Amsterdam University

Amsterdam University

University of Amsterdam
Universiteit van Amsterdam
Logo of the University of Amsterdam
Latin: Universitas Amstelodami
Established	1632
Type	Public
Endowment	Euro€613.5 million (approx. US$856.1 million)
President	Paul Doop
Rector Magnificus	Dymph van den Boom
Academic staff	2,796
Admin. staff	2,294
Students	32,739
Undergraduates	20,185
Postgraduates	12,554
Location	Amsterdam, North Holland, the Netherlands 52°22′6″N 4°53′25″E / 52.36833°N 4.89028°E / 52.36833; 4.89028
Campus	Urban
Former names	Athenaeum Illustre (1632-1877), Municipal University of Amsterdam (1877-1961)
Colors	Red & Black
Affiliations	LERU, UNICA, EUA, Universitas 21
Website	www.english.uva.nl

The University of Amsterdam is a public research university located in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Founded in 1632 as the Athenaeum Illustre by the scholars Gerardus Vossius and Caspar Barlaeus, it is the third-oldest university in the Netherlands. The UvA is one of Europe's largest research universities with an endowment of €613.5 million, 32,739 students, 5,090 staff, and 7,900 scientific publications each year. It is the largest university in the Netherlands by enrollment and has the second-largest university endowment in the country. The campus of the UvA is located primarily in the City Centre of Amsterdam, with a few faculties located in adjacent bouroghs. The school lies within the largest megalopolis in the Netherlands, the Randstad, with a population of 7.2 million inhabitants.There are seven faculties: Humanities, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Economics and Business, Science, Law, Medicine, and Dentistry. The university offers 59 Bachelor's programs, 133 Master's programs, and 10 postgraduate programs. In addition, the university has developed a strong internationalization program and offers over 58 Master programs taught in English, as well as a number of Dutch and English language courses. Through international collaboration with other universities, the UvA offers exchange options with 200 universities in Europe and 40 institutions outside of Europe and enrolls over 2,500 international students and researchers.

The University of Amsterdam's research history has produced six Nobel Laureates and seven Spinoza Prize winners. In 2011, the university was ranked 63rd in the world, 19th in Europe, and 1st in the Netherlands by the QS World University Rankings. The university was 2nd among Dutch universities, after Erasmus University Rotterdam, in five fields and placed it in the top 50 internationally in seven fields in the 2011 QS World University Rankings by Subject in the fields of Linguistics, Sociology, Philosophy, Geography, Science, Economics & Econometrics, and Accountancy & Finance.

The University of Amsterdam is a member of the League of European Research Universities (LERU), the Institutional Network of the Universities from the Capitals of Europe (UNICA), European University Association (EUA), and Universitas 21.

History

	University of Amsterdam's founders Gerardus Vossius Caspar Barlaeus

Athenaeum Illustre (1632-1877)

In January 1632, the Athenaeum Illustre (Latin - the Illustrious Athenaeum), the predecessor of the University of Amsterdam, was founded in Amsterdam's 15th century Agnietenkapel by two internationally acclaimed scholars, Gerardus Vossius and Caspar Barlaeus. During the 17th century, Leiden University was the only accredited university  in the province of Holland. The government of the city of Amsterdam  decided to establish its own institution of higher education to bring prestige to the city as well as to bring higher education closer to its residents. This brought about the establishment of the city's own institution of higher education, the Athenaeum. Despite its lack of "university" status - meaning the school could not confer doctoral degrees - the Athenaeum Illustre provided thorough training that was equal to other institutions of higher education. After training at the Athenaeum, students had the option of completing their training at a university in another town. The first two professors and founders, Gerardus Vossius, who taught history, and Caspar Barlaeus, who taught philosophy, were recruited from Leiden University. Professors lectured students publicly and tutored privately.At the time, Amsterdam also housed several other institutions of higher education, including the Collegium Chirugicum, which trained surgeons, and other institutions that provided theological courses for the Remonstrant and the Mennonite communities. Amsterdam's large degree of religious freedom allowed for the establishment of these institutions. Students of the Colegium Chirugicum and the theological institutions regularly attended classes at the Athenaeum Illustre. The Athenaeum thus became a training center for city councilors, clergymen, well-to-do citizens, and merchants of Amsterdam during the prosperous Dutch Golden Age.

The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp by Rembrandt shows an anatomy lesson taking place in Amsterdam in 1632, the year the university was founded. Nicolaes Tulp is considered one of the forefathers of the UvA Faculty of Medicine.

The Athenaeum Illustre had its high and low points during the 17th and 18th centuries, but in the 19th century it gained significance. In 1815 it was given the statutory obligation “to disseminate taste, civilization and learning" and “to replace, at least in part, the institutes of higher education and an academic education for those young men whose circumstances unable them to fully spend the time necessary for an academic career at an institute of higher education.” The Athenaeum began offering classes for students attending non-academic professional training in pharmacy and surgery in 1800. The Athenaeum Illustre largely worked together with Amsterdam's theological institutions such as the Evangelisch-Luthers Seminarium (evangelical-Lutheran) and the Klinische School (medical school), the successor to the Collegium Chirurgicum.The Athenaeum remained a small institution until the 19th century, with no more than 250 students and eight professors. Alumni of the Athenaeum include Cornelis Petrus Tiele.

Municipal university (1877-1961)

In 1877, the Athenuem Illustre become the Municipal University of Amsterdam and received the right to confer doctoral degrees. This gave the university the same privileges as national universities while being funded by the city of Amsterdam. The professors and lecturers were appointed by the city council. This resulted in a staff that was in many ways more colorful than the staffs of national universities. During its time as a municipal university, the university flourished, in particular in the science department, which counted many Nobel prize winners: Tobias Asser, Christiaan Eijkman, Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff, Johannes Diderik van der Waals, Pieter Zeeman, and Frits Zernike.

The University of Amsterdam's municipal status brought about the relatively early addition of the faculties of Economics and Social Sciences. After the World War II the dramatic rise in the cost of university education put a constraint on the university’s growth.

Buildings of the University of Amsterdam. The front building houses the Academic Club of the University

National university (1961-present)

In 1961 the national government made the university a national university, giving it its current name, the University of Amsterdam. Funding was now given by the national government instead of the city and the appointment of professors was transferred to the Board of Governors. The city of Amsterdam retained a limited influence until 1971, when the appointment was handed over to the Executive Board.During May 1969, the university became the focus of nationwide news when the UvA's administrative center at the Maagdenhuis was occupied by hundreds of students who wanted more democratic influence in educational and administrative matters. The protest lasted for days and was eventually broken up by the police. During the 1970s and 1980s, the university was often the target of nationwide student actions.The university saw considerable expansion since becoming a national university, from 7,500 students in 1960 to over 32,000 in 2010. In 2007, the UvA undertook the construction of the Science Park Amsterdam, a 70 hectare campus to house the Faculty of Science along with the new University Sports Center. Much of the park has now been completed. The University of Amsterdam began working in close collaboration with the Hogeschool van Amsterdam to allow students from the UvA and HvA to take classes at both schools through an integrated curriculum. In 2008, the University of Amsterdam and VU University jointly founded the Amsterdam University College (AUC), an interuniversity institute that offers a three-year Bachelor (Honors) program in the Liberal Arts and Sciences.

