To be eligible for this Master’s programme, your academic Bachelor’s degree requires:

• An academic Bachelor's degree (BSc or BA) in (International) Business Administration or an academic Bachelor’s degree in an Economics or Businesses related field.
• 15 ECTS in academic research with a minimum of 10 ECTS on quantitative research oriented courses (intermediate/advance).
• Business courses (intermediate/advance), up to an equivalent of a minimum of 15 ECTS, in at least 2 of the following fields: 
  • strategy,
  • international management,
  • organisation,
  • marketing,
  • leadership,
  • entrepreneurship or
  • organisational psychology

Educational systems differ around the world. International degrees are evaluated based on the guidelines provided by the NUFFIC. Are you unsure whether your academic background is considered equivalent to a Dutch Bachelor's degree?

• Visit the Nuffic diploma recognition page for more information.
• Specific requirements may apply depending on where you obtained your degree. Find a list of equivalent degrees here. 

If your previous education does not fulfill this programme’s requirements:

• Students with previous EU academic/applied science education and an EU/EEA nationality will be taken into consideration for a pre-master’s programme.
• Students with previous non-EU education and a non-EU nationality may wish to consider applying for a Master’s-qualifying programme at the Cambridge Education Group.

To be eligible for this programme, you have to verify your English proficiency. You can do this by providing 1 of the following English proficiency test scores:

• TOEFL IBT: a minimum of 92 points overall and a minimum of 22 points for each sub-score (TOEFL institution code: 9011). 
• IELTS (Academic test): a minimum of 6.5 overall and a minimum of 6.0 for each sub-score. The IELTS indicator test is not allowed.
• Cambridge Assessment English
  • Certificate in Advanced English: 180 points overall and in each skill or
  • Certificate of Proficiency in English: 180 points overall and in each skill.

Test scores must also conform to the following guidelines:

• Make sure you schedule your English proficiency test before the application deadline. 
• Test scores received after the application deadline are accepted, as long as your English proficiency test was taken before the application deadline.
• Your English proficiency test score cannot be more than 2 years old before the start date of your programme. For example, if you are applying for the September 2023 intake we do not accept English proficiency tests taken before September 2021.

Be sure to plan your test on time; test dates fill quickly and it can take several weeks for you to receive your results. Applications without a sufficient score or with a test date after the application deadline, will not be accepted.

Exemptions

You may be exempted from an English proficiency test if you have obtained your Bachelor's degree in one of the following countries: The Netherlands, Australia, Canada (except for Quebec), Ireland, Malta, New Zealand, South Africa, United Kingdom, United States of America.

Since the Master’s in Business Administration is a popular programme and we want to guarantee an interactive programme, we apply a selection procedure. One of the selection criteria is the Grade Point Average (GPA). 

Applicants with a sufficient background are required to have an overall GPA equivalent to at least a Dutch grade of 7.0 or higher, to be eligible for selection. Check this list to see which grade is equivalent to a Dutch 7.0 in your degree. 

This means that you are not automatically admitted when you have a 7.0 GPA, but that you will be considered for the selection round where places are offered to the applicants with the highest GPA until all places are filled.  

Calculate your GPA over:

• All Bachelor's degree results (year 1-3). Also include any additional Bachelor’s courses.

If you also have a Master's degree, you have to add a second GPA calculation (also minimum 7.0) from all Master's degree results as well.

One of the selection criteria is the GMAT score. If you want to be considered for this Master’s programme, you need to provide a GMAT score report as part of your application. This means that you need to take the test and receive your results before the deadline. Keep in mind that receiving these results can take up to two weeks (please check the GMAT website for more detailed information). Test scores received after the application deadline will not be taken into consideration.  

Test score

You are expected to achieve a score of 600. If you do not achieve this expected score, your application will still be considered. However, a minimum score of 560 is required. If you submit a GMAT below the minimum score of 560, you are not selected for this programme. Please note that completion of all sections of the exam is required.

Based on mutual agreements with certain universities, you might be exempted from the GMAT requirement. Check the list of universities to see whether this applies to you.

GMAT registration

For your GMAT registration, please refer to the GMAT website. The institution code for GMAT is 0500, Amsterdam Business School, MSc in Business Administration. The GMAT Online Exam is allowed for the September 2023 intake.

GRE test scores

Instead of a GMAT, a GRE test score may be accepted in the following cases:

• You have already obtained a GRE score.
• It is difficult to take the GMAT test on short notice in your country (e.g. Suriname).

For a GRE test, we expect you to achieve a score of at least 155 in the Quantitative Reasoning section. If you do not achieve this score, your application will still be considered. However, a minimum score of 152 is advised. Applicants who submit a GRE below this minimum score are generally not selected for this programme. Please note that completion of all sections of the exam is required.

If you want to be considered for this Master’s programme, you need to provide a GRE score report as part of your application. This means that you need to take the test and receive your results before the deadline. Keep in mind that receiving these results can take up to two weeks.

For registration and more detailed information, please refer to the GRE website. The institution code for GRE is 7878 U Amsterdam School of Economics. The GRE at home test is allowed for the September 2023 intake.

One of the selection criteria is the motivation letter. The motivation letter (max. one A4)  allows you to explain why you would be a good fit for the Master’s programme and which experiences have led you to this decision.