Maria Josephina Arnoldina van der Hoeven (born 13 September 1949) is a retired Dutch politician of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) party and nonprofit director.

Van der Hoeven worked as Chairwoman of the Supervisory board of the Limburg Technology Centre from February 1987 until June 1991.

Van der Hoeven became a Member of the House of Representatives after Huib Eversdijk [nl] was elected as a Member of the Senate after the Senate election of 1991, taking office on 11 June 1991 serving as a frontbencher chairing the parliamentary committee for Education, Culture and Science and spokesperson for Education, Social Work, Culture and deputy spokesperson for the Interior, Economic Affairs, Social Affairs, Ombudsman and Equality.

After the election of 2002 Van der Hoeven was appointed as Minister of Education, Culture and Science in the Cabinet Balkenende I, taking office on 22 July 2002.

The Cabinet Balkenende I fell just four months later on 16 October 2002 after tensions in the coalition over the stability of the Pim Fortuyn List (LPF) and continued to serve in a demissionary capacity.

The Cabinet Balkenende II fell on 30 June 2006 after the Democrats 66 (D66) had lost confidence in the functioning of Minister of Integration and Asylum Affairs Rita Verdonk and continued to serve in a demissionary capacity until it was replaced by the caretaker Cabinet Balkenende III with Van der Hoeven remaining as Minister of Education, Culture and Science, taking office on 7 July 2006.

The then Dutch Minister of Education later announced that she did not intend to introduce the creationist ideas into the school curricula but only wanted to confront their adherents with the supporters of the theory of evolution.