University logo

The current logo of the University of Amsterdam consists of a black square with three white Saint Andrew's Crosses and a white "U." This an adaptation of the coat of arms of Amsterdam which also uses a black background and three white or silver Saint Andrew's Crosses. The three Saint Andrew's Crosses have been said to represent the three plagues of Amsterdam: fire, floods, and the Black Death. Another rumor is that they represent three fords in the River Amstel. These two explanations have no historical basis, however. It is believed by historians that the coat of arms of Amsterdam is derived from the coat of arms of Jan Persijn, the lord of Amsterdam between 1280 and 1282. The "U" represents the word "university" while the colors and three crosses represent the city of Amsterdam.

Academics

The Oudemanhuispoort building houses the Faculty of Law.

The university is accredited by the Netherland's Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, which grants accreditation to institutions who meet a national system of regulations and quality assurance controls. The Ministry has given it WO, or research university status. Dutch students must complete a six year preparatory program to gain admission to national research universities. Only fifteen percent of students pass this preparatory program.

In terms of tuition in 2011-2012, EU students are charged €1,713 per year for both Bachelor's and Master's programs and non-EU students are charged between €9,000-€11,000 per year for Bachelor's programs and €10,500-€25,000 for Master's and Doctoral programs. Costs for non-EU students varies depending on the faculty of matriculation. In terms of scholarships, the university offers UvA Amsterdam Merit Scholarships, scholarships through the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, Dutch Study Grants, and various European scholarships.

Collectively the faculties offer 59 Bachelor's programs, 133 Master's programs, and 10 postgraduate programs. The university awarded 2,565 propaedeutic, 3,204 Bachelor's, 3,990 Master's, 438 Doctoral, 242 Post-Doctoral degrees in 2009-2010, and 10,438 total degrees in 2009-2010. Throughout its long history, professors and alumni at the University of Amsterdam have been honored with numerous research awards including six Nobel Prize winners and seven Spinoza Prize winners. The school's academic year lasts from early September until mid-July and is divided into two 20-week semesters. The first of these ends in late January and the second begins in early February. There are no mid-term breaks, only a short holiday around Christmas and New Year as well as Dutch National holidays.

Student Body

In 2010, the university had an enrollment of 32,739 students: 20,185 undergraduate students, 9,361 master's students, 1,235 doctoral students, and 412 post-doctoral students.  Of all students, 93.4% are Dutch citizens and 6.6% are international students.  The UvA has over 2,500 international students and researchers that come from over 100 countries.  Full-time students comprised 91% of the student body.  In 2010 students were enrolled in 7 faculties and the Amsterdam University College: 24% in Humanities, 13% in Law, 7% in Medicine, 1% in Dentistry, 11% in Science, 13% in Economics & Business, 30% in Social & Behavioral Sciences, and 0.5% in the Amsterdam University College. Overall, 20% of students in bachelor's programs complete their degree within three years, 48% in four years, and 69% in five years; 71% of master's students completed their degree in two years. Students on average successfully complete 44 ECTS credits during the academic year. In 2007, 88% of master's and doctoral graduates went on to become paying jobs, with an additional 5% going on to continue their education within 1.5 years of graduating.

Faculties

The university is divided into seven faculties, with each faculty headed by a dean. The faculties include the Faculties of Humanities, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Economics and Business, Science, Law, Medicine, and Dentistry. Students must be admitted to the faculty of their program before beginning their studies.

Faculty of Science

The Faculty of Science consists of four departments with 1200 researchers and lecturers operating in eight research institutes. The main faculty buildings are located on the Science Park Amsterdam campus. The faculty was ranked number one in the Netherlands and 47th internationally in 2011.

In terms of research, the faculty produced 1,445 academic publications in 2009.

The Amsterdam Academic Medical Center

Faculty of Humanities

The Faculty of Humanities comprises six departments: Dutch studies, History, Archaeology and Area studies, Language and Literature, Media studies, Philosophy, and Art, Religion, and Cultural studies. With over 6000 students and about 1000 employees, it is the largest humanities faculty in the Netherlands. It was established in 1997 after a merger of the Faculty of Language and Culture, the Faculty of Theology and the Faculty of Philosophy. In 2011, the faculty was ranked number one in the Netherlands for Philosophy and Linguistics with international ranking in these areas of 37th and 22nd respectively. In terms of research, the faculty produced 726 academic publications in 2009.

Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences

The Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences is the largest educational and research institution in the social and behavioural sciences in the Netherlands. The faculty has approximately 10,000 students and 1,200 staff members. The Faculty is home to six departments: Political Science, Sociology and Anthropology, Communication Science, Psychology, Social Geography, Planning and International Development Studies, and Educational sciences. The faculty was ranked the best in the Netherlands in 2011 for Sociology and Geography with international rankings in these areas of 33rd and 40th respectively. In terms of research, the faculty produced 1,366 academic publications in 2009.

Faculty of Economics and Business

The words Athenaeum Illustre on the gate of the Agnietenkapel refer to the university's predecessor.

The Faculty of Economics and Business  was established in 1922. The FEB, which includes the Amsterdam School of Economics (ASE) and the Amsterdam Business School (ABS), currently has around 4,000 students and nearly 600 staff. It was ranked 44th in Economics & Econometrics and 45 in Accountancy & Finance among world universities.  In terms of research, the faculty produced 517 academic publications in 2009.

Faculty of Law

The Faculty of Law is housed in the Oudemanhuispoort, a historic building dating from 1602 situated in the center of Amsterdam. It has approximately 3,500 students and 350 staff members. The Faculty offers eight LLM programs, of which two are taught in English. In addition the Faculty offers three advanced LLM programs, which are all taught in English. Research at the Faculty is undertaken by five research institutes which specialize in the following areas: International law, Private law, Environmental law, Labor law, and Information law. In terms of research, the faculty produced 412 academic publications in 2009.

Faculty of Medicine

The Faculty of Medicine , each year, approximately 350 first-year students begin their study of medicine at the Academic Medical Center. The first, four-year phase consists mainly of thematic teaching. The second, two-year phase consists of training internships in and outside of the AMC. In terms of research, the faculty produced 3,206 academic publications in 2009.

Faculty of Dentistry

The Academic Center for Dentistry in Amsterdam was founded in 1984 through a merger of the two dentistry faculties of the Universiteit of Amsterdam and the Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam. ACTA conducts scientific research, teaches, and provides patient care in the field of dentistry. ACTA is one of the largest dentistry education and training programs in the world, with 500 staff members, an annual new-student enrollment of 128 and a total student body of 1000. It consists of three departments. In terms of research, the faculty produced 228 academic publications in 2009.

