult situation. The enlargement of the European Union in 2004 has made competition even fiercer and opened up the market to a range of competitors offering similar services at lower prices. Unless the company can find a way of responding adequately to this new situation, its long-term survival is doubtful. A business partner in India has offered to help outsource call-centre and helpdesk services to an agency in Bangalore. As an IBA student you will learn how to analyze such problems thoroughly, and from a variety of angles, to determine whether outsourcing the call-centre is the right solution or whether the company needs to look elsewhere to secure its long-term survival.

Key points

• English taught
• Guaranteed international exchange in 3rd year
• Housing can be arranged
• Campus University
• Small-scale teaching environment
• Personal attention and interaction with teaching staff
• Top-quality education and research
• Focus on the rapidly growing service sector of the economy
• International scope, including attention to Europe as important business region
• International mix of students
• Honours programme available for high-achievers
• Enjoy student and cultural life in Amsterdam

Application

For IBA, English and Math must be final exam courses, otherwise entrance examination may be necessary. A maximum number of 150 students will be allowed into the programme each year. Due to the limited number of students selected for this programme each year (numerus fixus) please apply before April 1st.