Admission requirements
To be eligible for the Master's programme in Digital Design, you must hold a Bachelor's degree (or an equivalent international title), demonstrate previous design experience through an annotated portfolio, and have a good command of the English language.
Work experience and portfolio
Ideal candidates have a minimum of 3 years work experience in the design field – for example, Interactive Design, User Research, Product Design, UI Design, among others. Our programme has a strong reflective component that can only be fulfilled by students who understand the workflow and settings of the design world. If you do not fulfil the minimum required work experience you may apply with an outstanding design portfolio produced outside a school setting.
We welcome and encourage applications from candidates over 30 years of age.
English proficiency requirements
The Master's programme in Digital Design is an international programme and all activities are conducted in English. To attend the Master’s programme, you must be proficient in English (understanding, writing, and speaking) at the C1 level. This may be demonstrated by presenting a test result or through previous education. Proof of English Proficiency needs to be submitted to the Central Student Administration (CSA). Please note that some candidates may be exempt from this requirement (see below).
The following language proficiency test results are automatically accepted by the Central Student Administration (CSA):
- TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) Overall band score of at least 90 AND a minimum score of 21 for each section.
- IELTS (academic version) with an overall score of at least 6.5 and a minimum of 6.0 for each section.
- University of Cambridge, either the University of Cambridge 'Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE)', or the University of Cambridge 'Certificate in Advanced English (CAE)', with grades A-C.
In addition to the above-mentioned certificates, the admission committee may consider other proofs and certifications (e.g. university exams, other tests, etc.) on a case-by-case basis. Please enquire directly to the admission committee for further information.
Please note:
It may take as long as 6 weeks after taking an IELTS/TOEFL language test for the test centre to issue the results.
If the results are not yet available at the time the application package for the Master's programme in Digital Design is submitted, candidates may supply the registration details of the test. The admission committee will check the results when they are published on the IELTS or TOEFL website. Students can send us a scan of the official certificate result.
The language test results must not be more than 2 years old at the start of your study.
Exemptions from English language tests
The following students are exempted from submitting one of the above-mentioned language tests:
- Students who have gained a Dutch secondary education diploma in VWO-level English.
- Students holding an Algemeen Secundair Onderwijs (ASO) diploma from a Belgian pre-university education level.
- Students who have followed their previous education (high school and/or higher education) with English as the sole language of instruction in the following countries: Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, UK and USA.
- Students who have taken the International Baccalaureate or the European Baccalaureate entirely in the English language.
Please note: the application deadlines vary for EU (May 1) and non-EU applicants (March 1).