The Binnengasthuis area

The Oost-Indisch Huis building

The Allard Pierson Museum

Courses

Faculty of Economics and Business

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• Accountancy & Control (MSc)
• Actuarial Science and Mathematical Finance (MSc)
• Business Economics (MSc)
• Business Studies (MSc)
• Econometrics (MSc)
• Economics (MPhil)
• Economics (MSc)
• Operations Research (MSc)

 Faculty of Humanities

• American Studies (MA)
• Artistic Research (MA)
• Biblical Studies (MA)
• Cultural Analysis (MA)
• Discourse and Argumentation Studies (MA)
• Dutch Art (MA)
• English Language (MA)
• Erasmus Mundus MA in International Performance Research
• European Studies: Identity and Integration (MA)
• Film Studies (MA)
• General Linguistics (MA)
• Hebrew Language and Culture (MA)
• Holocaust and Genocide Studies (MA)
• Linguistics (research MA)
• Literary Studies (Research MA)
• MA Rhetoric, Argumentation Theory and Philosophy (RAP)
• Media Studies (Research MA)
• Modern Greek Language and Culture (MA)
• Musicology (MA)
• Mysticism and Western Esotericism (MA)
• New Media (MA)
• Philosophy (MA) 
•  Philosophy (Research MA)
• Preservation and Presentation of the Moving Image (Professional MA) 
• Religious Studies (MA) 
• Religious Studies (Research MA) 
• Slavonic Languages and Cultures (MA) 
• Television Studies (MA) 
• Theatre Studies (MA)

Faculty of Law

• European Private Law (LLM)
• International and European Law (LLM)
• International and European Law: track European Union Law (LLM)
• International and European Law: track International Trade and Investment Law (LLM)
• International and European Law: track Public International Law (LLM)
• International and European Law: track track European Competition Law and Regulation (LLM)
• International Criminal Law (LLM)
• Public International Law (Research LLM) 

Faculty of Medicine (AMC-UvA)

• Biomedical Sciences (MSc)
• Biomedical Sciences: track Immunology (MSc)
• Biomedical Sciences: track Medical Biochemistry (MSc)
• Biomedical Sciences: track Medical Biology (MSc)
• Biomedical Sciences: track Oncology (MSc)
• Medical Informatics (MSc)

Faculty of Science

• Artificial Intelligence - Gaming (MSc)
• Artificial Intelligence - Intelligent Systems (MSc)
• Artificial Intelligence - Learning Systems (MSc)
• Artificial Intelligence - Natural Language Processing and Learning (MSc)
• Artificial Intelligence (MSc)
• Artificial Intelligence: Web Information Processing (MSc)
• Astronomy and Astrophysics (MSc)
• Atomic Scale Modelling of Physical, Chemical, and Biomolecular Systems
• Biological Sciences (MSc)
• Biological Sciences: track Ecology and Evolution (MSc)
• Biological Sciences: track General Biology (MSc)
• Biological Sciences: track Integrative Plant Sciences (MSc)
• Biological Sciences: track Limnology and Oceanography (MSc)
• Brain and Cognitive Sciences (MSc)
• Chemistry (MSc)
• Chemistry: track Analytical Sciences (MSc)
• Chemistry: track Molecular Design, Synthesis and Catalyst (MSc)
• Chemistry: track Molecular Simulation and Photonics (MSc)
• Earth Sciences (MSc)
• Earth Sciences: Environmental Management (MSc)
• Earth Sciences: Geo-ecological Dynamics (MSc)
• Forensic Science (MSc)
• Grid Computing: track Computational Sciences
• Grid Computing: track Computer Science (MSc)
• Information Studies: Business Information Systems (BIS) (MSc)
• Information Studies: Human Centred Multimedia (MSc)
• Life Sciences: Systems Biology (MSc)
• Logic (MSc)
• Mathematical Physics (MSc)
• Mathematics (MSc)
• Physics (MSc)
• Stochastics and Financial Mathematics (MSc)
• System and Network Engineering (MSc)

Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences

• Amsterdam Master in Medical Anthropology
• Communication Science (Research MSc)
• Communication Science: Youth and Media (MSc)
• Comparative Organisation and Labour Studies (MSc)
• Conflict Resolution and Governance (MSc)
• Contemporary Asian Studies (MSc)
• Cultural Sociology (MSc Sociology)
• Educational Sciences (Research MSc)
• Erasmus Mundus Master in Journalism, Media and Globalisation (MSc)
• European Union in a Global Order (MSc)
• Gender, Sexuality and Society (MSc)
• Human Geography MSc
• International Development Studies (MSc)
• International Migration and Social Cohesion (Erasmus Mundus Masters)
• International Relations (MSc)
• Master Urban and Regional Planning
• Medical Anthropology and Sociology (MSc)
• Metropolitan Studies (Research MSc)
• Migration and Ethnic Studies (MSc)
• MSc Amsterdam Master in Medical Anthropology (AMMA)
• MSc Political Geographies
• MSc Urban Geographies
• Persuasive Communication (MSc)
• Political Communication (MSc)
• Psychology (Research MSc)
• Social Policy and Social Work in Urban Areas (MSc)
• Social Sciences (Research MSc)
• Social Theory and Public Affairs (MSc)
• Urban Sociology (MSc)

Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics

• Computational Bio-and Physical Geography
• Earth and Environmental Sciences
• Earth Surface Processes
• Ecology and Evolution
• Environmental Sciences
• General Biology
• Landscape Ecology
• Limnology and Oceanography

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University rankings

University rankings
Ranking	World	Europe	National
QS World University Rankings	63	19	1
Times Higher Education	92	30	3
ARWU	102	32	3
High Impact Universities RPI	60	9	2
Leiden Ranking	51	18	4
URAP	58	16	2
European Research Ranking		60	7

On a subject basis the QS World University Rankings ranked the university 29th in Arts & Humanities, 69th in Natural Sciences, 123rd in Engineering & IT, and 15th in the Life Sciences. In five areas, the university was ranked 1st among Dutch universities in the 2011 QS World University Rankings by Subject and was ranked in the top 50 internationally in seven fields. This includes Linguistics (22nd worldwide), Sociology (33rd), Philosophy (37th), Geography (40th), Science (47th), Economics & Econometrics (44th), and Accountancy & Finance (45th). QS rated areas within the disciplines of Social Sciences, Engineering & Technology, Life Sciences & Medicine, Natural Science, and Arts and Humanities. Of the 21 subjects studied, the UvA had 20 in the top 100.

The Times Higher Education World University Rankings ranked the University of Amsterdam 30th in Arts & Humanities and 40th in Social Sciences, making it the highest ranking Dutch university in these fields and the highest ranking continental European university in the Social Sciences. The CHE Excellence Ranking rated the school excellent in all seven categories for research, making it the only Dutch institution to accomplish this distinction. According to the Research Performance Index, also known as the High Impact Universities ranking, the UvA ranked 65th in the world for Arts, Humanities, Business, and Social Sciences, 43rd for Medicine, 127 for Natural Science and Mathematics, 88th for Engineering and Technology, and 71st for Life Sciences.

Research

The University Library (UBA) is the UvA's main library.

The University of Amsterdam is one of Europe's largest research universities, with over 7,900 scientific publications in 2010. Every year, the UvA spends about €100 million on research via direct funding. It receives an additional €23 million via indirect funding and about €49 million from commercial partners. Faculty members often receive research prizes and grants, such as those from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO). Research is organized into fifteen research priority areas and 28 research institutes within the faculties oversee this research.

The University of Amsterdam has an extensive central University Library (UBA), with over four million volumes. In addition, a number of departments have their own libraries. The Library of the UvA is located in the city center. It contains over four million books, 70,000 manuscripts, 500,000 letters, and 125,000 maps. In the UBA, one can find the special collections of the Department of Rare and Precious Works, the Manuscript and Writing Museum, the Bibliotheca Rosenthaliana on Jewish history and culture, and the Department of Documentation on Social Movements. Three reading rooms are available for students to study in quiet. In addition to the main University Library, there are approximately 70 departmental libraries spread throughout the center of Amsterdam. The university's printing arm, the Amsterdam University Press, has a publishing list of over 1,400 titles in both Dutch and English.In addition to its libraries, the UvA has five museums. These include the Allard Pierson Museum, which houses antiquities from Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, the Near East, and central Italy during the time between 4000 BCE and 500 CE; the University Museum, with collections showing the history of the Uva from 1632 until present; the Museum Vrolik, which houses anatomical, zoological and teratological specimens; The J.A. Dortmond Museum of Script which has exhibits showing the history of writing in the West from 3000 BCE to today; the UvA Computer Museum which houses displays showing how computers of the past worked and how calculations were made before the presence of the electronic computer; the Zoological Museum Amsterdam at the Amsterdam Artis Zoo contains collection of millions of shells, insects, mammals, birds, fishes and other animals used in scientific research.

