Application and admission: Data Science and Society - national procedure

If you have successfully completed the pre-Master Data Science and Society and you want to start with the Master Data Science and Society immediately afterwards, your admissibility does not have to be re-assessed.

In all other cases the Admissions Committee must evaluate your admissibility. It is therefore important that you register before the mentioned deadlines.

• The Admissions Committee will determine whether your previous education is a sufficient fit to be admitted to the Master's program and for which of the four tracks you are eligible.
• If necessary, the Committee may make the condition that you first follow the pre-Master’s program.

When assessing your admissibility, the Admissions Committee will consider whether there is:

• Sufficient prior knowledge of research methods and techniques (statistics, methodology).
• Sufficient prior knowledge in the domain of your preferred track.
  Eligibility for admission to a track is determined primarily by the field of study (major) of your previous program(s). The Admissions Committee may also take a minor or elective courses into account in the assessment. This is explained in the following Track preference form. You can submit this form after you have registered for the program in Studielink. You will receive further instructions by e-mail.

In the table below you will find examples of relevant fields of study per track:

• Please note that a degree obtained in one of the fields mentioned above does not guarantee admission. The Admissions Committee will assess each application individually.  
• Also if you have some doubts whether your previous education sufficiently fits with one of the tracks, you are welcome to apply. The Admissions Committee will examine if there is a fit between your previous education and the preferred track. Submitting your application will start this evaluation process.
• The Data Science and Society program is designed for students who completed a non-technical program and wish to learn how to apply data science techniques to the domain in which they built expertise in their previous education. The program is not a good fit for students who have completed a program in which data science techniques have already been extensively covered. A mismatch in that regard may result in rejection of the application.

Are you studying at or do you have a degree from a research university other than Tilburg University?

In that case, the program’s Admissions Committee will determine whether your degree is a sufficient fit to be admitted to the Master's program and for which of the four tracks you are eligible. If necessary, the Committee may make the condition that you first follow the pre-Master’s program.

When assessing your admissibility, the Admissions Committee will consider whether there is:

• Sufficient prior knowledge of research methods and techniques (statistics, methodology).
• Sufficient prior knowledge in the domain of your preferred track.
  Eligibility for admission to a track is determined primarily by the field of study (major) of your previous program(s). The Admissions Committee may also take a minor or elective courses into account in the assessment. This is explained in the following Track preference form. You can submit this form after you have registered for the program in Studielink. You will receive further instructions by e-mail.

In the table below you will find examples of relevant fields of study per track:

• Please note that a degree obtained in one of the fields mentioned above does not guarantee admission. The Admissions Committee will assess each application individually.  
• Also if you have some doubts whether your previous education sufficiently fits with one of the tracks, you are welcome to apply. The Admissions Committee will examine if there is a fit between your previous education and the preferred track. Submitting your application will start this evaluation process.
• The Data Science and Society program is designed for students who completed a non-technical program and wish to learn how to apply data science techniques to the domain in which they built expertise in their previous education. The program is not a good fit for students who have completed a program in which data science techniques have already been extensively covered. A mismatch in that regard may result in rejection of the application.

Are you studying at or do you have a Bachelor's degree from a university of applied sciences (hbo)?

In that case, the Admissions Committee will not only determine whether your degree is sufficiently relevant to be admitted to the pre-Master Data Science and Society, but also assess which of the four tracks (Health, Governance, Media or Business) you are allowed to follow after successfully completing the pre-Master.

• You can only be admitted to the pre-Master's program with an officially recognized four-year hbo program (240 ECTS).
• After successfully completing the pre-Master, you will be admitted directly to the master Data Science and Society.
• Your prior education determines which of the four tracks you may follow after successfully completing the pre-Master. The Admissions Committee may also take a minor or elective courses into account in the assessment. This is explained in the following Track preference form. You can submit this form after you have registered for the program in Studielink. You will receive further instructions by e-mail.

In the table below you will find examples of relevant fields of study per track:

• Please note that a degree obtained in one of the fields mentioned above does not guarantee admission. The Admissions Committee will assess each application individually.  
• Also if you have some doubts whether your previous education sufficiently fits with one of the tracks, you are welcome to apply. The Admissions Committee will examine if there is a fit between your previous education and the preferred track. Submitting your application will start this evaluation process.

After you have registered in Studielink, the program’s Admissions Committee will assess whether your previous education is a sufficient fit with this program to be admitted. Studielink opens on October 1.

Applicants with a degree from a research university register for the Master’s program.

• The name of the Master’s program in Studielink is:
  M Data Science and Society

Register in Studielink

Applicants with a degree from a Dutch university of applied sciences (hbo) register for the pre-Master's program. 

