12 Media Degree Programs in Netherlands

How does what you see, hear, and scroll through every day shape the way you think about yourself and the world? Dive into how we preserve, interpret, and protect the stories of past societies. Understand how history shapes identity and influences today’s culture.

The MA Media Studies consists of four different programmes in the fields of Journalism and New Media (Dutch taught), Book and Digital Media Studies, Film and Photographic Studies and Cultural Analysis: Literature and Theory.

Are you passionate about news and do you want to report and analyze current affairs? Do you want to know why journalism is transforming so quickly nowadays? This track trains students from diverse parts of the world to become international journalists, with in-depth academic knowledge in the field of Journalism Studies presented by journalism researchers and intensive training by experienced journalists, offering a solid foundation in the skills that are needed to succeed in journalism today.

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.

Want to understand how new media technologies are used to create innovative formats and ways of storytelling, and how media innovation and start-up culture are rooted in creative processes?

Visual art today is strongly interlinked with today’s society, a connection which is reinforced and deepened by social and other media. In Arts, Media and Society, a specialisation of our Art History bachelor's programme, you will explore this relationship and analyse how it reflects and impacts the issues of our time, while also learning practical and academic skills that are invaluable in the current job market.

Media have a major impact not only on how we communicate with one another but also on how societies are organised: culturally, politically and economically. This academic programme, therefore, studies the informative and social function of media and conceives 'culture' in its anthropological definition: as the ideas, customs and social behaviour of particular (groups in) societies. You will acquire knowledge and a variety of theoretical perspectives on the way different media platforms are structured, how they operate and how they relate to each other; how media systems are underpinned politically and economically; and how patterns of media use and production and content develop and change.

Are you fascinated by films, music or theatre? Do you love to discuss what art is, how to interpret a particular movie, pop song and performance and to study the effects that media can have on our societies? Then Arts, Culture and Media should become your Bachelor's programme. In our Bachelor’s programme students acquire a deepened analytical, historical and theoretical understanding of (a) two art forms chosen from film, music, theatre/performance, visual arts or literature; and (b) specialized scholarly knowledge in one of two frameworks: ‘Arts, Policy and Cultural Entrepreneurship’ or ‘Analysis and Criticism.’ This broad multi- and interdisciplinary combination makes it unique.

Are you curious, eager to learn and ready to shape the role of the arts and the media in society and culture? Then you are the right person for this Research Master!

The 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.

This master’s program has been developed in collaboration with international media partners. The program utilizes problem-based thinking and consideration of emerging trends and technologies to recognize opportunities for media innovation. We look at the practical application of theory to produce (digital) media concepts that are innovative, future-orientated, and which ‘bring something new into use’.

The Executive Master Media Innovation had been designed to provide in-depth knowledge of digital media processes and to bridge the gap between theory and practice in media studies. With a focus on problem-based thinking at its heart, this master's program also considers how recognisable elements can be recombined to create new connections and new innovations.