An ancient Egyptian sarcophagus in the Allard Pierson Museum dating from around 1000 BCE

Research at the University of Amsterdam

The University of Amsterdam has an outstanding reputation for research at both the national and international level. The quality assessments carried out by formal evaluators, the UvA's success in competing for national and international research funding and the fact that the UvA is a respected partner in many collaborative international research projects all attest to the quality of its researchers. The University of Amsterdam is a member of the prestigious European League of Research Universities, which also includes the Universities of Leiden and Utrecht.  

DoctoratesIn recent years, the number of doctorates conferred by the University of Amsterdam has risen to over 330 per year. The University's thriving doctoral programmes provide an excellent foundation for high-quality research and education.

Research Perspective of the University of AmsterdamThe University of Amsterdam is an old university with a modern, international focus, offering tuition and research opportunities in a wide and comprehensive range of disciplines. In addition to its annual internal research budget of around €80 million, faculty members and institutes are often successful in securing prestigious external grants, such as those awarded by the NWO (Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research).The Research Perspective of the University of Amsterdam, adopted by the Executive Board on 14 September 2006, maps out the course the UvA seeks to follow in terms of research in the coming years. A revised (Dec. 2008) English translation of the Research Perspective can be downloaded below.

Research publications
There are several databases at the University of Amsterdam which enable you to browse academic publications:

• UvA-DARE (UvA staff publications)
• UvA Dissertations Online (doctoral theses)
• Promise of Science (doctoral theses)

Research priority areas at the UvA

The University of Amsterdam (UvA) is a first-class research university. To sustain and build on this position, the UvA has designated 15 fields in which it wishes to actively foster further development.

These so-called research priority areas represent the very best the UvA has to offer in terms of research. They are also areas in which the UvA is a leader worldwide. The programmes are run by the UvA's thriving research institutes, which receive external grants and attract renowned researchers and outstanding students.A quarter of all research conducted at the UvA is organised within these priority areas. Other UvA research, often extremely valuable in its own right, falls outside this category. At a time when financial resources are limited and more apt to contract than expand, the UvA is taking this approach in order to both safeguard and promote the pursuit of excellent research.
Below is an overview of the selected research priority areas. Click on the links for details about the research and the faculty/faculties involved.

Introduction to the research priority areas

1. Global Health and Development
2. Systems Biology
3. Brain and Cognitive Sciences
4. Cultural Heritage and Identity
5. Cultural Transformations and Globalisation
6. Oral Inflammation and Infection
7. Bioengineering
8. Astroparticle Physics
9. Urban Studies
10. Behavioural Economics
11. Corporate Governance
12. Information Law
13. The International Rule of Law
14. Private and Public European Law

World-class research

Research Perspective of the University of Amsterdam

The University of Amsterdam published its Research Perspective in late 2006. This Research Perspective maps out the key aspects of the course the UvA will take in terms of research in the coming years. These key features have been included in the 2007-2010 Strategic Plan.
The Research Perspective can be downloaded in PDF format at the link below.

Summary

Three basic assumptions define the University of Amsterdam’s research profile:

1. The UvA is a top-quality research university;
2. The UvA nurtures its research talent;
3. Research at the UvA is driven by curiosity and has social relevance.

This means that at the UvA, the selection of research priority areas is inspired chiefly by the researcher’s interests, without losing sight of the social context. Interfaculty, interdisciplinary research and innovative research are especially encouraged.The quality of UvA research is monitored using internal and external assessments. The results of these assessments form the foundation for research policy. The UvA promotes a policy of conducting research within a national context. To stimulate research quality, the UvA will provide incentives for research groups that perform well.

Excellent researchers are needed for excellent research quality. The UvA wants to recognise and invest in research talent in the early stages. That is why the University encourages its students to carry out research as early as possible and research Master’s programmes are being developed for all disciplines. It is expected that these measures will improve the link with the doctorate programmes. In order to ensure an optimum link-up with doctoral programmes and achieve better doctorate results while reducing the amount of time needed for obtaining a doctorate, research Master’s programmes will be run by the Graduate Schools. By facilitating increased transfer options, the UvA becomes an more appealing employer.The UvA’s research perspective is positioned in a national and international context. At the international level, the European Union has the ambition to develop into one of most dynamic and competitive knowledge societies in the world by 2010. Similarly, the Netherlands has set itself the goal of becoming one of the three most competitive economies in the European Union by 2010. Universities need to capitalise on the government’s wish for increased competition between universities as well as more focus and substance in research. The latter requires more intensive cooperation between universities.

Academic awards

Nobel Prize and Spinoza Prize winners

The UvA has a long-standing tradition of world-class research, particularly in the natural sciences, with Nobel laureates like Van 't Hoff, Van der Waals Zeeman and. Spinoza Prizes, the ‘Dutch Nobel Prizes', have been awarded to Prof. Ed van de Heuvel (Astronomy, 1995), Prof. Johan van Benthem (Logic, 1996), Prof. Ronald Plasterk (Molecular Biology, 1999) and Prof. Daan Frenkel (Macromolecular Simulations, 2000).

Recent Spinoza Prizes for Prof. Robbert Dijkgraaf (Physics, 2003), Prof. Michiel van der Klis (Astronomy, 2004), Prof. Lex Schrijver (Mathematics, 2005) and Joep Leerssen (Modern European Literature, 2008) show that this tradition continues. Moreover, two UvA scientists won the prestigious Spinoza Prize in 2011: communication scientist Patti Valkenburg and physicist Erik Verlinde. They will each receive 2.5 million euros.

Prof. P.M. (Patti) Valkenburg

Patti Valkenburg (1958), professor of Youth and Media at the UvA, performs groundbreaking research into youth and the media. She has developed a unique interdisciplinary specialisation which straddles the boundaries between education, psychology and communication science. Valkenburg is the most productive and one of the most widely quoted communication scientists in Europe.

Valkenburg studies, among other things, the consequences of internet use on the social lives of children and teenagers. She also investigates how media use, genetic predisposition and family and friends influence the development of cognitive skills, ADHD and aggression. Valkenburg is also active in the public sphere. She was one of the initiators of the ‘Kijkwijzer’ (the classification system for film, programmes and video games in the Netherlands) and has written many books about young people and the media, including Vierkante Ogen and Beeldschermkinderen (Square eyes and Children's Responses to the Screen).

Valkenburg only started her academic training (in Education and Child Studies) at Leiden University when she was 30, where she graduated cum laude just 2 years later. She subsequently obtained her doctorate - also cum laude -  from Leiden University in 1995. She has worked at the University of Amsterdam since 1995, and was appointed professor of Youth and Media in 1998. In the twelve years since her appointment, Valkenburg has expanded her research group from 1 person (herself) to 22 researchers, using only externally acquired funding. Her research centre CCAM - Center of Research on Children, Adolescents, and the Media - is the largest of its kind in the world. In 2011, the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences of the UvA appointed Patti Valkenburg as Distinguished Research Professor in view of her exceptional research qualities.

