There are a number of formal steps you need to take during your master. Please note, that if you miss one of them, you cannot graduate. So please, go through the list in time and check all of them!

Please note, that most of this overview is based on the VU regulations, which are the authoritative source for our joint-degree programme. Graduation ceremonies at the UvA are held only two times a year.

For practical questions about registration and enrollment at the VU, please contact the Student desk at the ground floor in the VU main building.

Make sure you are registered at both the VU and the UvA (you should get a secondary registration -- bijvakinschrijving -- at the 'other' university automatically)
Register for each course six weeks before the starting date (at VU)
or during two weeks in either June or December before the semester starts (at UvA).
- At the VU for courses in Period 1, you can register till the third week of Period 1, and for courses in Period 2 you can register till the fourth week of Period 1.
- If you are too later for registration, please use the following form for the UvA
- You must make sure that you register at VU for VU courses and at UvA for UvA courses. (In some cases, unfortunately, you can cross-register because the course also exists in the system 'at the other side'.) If unsure, ask your mentor.
Create a Personal Education Plan (PEP) together with your (assigned) mentor, typically six weeks into the master.
- PEP template files and submission, if you started in 2018
- For any courses that you take, that are not explicitly listed in the TER/OER, you have to ask permission from the exam committee to let the credits for that course count towards your MSc. You can find on vunet how you can contact the Exam committee. The TER/OER can be found in the studyguide.
Start arranging your research projects, typically six to seven months into the master.
Six months before you want to graduate, you need to decide on one of the possible Graduation dates, and get approval from all supervisors of all courses and research projects for which you do not have a grade yet. Make sure you also check with the Educational Office ('Onderwijsburo'). Details on VUnet.
Apply for your graduation at least three months before your approved graduation date.

Please also refer to the official rules and regulations for Graduating and getting your MSc degree

Bioinformatics & Systems Biology at VU Faculty of Sciences
Check the official Teaching and Exam Regulations (OER)

Finally, as the official websites and documents are moving targets, please do let us know if you find anything on this page that is incorrect or incomplete.