🎓Program Structure
Overview of the 3-year AI bachelor curriculum at VU Amsterdam.
3 years, 2 semesters per year, 3 periods per semester. Each period is about 8 weeks of classes + an exam week.
Year 1 — Foundations
| Period | Course | EC | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Computational Thinking | 3 | Solution strategies, search/sorting/graph algorithms, intro to problem-solving |
| 1 | Introduction to Artificial Intelligence | 3 | AI concepts, history, main subfields like ML and knowledge representation |
| 1 | Introduction to Psychology and its Methods | 6 | Cognition, perception, and research methods relevant to human-centred AI |
| 1 | English Language Test | 0 | Mandatory English proficiency check |
| 2 | Intelligent Systems | 6 | Knowledge representation, reasoning, search algorithms, agent architectures |
| 2 | Introduction to Python Programming for AI | 6 | Python basics: variables, control flow, data structures, libraries |
| 3 | Project Intelligent Systems | 6 | Group project — build and evaluate game-playing bots for Schnapsen |
| 4 | Logic and Sets for AI | 6 | Propositional logic, predicate logic, set theory, formal reasoning |
| 4 | Modelling Human Behaviour | 6 | Agent-based, cognitive, and collective behaviour models for human-centred systems |
| 5 | Academic Writing (BETA) | 3 | Formal writing, structuring arguments, citing sources, literature reviews |
| 5 | History of AI | 3 | Key milestones in computing and AI, paradigm shifts, societal impact |
| 5 | Human-Computer Interaction for AI | 6 | Usability, interface design, human–AI interaction |
| 6 | Applied Programming for AI or Information Management (pick 1) | 6 | Web tech, Git, REST APIs or databases and information organisation |
In period 6 you pick one of the two: Applied Programming for AI or Information Management. That is your first constrained choice.
Year 2 — Core plus constrained choice
The curriculum changed in 2026-2027. The specialisation tracks (Intelligent Systems and Socially Aware Computing) are being phased out. Year 2 and 3 now have a set of mandatory courses plus a pool of constrained-choice courses: you pick three in year 2 and one in year 3. Want a specialisation name on your diploma anyway? That is still possible for current cohorts. Read the Specialisations section.
Mandatory courses:
| Period | Course | EC | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Knowledge and Data | 6 | RDF, OWL, SPARQL, Linked Data, Knowledge Graphs |
| 2 | Text Mining for AI | 6 | NLP, text classification, sentiment analysis, entity recognition, topic modelling |
| 2 | Linear Algebra and Calculus | 6 | Vectors, matrices, linear systems, limits, differentiation, eigenvalues |
| 3 | Project Socially Aware Computing | 6 | Agent-based simulation for societal challenges using NetLogo |
| 4 | Machine Learning | 6 | Linear models, neural networks, decision trees, gradient descent, deep learning |
| 4 | Probability and Statistics | 6 | Distributions, hypothesis testing, confidence intervals, central limit theorem |
| 5 | Computational Intelligence | 6 | Evolutionary algorithms, neural networks, reinforcement learning, optimisation |
Constrained choice (pick 3):
| Period | Course | EC | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Robot Interaction | 6 | Human-robot interaction, social robotics, NLP, ethics |
| 1 | Data Structures and Algorithms for AI | 6 | Algorithms, data structures, complexity analysis |
| 5 | AI and Law | 6 | AI applications in law, ethical questions in the legal domain |
| 5 | AI in Health | 6 | AI for diagnosis, treatment, monitoring, explainable ML |
| 5 | Databases | 6 | ER diagrams, SQL, schema design, normalisation, concurrency |
| 6 | Project Collective Intelligence | 6 | Swarm dynamics, agent-based simulation, collective behaviour modelling |
| 6 | The Law of Artificial Intelligence | 6 | EU AI Act, legal compliance, designing lawful AI systems |
There are no named tracks in this pool. The advisors describe the choice as informal "study paths": lean technical (DSA, Databases, Project Collective Intelligence) or lean social (Robot Interaction, AI and Law, AI in Health). Mix however you want.
What changed in 2026-2027, in short:
- Multi-Agent Systems (XB_0024) is gone. Started before 2025-2026 and never passed it? You take one extra constrained-choice course from year 2 or 3 instead, and that replacement does not count towards your constrained-choice or specialisation total.
- Project Conversational Agents (XB_0101) is gone. Its successor, Conversational Agents (XB_0182), is the same course and now runs in year 3 period 4. Passed XB_0101? Then XB_0182 is off-limits for you.
- Computational Intelligence (XB_0025) moved from year 3 to year 2 period 5 and became mandatory.
- Text Mining for AI (XB_0085) moved from period 5 to period 2.
- You cannot swap Linear Algebra and Calculus (XB_0114) or Probability and Statistics (XB_0115) for the CS variants (X_400649, X_401020). The examination board rejects those requests.
- The old Introduction to Programming (PYTHON) course (X_401096) is discontinued; if you still need it, take Introduction to Python Programming for AI (XB_0145) in period 2.
Year 3 — Minor, Research & Thesis
| Period | Course | EC | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-3 | Free choice: minor or study abroad | 30 | Your elective space, see the Third-Year Elective Space section |
| 4 | Ethical AI | 6 | Moral agency, fairness, transparency, accountability, EU AI Act |
| 4 | Cognitive Psychology for AI, Automata and Complexity, or Conversational Agents (pick 1) | 6 | Your fourth and final constrained choice |
| 5 | Research Design for AI | 3 | Research questions, methodology, data analysis, scientific writing |
| 5-6 | Bachelor Project Artificial Intelligence | 15 | Individual research project, thesis, and oral presentation |
To start the Bachelor Project you need at least 90 EC in total, including 6 EC of the Python course. No exceptions. The practical advice is still to have most of year 1 and 2 done (around 120 EC) before you begin.
Wondering why you would pick VU over another AI bachelor? That story is in the What Makes VU Special section.