Prof. E.P. (Erik) Verlinde

Verlinde (1962) is a theoretical physicist at the UvA. He investigates the building blocks of the universe. He is an internationally celebrated expert on the string theory, a theory that unifies gravity and quantum mechanics. Experts describe Verlinde as creative, ingenious and ambitious.

Verlinde has four major breakthroughs to his name. As a young PhD student he achieved world fame with his Verlinde formula that is now widely used by mathematicians and physicists. Together with his twin brother Herman, Edward Witten and Robbert Dijkgraaf, Verlinde formulated the Witten-Dijkgraaf-Verlinde-Verlinde equation. This is used by string theoreticians in their calculations. In 2000, Verlinde developed the Cardy-Verlinde formula and he was recently in the spotlight with his theory to explain gravity. Verlinde proposes that gravity is not a fundamental force but rather an amalgamation of other forces. If Verlinde’s gravitational theory is correct, then that will have huge consequences for how we think about the universe and its evolution.

Erik Verlinde studied physics at the University of Utrecht. He did his PhD research in the Utrecht group of Bernard de Wit and Nobel Prize winner Gerard ‘t Hooft. After gaining his PhD in 1988, Verlinde spent several years at Princeton, the top institute in his field of study. In 1993, Verlinde accepted a tenured position at CERN and in 1996 Utrecht University appointed him professor of Physics. In 1999, he was also awarded a professorship at Princeton University. Since 2003, Verlinde has been professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Amsterdam.

Joep Leerssen

Joep Leerssen (1955), UvA professor of European Studies, in particular Modern European Literature, was the winner of the Spinoza Prize in 2008. Leerssen received the prize  for, among other things, his innovative contribution to imagology and Irish Studies and his outstanding research on cultural nationalism. He has made a unique contribution to the research field of European studies. He examines ideas about national identity and pays special attention to literary source material. Leerssen is an inspiring leader, according to the review committee, and plays a central role within a very productive research field. With the publication of his book National Thought in Europe (Amsterdam University Press, 2006), he has established an international reputation.

Lex Schrijver, winner Spinoza Prize 2005

Lex Schrijver (2005)

Professor Lex Schrijver (b. 1948) is a researcher at the Centrum voor Wiskunde en Informatica (Centre for Mathematics and Computer Science) in Amsterdam, and a professor of Mathematics and Optimalisation at the UvA. He received the Spinoza Prize in 2005 for his innovative and inspiring research in the field of combinatorialism and algorithmics, a field of study in which researchers seek answers to questions such as: how do you distribute frequencies between various mobile phone transmitters? How do you arrange a train schedule so that there are enough seats for all passengers? How do you make the connections in a microchip function?One of Schrijver's major contributions is that he has written much-needed books which have contributed to forming a coherent discipline from what 25 years ago was a set of interesting but largely isolated questions. His classic three-volume work Combinatorial Optimization - Polyhedra and Efficiency (2003) enjoys worldwide importance.

Michiel van der Klis, winner Spinoza Prize 2004

Michiel van der Klis (2004)

UvA astronomer Professor Michiel van der Klis was awarded the Spinoza Prize in 2004 for his innovative research on the roentgen radiation of double stars. Double stars are two stars rotating around each other. A small percentage of such stars contains a neutron star or a black hole, the two most extreme material phenomena in the known universe. Van der Klis studied how matter moves within the strong gravity of neutron stars and black holes, which not only provides details about their mass, radius and rotation speed, but also offers insight into the theory of general relativity.

Robbert Dijkgraaf, winner Spinoza Prize 2003

Robbert Dijkgraaf (2003)

Professor Robbert Dijkgraaf won the Spinoza Prize in 2003. Dijkgraaf was awarded the prestigious prize for his mathematically-oriented contributions to string theory. String theory is at the forefront of theoretical physics research into the fundamental laws governing our universe, and is the principal candidate for a quantummechanic description of gravity. Such a rediscription is necessary because current theories, in particular the theory of relativity, are incomplete.

Outstanding research groups

The quality of academic research at the University of Amsterdam is evident from the third-party evaluations conducted by the Association of Universities in the Netherlands (VSNU). The VSNU has designated a number of UvA research groups as excellent, including those in the following fields:

• Astronomy
• Biology and Medical Biology
• Chemistry
• Cultural Anthropology
• Economics
• Experimental Physics
• Genetics
• Information Law
• Life Sciences and Genomics
• Linguistics
• Logic
• Mathematics
• Pedagogical Sciences
• Philosophy
• Psychology
• Religious Studies
• Theoretical Physics

Research evaluations

Since 2003, evaluations of the research at Dutch universities have been carried out on the basis of a national protocol, the Standard Evaluation Protocol (SEP). This protocol lays down the agreements on the evaluation of publicly funded research in the Netherlands that Dutch universities have made with the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) and the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO). The SEP specifies that research will be evaluated per institute every six years by independent external experts. The UvA has also adopted  the SEP's specifications within its own in-house research evaluations.
The reports containing the assessment results are public. Below you can download the assessment reports of the evaluations of UvA research which have been carried out since the introduction of the SEP.

Research Assessment Computer Science : 

http://www.english.uva.nl/template/downloadAsset.cfm?objectid=964790FA-1321-B0BE-689E4097185FE8E7

Research Assessment Mathematics :

http://www.english.uva.nl/template/downloadAsset.cfm?objectid=964A30F8-1321-B0BE-68E58F03B9739E62

Research Assessment Medical Sciences : 

http://www.english.uva.nl/template/downloadAsset.cfm?objectid=964AE2C3-1321-B0BE-68D9B91E87690DFB

Research Assessment Physics : 

http://www.english.uva.nl/template/downloadAsset.cfm?objectid=964B6D21-1321-B0BE-683E242EA3394D05

Research Review Psychology :

http://www.english.uva.nl/template/downloadAsset.cfm?objectid=96758936-1321-B0BE-6885A4885FDF993C

Reports to be received in the near future

• Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics
• Institute for Logic, Language and Computation
• Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences
• Arts and Humanities (a single report assessing the Institute of Culture and History, the Amsterdam Center for Language and Communication and the Amsterdam School for Cultural Analysis)
• Research Institute of ACTA
• Amsterdam institute for Metropolitan and International Development Studies
• Institute for Migration and Ethnic Studies
• Amsterdam School for Social Sciences Research
• Van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences
• Amsterdam Business School Research Institute
• Research Institute in Economics and Econometrics Amsterdam

PhD at the UvA

With over 30,000 students and 6,000 staff members (employed in teaching positions, research and related support functions) the University of Amsterdam (UvA) is of one of Europe’s major universities.The UvA is ranked among the world’s best universities for fundamental academic research in a broad range of disciplines, and is also highly successful in competing for external research funding, at both national and international level. Along with the universities of Leiden and Utrecht and other top European universities including Cambridge and Oxford, the UvA is a member of the League of European Research Universities (LERU).The UvA offers doctoral candidates an appealing international research environment that allows them to optimally develop their research talent and provides excellent educational opportunities. The UvA is characterised by a discerning, creative and international environment, a welcoming atmosphere and a deep engagement with the city and society in which it is based.The UvA (including the AMC, its medical centre) has approximately 2,000 doctoral candidates. Each year, approximately 400 doctorates are conferred, of which two thirds are in the fields of natural sciences and medicine. The UvA offers doctoral programmes in all disciplines.Students that have obtained their Master’s degree are in principle eligible for a doctoral position. Full-time doctoral programmes last at least three or four years and consist mainly of independent research activities. Doctoral candidates may also be assigned teaching tasks. Research results are presented in the form of a doctoral thesis which must be defended before a doctoral committee in a public setting.

