School for Humanities and Social Sciences in Netherlands

International School For Humanities And Social Sciences, Amsterdam:
The International School for Humanities and Social Sciences (ISHSS) in Amsterdam, Holland aims to offer high standard, internationally accredited academic education on the English-taught study market. ISHSS is a school within the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences of the Universiteit van Amsterdam. The International School cooperates with the University's many faculties, departments, and institutes. ISHSS offers various academic programmes in the humanities and social sciences to international students, both undergraduate and graduate. The Universiteit van Amsterdam in the Netherlands is one of the major comprehensive universities in Europe with 22,000 students. There are seven faculties covering humanities, social and behavioural sciences, law, economics and business, medicine and dentistry, and science.

All of our courses are taught in English and provide a truly international classroom and learning environment. We encourage students to pursue intellectual themes and acquire analytical skills that transcend a single academic field. Our programmes are broad and interdisciplinary but they also allow the students to specialize in topics of their choice. We take pride in providing education in its broadest sense; we help students to develop professionally and at the personal level.

All of our courses are taught by highly experienced lecturers from many disciplines and cultural backgrounds. Classes seldomly exceed twenty-five Dutch and international students and there are ample opportunities for exchange between lecturers and students.

The ISHSS offers both Master’s and research Master’s programmes. A research Master’s programme is more focussed on research, and as such offers a thorough preparation for students who wish to pursue a career that is specifically targeted at research. A Master’s programme is designed so it can be completed within one year. A research Master’s should take 2 years to complete and selection is highly competitive.

- Master's Programmes in English: Comparative Labour and Organisation Studies, Conflict Resolution and Governance, Contemporary Asian Studies, European Communication Studies, European Studies, Gender, Sexuality and Society, International Development Studies, International Relations, Migration and Ethnic Studies, Science and Technology Studies, Social Policy and Social Work in Urban Areas, Social Theory and Public Affairs, Urban Studies.

- Research Master's Programmes in English: Communication Science, Human Geography, Planning and Development Studies, Metropolitan Studies, Social Sciences

- During the spring and summer, the ISHSS organises a rising number of summer programmes.

The University of Amsterdam (UvA) has many facilities in the fields of sports, information and culture which are open to the general public. These include the cultural centre CREA, the gallery of the new Special Collections Library, the University Sports Centre and the university restaurants.

Student services include:
- computing (a.o. e-mail, computer centres, wireless internet, Blackboard)
- libraries (one central library, various specialised libraries and a UvA wide digital library)
- cheap/affordable meals at university dining halls
- Bike rental for a semester or a full year
- health services (doctors, dentists, psychological help)
- extra-curricular activities (a.o. excursions, lectures, sports, arts, international student network)

The Universiteit van Amsterdam guarantees housing for one year for all international fee-paying students (both degree and non-degree), provided that these students have submitted their application and related documentation before the relevant application deadline and have paid their tuition fee. In other cases, the university will do the utmost to provide rooms to fee-paying students but success is not guaranteed.

There is a severe housing shortage in the city of Amsterdam. Therefore, it is very difficult to find a room and housing can be quite expensive. However, the Universiteit van Amsterdam has a number of rooms in student residences and supports students in finding rooms on the private market through the University Housing bureau. Fee-paying students of the International School who wish to register for a room have to do so through the ISHSS. As a rule, the ISHSS does not offer housing to Dutch students.

Most university residence halls are in the centre of town and most of the ISHSS student housing is close to the school. The rent for single rooms varies from approximately EUR 390-560 per month; the rent for a shared room is approximately EUR 320 per month.

As a rule, exchange students cannot get housing through the ISHSS. They should contact their exchange co-ordinator.

The Netherlands is located in northwestern Europe. It borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east. In many countries, the Netherlands is often referred to by the name Holland, and even within the Netherlands itself this name is used. The Netherlands is famous for its dikes, windmills, wooden shoes, tulips, bicycles and social tolerance. Its liberal policies (towards drugs and prostitution among other things) receive international attention. The country is host to the International Court of Justice. Amsterdam is the official capital as stated by the constitution, but The Hague is the seat of government, the home of the monarch, and the location for most foreign embassies.

Amsterdam is the well known capital of the Netherlands. Amsterdam has the reputation of being a gateway city that welcomes all sorts of people. Ethnic diversity with all its problems and promises can be experienced everywhere in the streets of Amsterdam. The relaxed and multicultural atmosphere attracts numerous international visitors every year, especially youngsters.

Amsterdam has always been a meeting point of cultures, a stage of international collaboration in trade and intellectual exchange, and an example of political, religious and intellectual tolerance. Today it is also one of the leading providers of international education on the European continent.

Not only geographically located in the heart of the Netherlands, Amsterdam is also the Dutch centre of cultural life. Museums like the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum and the Stedelijk Museum of Modern Art offer exhibitions of national as well as international art. But next to art museums, there are also others like the Amsterdams Historisch Museum (about the History of Amsterdam), the Tropenmuseum (about the tropics), the Anne Frank Huis (where Anne Frank wrote her diary and which has been turned in a museum).

Theatres and concert halls offer a wide range of programmes: from classical theatre plays in the Stadsschouwburg to American stand up comedians, from concerts of Bach in the Concertgebouw to the latest underground music in concert halls like Melkweg and Paradiso.

For sports' fans, Amsterdam has plenty of opportunities to participate and visit sports' games. Amsterdam is for example the home town of the well known soccer club Ajax.