Step-by-step plan for selecting an elective outside RSM

General info | EUR electives

Electives outside RSM can be followed at any period during your 2nd or 3rd BA/IBA bachelor year. General information about electives can be found on the EUR electives page. Here you will also find an explanation of the procedure of the different faculties. Unfortunately, there is no list of all available electives per faculty. Therefore, the most convenient way to find an elective is via the EUR course guide. You need approval from the RSM Examination Board before following a course at another faculty/university.

Note: if you have permission to follow a course outside RSM and have it count towards the B3 elective space, please note that the course content cannot overlap with other mandatory or elective courses at RSM. 


    Step 1: Go to EUR course guide


    Step 2: Select & filter your choice

  • Faculty
  • Bachelor programme
  • Course/teaching period (allow 4 weeks processing time by RSM Examination Board)
  • The course of your interest


    Step 3: Check & read:

  • The course description | Do you have any affinity with the content of the course?
  • The entry requirements | Some courses are only available to students of their own faculty, or they have a maximum number of participants or set requirements for prior knowledge.
  • Is it in line with the policy of the Examination Board for Elective space?
  • The number of credits | If you need 5 EC and a course is smaller than 5 EC, you must take several electives.
  • The teaching period and the schedule | Check whether the extra study load is doable and there are no schedule conflicts with any other (elective) courses.


    Step 4: Check with the faculty whether you are allowed to take this course


    Step 5: Request permission from the RSM Examination Board. You can find more information about this here.


Application procedure explained

After you have found a course in the EUR course guide that you are interested in, taking the elective course must be approved in 2 ways: by the RSM Examination Board through the Osiris Case request and by the faculty offering the elective. 

Contact the faculty to ask whether you can take this course (see information under 'Four faculties that offer electives'). This can save you a lot of hassle/unnecessary waiting. This is not yet an official application. 

If everything is in order, you can submit a request to the RSM Examination Board via Osiris Case. Keep in mind that it takes approximately 4 weeks to process your request, so submit your request on time! 


Once you have received permission from the Examination Board, register with the relevant faculty. At some faculties you can already register for a course while waiting for the approval of the RSM Examination Board. You can also take a course outside Erasmus University. The procedure for your request is similar but please take into account a longer processing time.


Four faculties offering electives

  • Erasmus School of Economics: find information here. If you have found a course, please contact the ESE education office on telephone number 0104081380. Varying ECs per course.
  • Erasmus School of Law: contact the ESL student information centre if you want to take an elective here. Varying ECs per course.
  • Erasmus School of Philosophy: find information here. All (elective) courses are worth 3.75 EC.
  • Erasmus School of History, Culture & Communication: the number of places is limited and students of ESHCC are given priority. Varying ECs per course.
    • Click here for information about elective courses History
    • Click here for information about elective courses Arts & Culture
    • Click here for information about elective courses Media & Communication (only for IBA-students)


For other questions about elective options, please contact the Programme Managers of Bachelor 3 via bachelor3@rsm.nl or contact the Student Advisers.