How do you obtain a PhD at the UvA?

There are several ways to obtain a PhD. Most PhD candidates in the Netherlands are not students but employees of the university. The primary criterion for admission to a PhD programme is the quality of the candidate.
Candidates can obtain a PhD:
1) as an employee of the UvA.  Job vacancies can be found via the links below. If the UvA cannot employ you, you may want to look for funding in your own country or apply for a private scholarship (see 2)
2) on a scholarship, for example from a foreign government, an international organisation or a Dutch fund. Candidates must arrange their own scholarships. The UvA does not award scholarships.
3) as an external PhD candidate. In this case, you will work on your PhD thesis in your own time, and it will be self-financed or paid for by another employer.  The thesis is written under the supervision of a UvA professor. You are responsible for finding a professor who is willing to act as a supervisor.
If you have a scholarship, or if you want to pursue a PhD as an external candidate,  you can contact the faculty for more information on opportunities, conditions and entry requirements. See the details of the faculty contact persons.

Procedure for obtaining a PhD at the UvA

The procedure, tasks and responsibilities associated with a doctorate are set out in the University of Amsterdam’s General Doctorate Regulations. The procedure that the doctoral candidate must follow is illustrated below in the form of step-by-step instructions.
This procedure only applies to doctoral candidates that already have a doctoral position. If you do not yet have one, please consult the instructions for finding a doctoral position.
Before a doctoral candidate can commence a doctoral programme, the candidate’s eligibility for admission to prepare for a doctoral thesis must first be determined. The candidate must demonstrate that he or she satisfies the statutory educational entry requirement by presenting the required certificates. Exemptions from this requirement are possible in certain cases. The Doctorate Board is authorised to grant exemptions to persons not holding the required certificates. The procedure for obtaining an exemption are included in the Doctorate Regulations and in the step-by-step instructions.
The Doctorate Board assigns a maximum of two principal doctoral thesis supervisors and, in certain cases, a maximum of three co-supervisors to each doctorate. The principal doctoral thesis supervisor(s) and co-supervisor(s) must approve the manuscript. The doctoral committee, established by the Doctorate Board, decides whether the doctoral candidate is allowed to defend the thesis, after which it may be printed. During the final stage of the programme, from the moment the doctorate conferral date is set, you can contact the Office of the Beadle with any questions you may have. The thesis will be defended in public in the presence of the doctoral committee during the doctoral thesis defence ceremony.

Step-by-step instructions

The doctoral procedure is contained in a convenient schedule that sets out the steps to be followed by the doctoral candidate and indicates the documents required. The step-by-step instructions (see pdf below) refer as much as possible to related documents and the Doctorate Regulations.
The step-by-step instructions only allow two weeks for the printing of the doctoral thesis. It is advisable to plan additional time for the printing of the doctoral thesis and to ensure that you submit your doctoral thesis to the doctoral committee more than three months (12 weeks) before the planned doctorate conferral date. Neither guarantees nor rights may be derived from the periods indicated below. It is important that the request relating to the composition of the doctoral committee be submitted to the Doctorate Board in good time so a provisional doctorate conferral date can be set.

Step-by-step instructions :
http://www.english.uva.nl/template/downloadAsset.cfm?objectid=088A2485-F35E-435B-94090B0228B3EA97

The PhD Researchers Association (UvApro)

The PhD Researchers Association (UvApro) is a group of PhD researchers who strive to ensure good terms of employment and provision of information for PhD students at the University of Amsterdam (UvA). They also help answer questions and solve problems that these students may have. UvApro consults with various official bodies within the UvA, such as the Executive Board, as well as collaborating with associations at other universities within the PhD Network of the Netherlands (Promovendi Netwerk Nederland, PNN). In this way, they form a united front in bringing important issues to the attention of government.

Research institutes

All research institutes

• Law
• Humanities
• Social and Behavioural Sciences
• Economics and Business
• Science

All research institutes

1. Amsterdam Research Institute for Legal Studies
2. Academic Centre for Dentistry in Amsterdam
3. Amsterdam Business School Research Institute
4. Amsterdam Center for Language and Communication (ACLC)
5. Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research (AISSR)
6. Amsterdam School for Cultural Analysis (ASCA)
7. Amsterdam School of Communications Research (ASCoR)
8. ASE Research Institute
9. Astronomical Institute Anton Pannekoek
10. Informatics Institute
11. Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics
12. Institute for Logic, Language and Computation (ILLC)
13. Institute of Culture and History (ICH)
14. Institute of Physics
15. Instituut voor Taalonderzoek en Taalonderwijs Anderstaligen (ITTA)
16. Korteweg-de Vries Institute for Mathematics
17. Psychology Research Institute
18. Research Institute of Child Development and Education (CDE)
19. Research institutes AMC-UvA
20. Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences
21. Van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences

Campus

As a metropolitan institution, the University of Amsterdam has always been housed in old and new buildings scattered throughout the capital. Because the UvA is not a separate, secluded campus, students and native Amsterdamers readily mix, which allows Amsterdam to maintain close cultural and academic ties to the school. The majority of the UvA's buildings lie in the heart of Amsterdam, with only the faculties of Science, Medicine and Dentistry located outside the City Centre. The university lies within the largest megalopolis in the Netherlands, the Randstad, with a population 7.2 million inhabitants.

City Center

The administration of the school, most of the faculties, and the majority of student housing are located in the historic City Centre of Amsterdam, within the canal ring which is itself a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The facilities in this area date from as early as the 15th century to the 21st-century. Architectural styles represented include the Dutch Renaissance, Dutch Baroque, Art Deco, Amsterdam School, and International style. The Agnietenkapel, Maagdenhuis, Oost-Indisch Huis, Bushuis, and Oudemanhuispoort are designated as Rijksmonuments (national monuments). The 15th century Agnietenkapel, where the university was founded was first constructed as a monastery chapel around 1470, but was later converted for use by the Athenaeum Illustre in 1631. The Agnes Gate in front of the Agnietenkapel is a major symbol of the university and dates back to 1571. It was renovated and moved to its current location in 1631. Another area is a former hospital converted into university buildings, the Binnengasthuis, which is considered the heart of the UvA. The Maagdenhuis is the current headquarters of the UvA and HvA administration. The building was built between 1783–1787 and was formerly an orphanage. The Oost-Indisch Huis, the former headquarters of the Dutch East India Company was built in 1606 and now used by the UvA. The Oudemanhuispoort was made a university building in 1880. It was constructed in 1602 as a retirement house and now houses the Faculty of Law. One of the buildings of the University Library complex, the Bushuis, was built as an armory in 1606.

