Program Overview

Introduction to the Master's Program in Information Science

The Master's program in Information Science at the University of Groningen is a full-time, 12-month program that focuses on the development and assessment of smart applications such as conversational agents, automatic translation systems, and intelligent search engines.

Program Description

As an MSc student of Information Science, you will learn how to analyze unstructured data (such as text) automatically, and find out which machine learning techniques can be used to solve problems in information science. You will also take part in shared tasks (working with a group on a challenging problem in language technology), and apply methods from artificial intelligence to real-world applications such as machine translation for low-resource languages, the semantic web, hate-speech detection, and smart user interfaces.

Program Structure

The Master's track builds on the knowledge, insights, and skills that you have acquired in your Bachelor's degree. You will learn to carry out research independently and improve your programming, analytical, and presentation skills.

Facts and Figures

• Degree: MSc in Communication & Information Studies
• Course type: Master
• Duration: 12 months (60 EC)
• Croho code: 66826
• Language of instruction: English
• Start: September
• Faculty: Arts

Why Study this Program in Groningen?

• Courses are directly related to state-of-the-art research in the department.
• High marks in national student evaluation.
• Internationally renowned computational linguistics research unit.

Program

Year 1

Program Options

• Master's placement (specialization) During this Master's track, you can follow a placement for ECTS credit points. It is your responsibility to find a placement yourself, but the Office for Student Affairs can offer help with this where necessary.

Study Abroad

• Study abroad is discouraged Study abroad is possible, but not recommended due to study delay and limited course options.

Entry Requirements

• Dutch diploma
• International diploma

Admission Requirements

• Previous education: Students with a Bachelor's degree in Information Science, Artificial Intelligence, or related are directly admissible to this Master's track. Students with a Bachelor's degree from the University of Groningen in following fields (or related):
  • Communication and Information Science
  • Dutch Language and Culture
  • Linguistics
  • English Language and Culture
  • European Languages and Cultures who have successfully completed a minor or pre-Master's programme (30-60 ECTS) can also be admitted to this Master's track.
• Language test: Additional requirements English: A VWO diploma or a subject certificate for VWO English (mark 6 or higher), minimum requirement of TOEFL iBT 90 (with a minimum of 21 on all items), or IELTS 6.5 (with a minimum of 6 on all items) or Cambridge C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency.

Transfer Options

• Transferring from:
  • All Universities of applied sciences
  • University of Groningen
  • All Research universities
• Study programme:
  • Information Technology
  • English Language and Culture
  • European Languages and Cultures
  • Linguistics
  • Dutch Language and Culture
  • Communication and Information Studies
  • Information Science
  • Computing Science
  • Artificial Intelligence

Application Deadlines

• Type of student:
  • Dutch students: 15 August 2026
  • EU/EEA students: 01 May 2026
  • non-EU/EEA students: 01 May 2026
• Start course: 01 September 2026

Tuition Fees

• Nationality:
  • EU/EEA: € 2601
  • non-EU/EEA: € 19200
• Programme form: full-time

After Your Studies

Job Prospects

As a graduate, you can work as a web developer, software-engineer, IT-consultant, application developer, researcher, or teacher. You have a wide choice of places to work: it goes without saying that you could find a function in a large IT firm, but virtually any other company or organization with an IT department has a need for Information Science specialists. It is also possible to start your own company or become a researcher.

Job Examples

• Computational linguist
• Information analyst
• IT Consultant
• IT Manager
• Researcher in natural language processing
• Software developer
• Web designer

Research

As a student of Information Science, you will develop a solid theoretical and practical foundation for carrying out this kind of research. The knowledge you will gain matches well with current job requirements for researchers in the field of Information Science.

Study Associations

ASCI

ASCI is a study association for the students of Information Science at the University of Groningen. ASCI's main aim is to represent the interests of its members and to stimulate contact between the students, companies, and the faculty of Arts of the University of Groningen.

Study Support

If you have any questions or doubts about your studies, you can always contact the study advisor. He or she knows all the ins and outs of the programme and personal planning. Study advisors are impartial and everything that is discussed is treated confidentially. They can also help you find the right institutions and student desks for your problems.