• If you are registering for the February 2024 pre-master intake, the name of the pre-Master's program in Studielink is:
  In Dutch: B Communicatie- en Informatiewetenschappen (premaster Data Science and Society)
  In English: B Communication and Information Sciences (premaster Data Science and Society)
• If you are registering for the September 2024 onwards pre-master intakes, the name of the pre-Master's program in Studielink is:
  In Dutch: B Cognitive Science and Artificial Intelligence (premaster Data Science and Society)
  In English: B Cognitive Science and Artificial Intelligence (premaster Data Science and Society)
• Applicants with a degree from a university of applied sciences (hbo) and a pre-Master’s program can register for the Master’s program directly in Studielink. If you took a pre-Master other than Tilburg University’s Data Science and Society pre-Master’s program, the Admissions Committee will request additional information to assess your eligibility.

Register in Studielink

Enter an e-mail address in Studielink that you use regularly. Tilburg University will use this e-mail address to send you important information on your application and admission.

This information is only applicable if you want to apply for the February 2024 intake. Do you want to apply for the September 2024 intake, please proceed to step 2 for the September intake.  

Do you want to apply for the February 2024 intake?  

If the Admissions Committee requires additional information to evaluate your application, they will contact you by e-mail.

If you want to apply for the February ’24 intake, please go back to the previous Step 2 for the February intake. 

Do you want to apply for the September 2024 intake? Please follow the procedure below.   

This step is not applicable for:  

Students who are currently enrolled or have already completed a Bachelor's program at Tilburg University that makes them directly admissible for this Master’s program.  

• See the tab “Students of Tilburg University” below the heading Check your eligibility at the top of this webpage for an overview of Bachelor’s programs that make you directly admissible. 
• If you are directly admissible with your Bachelor's program, you only need to register in Studielink. Please continue to Step 3: Admissions Committee's decision. 

In all other cases, you must continue your application in OSIRIS Aanmeld, our online application system, after you have registered in Studielink. 

Application in OSIRIS Aanmeld

Within 1 week of your registration in Studielink, you will receive two e-mails from Tilburg University.  

• One e-mail contains your Tilburg University account details (your student number and Tilburg University e-mail address). You will not need these details for your application, but please save them carefully, as you will need them at a later stage.
• The other e-mail contains your OSIRIS Aanmeld account details as well as information on how you can start your application in OSIRIS Aanmeld. If you have not received this e-mail within 1 week of your registration in Studielink, please contact TSHD.admissions@tilburguniversity.edu.

Upload your documents

Please collect the requested documents and upload them in pdf-format.  

• Transcript of Records
  This is a list from your University of the courses you have taken in your Bachelor's (and Master's) degree, with the grades you have achieved.  This must be an official list from your University, not your results downloaded from the University’s student system. If you have not yet completed all courses at the time of application, please provide the Transcript plus a list of the courses you still need to complete before graduation.
• Resume / Curriculum vitae (in English)
• Statistics checklist. Please complete the checklist (pdf) as requested.
• Motivation letter 
  You must use this format (pdf) to write your motivation letter.
• Track Preference form  
  Please use this format (pdf) to fill out your Track Preference form 
   

Submit your application before the deadline as stated above

If you submit your application either close to or on the deadline, but have not uploaded the correct documents, Tilburg University reserves the right not to process your application.

After submitting your application

Our Admissions Committee will check that your application is complete, according to the requirements above. 

If your documents are not complete, you will be asked to submit any missing or replace any illegible document(s).  

You can check your application status anytime you log in to your account in OSIRIS Aanmeld. 

You will receive the Admissions Committee's decision within six weeks after application at the e-mail address you have provided in Studielink. The e-mail will also contain a description of the further steps you need to take for your admission.

Students from a research university

The Admissions Committee will make one of the following decisions.

1. You are unconditionally admitted to the Master* (you meet all the conditions).
2. You are conditionally admitted to the Master* (you do not, or not yet, meet all the conditions, for example, because you have not yet obtained your Bachelor's degree).
3. The Committee needs additional information to assess your admissibility.
4. You are not directly admissible to the Master, but you are admissible to the corresponding pre-Master**, a transition program.
5. Unfortunately you cannot be admitted.

Students with a degree from a university of applied sciences (hbo)

The Admissions Committee will make one of the following decisions.

1. You are unconditionally admitted to the pre-Master** (you meet all the conditions).
2. You are conditionally admitted to the pre-Master** (you do not, or not yet, meet all the conditions, for example, because you have not yet obtained your Bachelor's degree).
3. The Committee needs additional information to assess your admissibility.
4. Unfortunately you cannot be admitted.

* If you are conditionally or unconditionally admitted to the Master, the admissions committee will also indicate which track you are allowed to follow; Health, Governance, Media or Business. This indication will be binding.

** If you are conditionally or unconditionally admitted to the pre-Master, the admissions committee will also indicate which track you are allowed to follow once you start in the Master; Health, Governance, Media or Business. This indication will be binding.

Congratulations on being admitted to Tilburg University, either conditionally or unconditionally! 

You may be wondering what the next steps are. To ensure a smooth (and stress-free) start of your studies, we have prepared a timeline to give you an overview of the things you need to arrange before the start of your studies. 

On the timeline you can find information about:  

• Completing your enrollment  
• Paying your tuition fees 
• Tips on finding accommodation (if applicable) 
• Books and schedule 
• Introduction activities like TOP week and your (mandatory) Study Program Introduction

Go to the Welcome page