The Faculty of Science at Science Park

Science Park

The Faculty of Science is located on the east side of the city at the newly constructed Science Park Amsterdam. This 70 hectare campus contains the UvA's science facilities, research institutes, student housing, the University Sports Centre, and businesses. In order to attract distinguished students and researchers, the campus was built by collaboration between the University of Amsterdam, the City of Amsterdam, and the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research. In 2012, the Amsterdam University College will also be housed here.

Academic Medical Center

In the southeastern Bijlmermeer neighborhood, the Faculty of Medicine is housed in the Academic Medical Center (AMC), the Faculty of Medicine's teaching and research hospital. It was formed in 1983 when the UvA Faculty of Medicine and two hospitals, Binnengasthuis and the Wilhelmina Gasthuis, combined. Shortly after in 1988, the Emma Children's Hospital also moved to the AMC. It is one of Amsterdam's level 1 trauma centers and strongly cooperates with the VU University Medical Center (VUmc).

Academic Center for Dentistry Amsterdam

The Faculty of Dentistry is located in the Academic Center for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA) in the southern Zuidas district on the campus of the VU University Medical Center. It was formed when the University of Amsterdam and the Vrije Universiteit combined their Dentistry schools in 1984.

Organization and administration

The Maagdenhuis houses the administration of the UvA and HvA.

The UvA is headed by an Executive Board that is charged with jointly governing the University of Amsterdam and the UvA's partner institution, the Hogeschool van Amsterdam. The university is then divided into seven faculties, with each faculty headed by a dean. Teaching and research are carried out in various departments and institutes within the individual faculties. The UvA has an endowment of €613.5 million (approximately $856.1 million), giving it the second-largest university endowment in the Netherlands.The University of Amsterdam works in close collaboration with the Hogeschool van Amsterdam, allowing students from the UvA and HvA to take classes at both schools through an integrated curriculum. In addition, the University of Amsterdam and VU University jointly preside over the Amsterdam University College (AUC), an interuniversity institute that offers a three-year Bachelor (Honors) program in the Liberal Arts and Sciences.

International cooperation

The intellectual and cultural atmosphere at the UvA is internationally oriented. Amsterdam attracts students from the Netherlands and beyond: with over 2,500 international students and researchers from over 100 countries.

Close ties are harbored with other institutions internationally through its membership in the League of European Research Universities (LERU), the Institutional Network of the Universities from the Capitals of Europe (UNICA), European University Association (EUA), the International Student Exchange Program (ISEP), and Universitas 21.

The UvA has an extensive network of foreign partner universities, facilitating student and staff exchanges. Within Europe the UvA has Socrates/Erasmus exchange agreements with over 200 institutions. Outside Europe, it has close ties with approximately 40 universities on all continents.

Student life

The CREA Cultural Center

At the UvA, students can choose from many student organizations, athletic activities, and student services. These include the ASVA Student Union, CREA Cultural Center, the newly constructed University Sports Center, and the Agora and Atrium student restaurants. In addition, the university provides religious services, career counseling, the International Student Network (ISN), counseling, disability services, and student health services. The students are represented in the different faculty student councils and the central student council.The University Sports Center (USC) offers over 50 sports activities at discount rates for UvA students and staff including Ice skating, tennis, rowing, aerobics, swimming, dancing, golf, and even skiing.The CREA Cultural Center organizes courses, working groups and projects in drama, music, dance, photography, film, and visual arts. It also contains a bar and a theater.

The University Sports Center

Student housing in the western Houthaven neighborhood.

The primary mode of transport for students is by bicycle. The city of Amsterdam also has various public transportation options available to students. These include the Metro, trams, nightbusses, and ferries.

Student housing

The university offers student housing through non-profit Housing Corporations not owned by the UvA. The Housing Corporations offer apartment-style housing in the City Center, Zuid, Oost, West, Zuid-Oost, and Amsterdam-Noord bouroghs of Amsterdam as well as in the suburb of Diemen. Single rooms with private facilities (kitchen, bathroom), single rooms with shared facilities, shared rooms with shared facilities, and couples rooms are available. Students of the opposite sex are permitted to be roommates in all types of rooms except for those with shared bathrooms. Rooms are anywhere from a few minutes to 45 minutes bike ride to the City Center.

Libraries and museums

University museum

The Universiteitsmuseum (University Museum) of the UvA highlights the history of teaching, research and student life at the University of Amsterdam. Archives of student organisations dating from around 1800 make up a major part of the museum’s collection.  There is also a collection of portraits of professors which is one of the largest in the country. The museum owns a considerable number of historical prints of professors and university buildings, photographs, posters and medallions. The collection contains around 50,000 items, among which around 25,000 photos. There is also a library.

Documentation of professors extends from 1632 to the present day and newspaper clippings have been kept since 1877.The Universiteitsmuseum was formerly housed in the Agnietenkapel (Chapel of St. Agnes, 1470), which is also used for meetings. The auditorium is the oldest in Amsterdam, and featured an exhibition of portraits of learned and famous men. These portraits were a gift to the Athenaeum Illustre by Gerardus van Papenbroeck in 1743.

Art and the UvA

The UvA is spread throughout the city in many different buildings. In order to make the university more visible in the city, artists Lawrence Weiner and Joseph Kosuth were commissioned to create works which mark its various locations.The website on these artworks contains information on the background of the project as well as on the artists. It also provides pictures, a video and a route description to find the pieces.A short Art Stroll takes you past the various works of art created as part of this initiative. The route of the Art Stroll is shown in the Art and the UvA pamphlet available from Kitty Jonker of the department of Communications Services, e-mail k.h.jonker@uva.nl.

Allard Pierson Museum

The name of the Allard Pierson Museum derives from the first professor of Classical Archaeology at the Universiteit van Amsterdam, whose passion for antiquity led him to collect plaster casts.
Today the Allard Pierson Museum is the archaeological museum of the Universiteit van Amsterdam. The ancient civilisations of ancient Egypt, the Near East, the Greek World, Etruria and the Roman Empire are revived in this museum. Art objects and utensils, dating from 4000 BC till 500 AD give a good impression of everyday life, mythology and religion in Antiquity. There are also several scale models of ancient temples and buildings and an ancient Egypt department.

Address

Allard Pierson Museum
Oude Turfmarkt 127
1012 GC Amsterdam
The Netherlands
Tel: +31 20 525 2556
Fax: +31 20 525 2561

Open Tuesday - Friday: 10am-5 pm
Saturday - Sunday: 1-5 pm

Schriftmuseum J.A. Dortmond

The script and writing museum is named after J.A. Dortmund, the initiator of the collection. The collection comprises examples of script and writing and writing materials from all parts of the globe. In the exhibition one can trace the history of script and writing form c. 3000 BC to the present day.The history of writing in the western world is shown through examples of Greek and Latin texts, runic script, and medieval and humanist manuscripts. There are also examples of calligraphy from later periods on display. The development of eastern writing is shown through Ethiopian, Hebrew and Syrian manuscripts, Arabian and Persian calligraphy and Indian handwriting on different materials. There are also examples of cuneiform script on stone tablets, cylinder seals from Mesopotamia and hieroglyphics on Egyptian tombstones.The museum is housed in the University Library, Singel 425, in the Hall of the Information Centre on the first floor. Entrance is free.

