Application and admission: Data Science and Society - national procedure
This is the national application and admission procedure for the MSc Data Science and Society.
a) Check your eligibility
The Master's program in Data Science and Society offers four tracks:
Health, Governance, Media, Business.
The program's Admissions Committee will not only assess if you are admissible to the Master's program, but also to which track(s) within the Master's program.
Students of Tilburg University
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:
Track |
Examples of relevant fields of study |
Health |
Cognitive Neuroscience, Psychology, Sociology, or another program focusing on health, wellbeing or healthcare |
Governance |
Business Administration, Economics, Human Resource Management, Law, Organization and Management Studies, Political Science, Public Administration, and Sociology |
Media |
Business Communication, Communication and Information Sciences, Communication and Marketing, Communication and Media Studies, Communication Science, Design and Technology, Linguistics, and Journalism |
Business |
Business Administration, Economics, Finance & Control, Human Resource Management, and Organization and Management Studies |
-
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.
Students of other Dutch research universities
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:
Track |
Examples of relevant fields of study |
Health |
Cognitive Neuroscience, Psychology, Sociology, or another program focusing on health, wellbeing or healthcare |
Governance |
Business Administration, Economics, Human Resource Management, Law, Organization Studies, Political Science, Public Administration, and Sociology |
Media |
Business Communication, Communication and Information Sciences, Communication and Marketing, Communication and Media Studies, Communication Science, Design and Technology, Linguistics, and Journalism |
Business |
Business Administration, Economics, Finance & Control, Human Resource Management, and Organization Studies |
-
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.
Students from a Dutch university of applied sciences (hbo)
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:
Track |
Examples of relevant fields of study |
Health |
Cognitive Neuroscience, Psychology, Sociology, or another program focusing on health, wellbeing or healthcare |
Governance |
Business Administration, Economics, Human Resource Management, Law, Organization Studies, Political Science, Public Administration, and Sociology |
Media |
Business Communication, Communication and Information Sciences, Communication and Marketing, Communication and Media Studies, Communication Science, Design and Technology, Linguistics, and Journalism |
Business |
Business Administration, Economics, Finance & Control, Human Resource Management, and Organization Studies |
-
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.
b) Remember the deadline
Your application must be submitted before:
- Starting end of August: July 1
- Starting end of January: December 1
Are you still finishing your previous program?
Do register in Studielink now. You can send us your diploma later.
c) Follow the procedure for national applicants
Step 1: Register in Studielink
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
Applicants with a degree from a Dutch university of applied sciences (hbo) register for the pre-Master's program.
- The name of the pre-Master's program in Studielink is:
B Communicatie- en Informatiewetenschappen (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.
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.
Step 2: Admissions Committee's decision
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.
- You are unconditionally admitted to the Master* (you meet all the conditions).
- 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).
- The Committee needs additional information to assess your admissibility.
- You are not directly admissible to the Master, but you are admissible to the corresponding pre-Master**, a transition program.
- 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.
- You are unconditionally admitted to the pre-Master** (you meet all the conditions).
- 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).
- The Committee needs additional information to assess your admissibility.
- 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.
Step 3: Admitted, what's next?
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
Do you have any questions?
Please feel free to contact us for your personal queries. You can contact us on every page of the Master's website.