15 Fine Arts and Illustration Masters Degree Programs in Netherlands

The Master programme Arts and Culture provides you with the skills needed to investigate the function of the arts in society. It combines in-depth knowledge in a range of specific disciplines with professional and social engagement as well as critical and creative thinking.

A unique programme in terms of its diverse and interdisciplinary range of subjects, the Arts and Culture master's programme offers you the choice of two specialisations: Art History and Museum Studies. Each explores different themes from a comparative and global perspective and offers a broad range of electives, allowing you to further customise your degree.

The two-year Master's track in Arts, Media and Literary Studies is a specialization within the Research Master's degree in Arts and Culture. Arts, Media and Literary Studies equips students with knowledge and skills to become researchers and experts on the role that the arts, literature and media play in society, now and in the past. The programme offers a rich multi- and interdisciplinary framework within which students can specialize in one of the following disciplines or combinations of disciplines, under close supervision of a highly qualified research faculty:

During your studies in the Comparative MA Arts and Culture: Media, Culture and Environment, you will develop a sharp eye (and ear) for a wide range of media and art objects and processes. You will also learn to analyze and place them in their various contexts. You will attain academic skills such as critical thinking, presentation, and writing skills.

The Master's in Illustration Based Narrative programme is for you if you have a bachelor’s degree in, for example, illustration, comics, animation, design, storytelling or journalism. If you already work as a professional in another creative or educational field and want to reposition your practice or connect it more closely to society, you are very welcome too.

The MA Arts & Culture is characterised by a broad focus on various domains of the cultural sector. Here you will take courses in specialisations that are in line with developments in art, media, the creative industry, and design. While some specialisations place current affairs in a historical perspective, others deal explicitly with the contemporary context of art, culture, and media.

Art is inherently public. In this programme, you will study and reflect upon how public arts policy, arts management, arts marketing and education affect the realization of artistic values in society. Art is inherently public. In this programme, you will study and reflect upon how public arts policy, arts management, arts marketing and education affect the realization of artistic values in society.

In the Design Cultures specialization, you will develop an eye for all kinds of design. Moreover, you will acquire professional skills such as critical thinking, research, presentation, and writing skills. You will acquire solid research skills and learn how to generate in-depth, design-related content for museum texts, articles, videos, or podcasts. Moreover, you will get access to professional networks where our graduates are now established.

Audiovisual media are essential to our society. Platforms, interfaces, and networked infrastructures have become ubiquitous and influence all aspects of private and public life, and media culture is enmeshed with politics and the living world like never before. Digital media have not only radically reconfigured how we sense the world and create, exhibit, and interact with film, television, art, and cultural objects.

Materials in Artistic Practices (MAPs) offers an immersive journey where materials act as collaborators, bringing their own urgencies, stories, and ethical dimensions to your work. Through a hands-on, process-driven approach, you will explore sustainable practices, material alternatives, and the interaction between physical structures and personal presence. Here, artistic research focuses on the impact and agency of materials, adding depth to your practice without centering on products.

The Media, Art, Design and Technology (MADtech) programme challenges self-driven creators to embrace uncertainty and confront the unknown, with continuous support throughout the process. Students are encouraged to experiment with unfamiliar technologies and learn through hands-on projects. As they explore and prototype, they uncover the hidden mechanics of how technology shapes society and culture. With guidance from both tutors, and guest lectures students take control of their learning and push boundaries, developing critical, innovative work that blends art, design, and technology in unexpected ways. MADtech fosters deep engagement with experimentation, empowering students to navigate complexity and turn the unknown into a creative opportunity.

The Painting programme invites you to explore painting as both a practice and a conceptual space for artistic research. From a ‘painterly perspective’ within a studio-based programme, you will investigate materials, methods, and concepts in cultural and historical contexts, while engaging in critical dialogues with diverse approaches to painting. Whether you draw on traditional methods or experimental and expanded practices, this programme encourages you to push boundaries and create meaningful, relevant, and resonant work.

Performing Public Space (PPS) is committed to understanding how cultural developments can produce meaningful change within our shared spaces, based on the idea that public space exists only when it is socially performed. In a time in which political and social structures are reconsidered heavily, PPS offers a flexible and innovative environment to artistically question, redefine, and reclaim public space in its broadest sense.

​This programme aims to ignite dialogue, encourage collaboration, and inspire meaningful societal change. You will work closely with experienced artists, participate within diverse communities, and reimagine what art can achieve as a shared, inclusive process in today’s world.

The Master of Education in Arts program explicitly connects theory and practice, focusing on contemporary issues, which span different practices and discourses (education, pedagogy, politics, art, design, cultural theory, digital didactics, philosophy, museum education and ‘community arts’).