Visiting hours
Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 9.30 am -5 pm
Tuesday and Thursday: 9.30 am - 8 pm
Saturday: 9.30 am - 1 pm

Special Collections Library

The Special Collections Library specializes in acquiring, conserving, and making available (paper) data sources of all types, among which old editions, manuscripts, maps, atlases, prints, and photos. There is an extensive collection of printed works from before 1850. The items in the collection published after 1850 are all special in terms of subject matter or design. The library's collections of modern works include those in the area of book history, Hebrew and Jewish studies, Protestantism and medicine.
In addition, the Artis Library which is housed in a separate location contains important manuscripts and printed materials, particularly in the area of zoology.The Special Collections offer students, researchers, and others a great variety of research material. In addition, exhibitions, publications and lectures highlight the importance of this cultural heritage for education and research.
The often unique material in the Special Collections can be consulted exclusively in the new building on the Oude Turfmarkt (with the exception of the material in the Artis Library). The beautiful new building has an extensive reference library, and staff are on hand to offer assistance to visitors. Some of the material in the Special Collections can be viewed online, but the search engine through which it can be found is only in Dutch. 

De la Fontaine Verwey Reading Room

The library's materials can be consulted in the De la Fontaine Verweyzaal, the Reading Room of the Special Collections.The Map Room, the Bibliotheca Rosenthaliana, the Book Trade Room and the Mennonite Room also have reading rooms for specialized research. Each room has a reference library containing relevant reference works, bibliographies and card indexes.

Opening hours
Monday-Friday: 9.30 - 17.00

The De la Fontaine Verweyzaal is closed on New Years Day, Easter, Koninginnedag (April 30), the 1st and 5th of May, Ascension Day, Pentecost, and the period between Christmas and New Years.

Contact

University Library Special Collections
Oude Turfmarkt 129,
1012 GC Amsterdam
The Netherlands
Tel. +31(0)20 - 525 7374 (desk)
Fax. +31(0)20 - 525 7301
e-mail: ub-baliebc@uva.nl

UvA Computer Museum

The collection of the UvA Computer Museum shows what computers were like in the past, but also also how calculations were done before the advent of the electronic computer.Most of the computers are in working condition, and can be used to read and translate old data carriers like magnetic tape and punched cards. The Computer Museum can be visited by appointment.
The Computer museum is housed in the Informatics Institute in the UvA Science Park.

Address

Computer Museum
UvA, Faculty of Science
Department of Computer Science
Kruislaan 403
1098 SJ Amsterdam
The Netherlands

Curator
Dr E.H. Dooijes
Phone +31 20 525 7523

Zoological Museum Amsterdam

The Zoological Museum Amsterdam at the UvA maintains a collection of millions of shells, insects, mammals, birds, fishes and other animals used in scientific research. The research programme focuses on topics in evolution, speciation, and nature conservation.The public exhibitions which can be visited at the Amsterdam Zoo (Artis) focus on subjects of general interest, and are usually centered on the theme of human kind's relation to nature. Scientists from all over the world study the collections of the Zoological Museum, especially the large collection of type-specimens.

Address

Zoological Museum Amsterdam
Scientific collections: Mauritskade 61
Office and Library: Plantage Middenlaan 53
Amsterdam
Other collections can be visited upon request. To arrange this please call 020 525 5422.

Library collections

The University of Amsterdam has an extensive central University Library, with over four million volumes. In addition, a number of departments have their own libraries. The Library of the UvA is located in the city centre. It contains over four million books, 70,000 manuscripts, 500,000 letters, and 125,000 maps.In the Main Library you will also find specialised collections in the Department of Rare and Precious Works, the Manuscript and Writing Museum, the Bibliotheca Rosenthaliana with its collection of material relating to Jewish history and culture, and the Department of Documentation on Social Movements. The Main Library also has three reading rooms which provide students with a space where they can study quietly.

In addition to the Main Library, there are approximately 70 departmental libraries spread over the centre of Amsterdam.

Address Main Library:
Singel 425
1012 WP Amsterdam
Tel.: (+31) 20-525 2301
Fax: (+31) 20-525 2311

Culture and sport

The University of Amsterdam offers a wide variety of activities to students and staff in the areas of culture and sport. CREA has a wide range of courses and workshops in art, music and media. The university's sport facility (USC) offers a wide range of sport activities at a variety of locations throughout Amsterdam.

CREA

CREA organises courses and workshops in music, theatre, dance, visual arts, photography, literature and new media. Annually, CREA produces approximately 100 performances, concerts and exhibitions. CREA also organises a weekly Studium Generale programme on subjects related to art, science and society.

Visiting and mail address:
Nieuwe Achtergracht 170
1018 WV Amsterdam
tel. +31 20 525 1400
fax. +31 20 525 4549

USC

The USC is the sports centre for the UvA and the HvA. The facility is open seven days a week and offers more than 70 sport activities at affordable rates. The USC has a number of locations spread throughout the city of Amsterdam. 

Locations

The USC’s main location is situated at the Science Park Amsterdam. The other USC sport centres in Amsterdam can be found at the following locations:

• USC Tennis, with 8 hardcourt tennis courts in Watergraafsmeer
• the AMC Sport Centre next to the AMC
• USC Fitness, a fitness gym close to the Wibautstraat
• PCH Fitness in the centre of  Amsterdam in the P.C. Hoofthuis at the Spuistraat
• ClubWest, in Amsterdam Nieuw-West.

Address

Main location: Universum sport centre
Science Park 306
1098 XH Amsterdam
t. (020) 525 89 55

Notable people and alumni

Professors and alumni of the University of Amsterdam have included six Nobel Prize winners and seven Spinoza Prize winners.

Notable current and former professors include winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1911 Tobias Asser, mathematician Luitzen Egbertus Jan Brouwer, winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1901 Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff, winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1910 Johannes Diderik van der Waals, winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1902 Pieter Zeeman, and winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1953 Frits Zernike.

Alumni in the Science area include winner of the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1929 Christiaan Eijkman, inventor of DNA fingerprinting Alec Jeffreys, physician and one of the founding fathers of gynecology in the Netherlands M.A. Mendes de Leon, astrophysicist and Dutch communist Anton Pannekoek, string theorist Erik Verlinde, and Dutch botanist Hendrik de Wit. Alumni in the area of Politics include former Prime Ministers Pieter Cort van der Linden and Joop den Uyl, former President of the European Central Bank, Minister of Finance, and President of the Central Bank of the Netherlands Wim Duisenberg, Member of the European Parliament Thijs Berman, former Secretary General of NATO Joseph Luns, Senate group leader of the Labour Party and former trade union leader Marleen Barth, president of OHIM Wubbo de Boer, former Minister of Defence and former European Commissioner for Internal Market & Services Frits Bolkestein, former Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport Els Borst, state secretary of Health, Welfare and Sport Jet Bussemaker, Minister of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment Jacqueline Cramer, Minister of Foreign Trade within the Economic Affairs Frank Heemskerk, Minister of Justice Ernst Hirsch Ballin, Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations Guusje ter Horst, former Minister of Social Affairs and Employment and currently deputy director of UNDP Ad Melkert, and Minister of Education, Culture and Science Ronald Plasterk. In the area of the Arts, notable alumni include cultural analyst Ien Ang, writers Menno ter Braak, Willem Frederik Hermans, J. Slauerhoff, and Simon Vestdijk, Emmy award-winning producer Michael W. King, and Roman law specialist Boudewijn Sirks. In the Media area, alumni include Thomas von der Dunk, Dutch cultural historian, writer, and columnist. Alumni in the area of Sports area include Max Euwe, 1935–1937 World Chess Champion.

Photo of University