Applying with an international degree

Are you an international student? You need to complete two important steps.

If you hold an international bachelor’s degree and want to apply for the Master’s in Communication Science, you first need to check your eligibility to see if you meet the admission requirements. Once you are eligible, you can start your application.

Step 1 | Eligibility check

This mandatory e-check is for prospective master’s students with an international bachelor’s degree and shows whether you meet the admission requirements. It takes five minutes to check if you are eligible or not. The outcome is only an indication, not an official admission decision. Even if you appear to be ineligible, you can still start your application. The final decision is made by our Admission Office after you submit it.

After submitting the eligibility check, you will receive an email with a code. Keep this code handy, you will need it for step 2.

Step 2 | Start your application

Have you received the code from the eligibility check by email? You can now start your application via the online platform Studielink by following the link in the email.

Note: You can apply even if you have not yet obtained your diploma. In that case, you may be conditionally admitted and will still need to graduate.

Admission requirements for Communication Science

Required diplomas or knowlegde

Bachelor of Science in Communication Science or in a closely related field.
Knowledge of the following topics:
- Digital media
- Network society
- Social networks
- Serious gaming
- Corporate communication
- Public relations
- Organizational communication
- Leadership
- Human-technology interaction
- User experience
- Marketing communication
- Visual communication
- Multisensory design
- Social psychology
- Behavioural change
Research, mathematical, statistical and analytical skills:
- Social science research (empirical cycle, research questions and hypothesis, validity and reliability, research paradigms, formative and summative evaluation)
  - Quantitative communication science research methods (survey, experiment, content analysis, network analysis)
  - Qualitative communication science research methods (interview, focus group, observation, text mining, usability testing)
- Analytical skills, i.e. mathematical skills, which need to be at least Mathematics A or B at pre-university level (Dutch: VWO).
Academic, professional and design skills
- Academic skills (paragraph writing, theoretical framework, scientific literature review, information searching)
- Professional skills (professional writing, corporate visual identity design, press release, spokesman ship, talk show interview, rhetoric and debate, storytelling, workshop design, persuasive shark tank pitches, negotiating, app design)
- Design and visualization skills (infographic, audio visual design, documentary film making, data visualization, animation)

Language skills

Success in your studies requires a high level of English proficiency. Therefore, prospective master's students with an international degree must meet the English language requirement.

Make sure you have obtained a valid English test result before the application deadline. If your application is accompanied by a language test score report with a test date after our application deadline, we will not process it. Therefore, make sure to do the test in advance, as it will take time for you to get the official certificate.

As proof that you meet this requirement, you will be asked in the application procedure to upload one of the requested language certificates below. Only these internationally recognized test results will be accepted. Without a valid certificate, your application cannot be processed.

IELTS (academic) with an overall band score of at least 6.5 (minimal score on each section 6.0) and certificates, not older than two years.
TOEFL iBT (internet-based) with an overall score of 90 (minimal score on each section 21) and certificates, not older than two years. Please note that the University of Twente does not accept the MyBest scores of the TOEFL test.
Cambridge C1 Advanced, formerly known as; Cambridge English Advanced (CAE) obtained with an A, B or C grade.
Cambridge C2 Proficiency, formerly known as; Cambridge English Proficiency (CPE) obtained an A, B or C grade.

Example and verification process

On this page, you can find out how you can arrange the verification process and the example of the required English language certificate.

KEEP IN MIND

The language requirements when applying for a scholarship may be different because scholarship providers may have different requirements.
If you are a native English speaker and / or you have (fully) completed your education in English, you also have to meet the specific English language requirement.

EXEMPTIONS

You are exempted from the English language requirement if you hold:

A relevant bachelor’s degree and/or master's degree from an accredited academic institution in the Netherlands
A three-year bachelor’s degree in Australia, Canada (English-speaking part), Ireland, New Zealand, UK or USA. When your awarding institution is in one of these countries, but your teaching institution was not, you are not exempted. The same rule applies to distance (online) education.
You have English as an exam subject during your secondary education. This exemption depends on your country, please check our country list to make sure if you must do the additional English language test or not. Please note: not every master's programme allows this as an exemption. Please submit your application and your application will be reviewed whether or not an additional English language test is required.

Required documents

Copy of diploma
Motivational letter, explaining why you and the programme are a great fit (max. 2 pages). Give a clear and relevant statement of motivation for one of the specializations.
Transcript of records
Research, mathematical, and analytical skills:
- For candidates that received their Bachelor’s degree in a country that ratified the Lisbon Convention, at least Mathematics A or B at pre-university level (Dutch: VWO) is required. You can find a list with equivalent diplomas here.
English summary of thesis (BSc or MSc)
Resume stating relevant work experience, extracurricular activities, honours or awards obtained (Tip: use the format of Europass to make sure everything is included)