Interdisciplinary Community Service Learning (iCSL) is a module that can be followed next to any Master’s programme and gives you the opportunity to work on real-life, current challenges.
You will be challenged to step outside your bubble and collaborate across (and beyond) the campus. As part of a cross-disciplinary student team, you will work closely with communities, companies, organisations, and government partners. Each team member addresses a different aspect of the broader societal challenge, drawing on their own disciplinary knowledge, insights, experience, and methods.
By reporting the outcomes back to the societal actors, you contribute to actual societal impact and drive positive transformations in society. After this course, you will be able to integrate knowledge and insights from different disciplines in order to produce results, insights, and solutions for various complex societal challenges that transcend disciplines and organisational barriers. You will develop (global) citizenship skills, such as critical thinking, problem solving and cultural understanding.
Practicalities
- The course takes place between February and June 2026
- Online part: 10 online meetings, starting in February
- On-site part in Amsterdam: 25-29 May 2026
- An English level of C1 is required for this course
- There are 10 places available per Aurora university. In case we exceed the number of spots, students will be selected based on a ‘first come, first serve’ and their study background. There is no preferred study background, but there needs to be a balance in terms of disciplines represented in the course
- For more information, please refer to the VU Amsterdam website
Application process
- Home university selects students that can apply and are eligible for Erasmus+ BIP funding
- Students can apply by filling out this application form before 19 January 2026
- Students will receive acceptance to the course before 21 January 2026 incl info for registration
In this video, we highlight two inspiring ICSL projects from 2024 – 2025:
