Academics

The structure of the curriculum of the Research Master’s programmes is identical for all students. Students of a cohort enter the programme together in September and follow all courses of the first year and the non-individual courses of the second year together. Within courses you have a choice of topics, and you can choose the topic of your research and master's thesis.

The programme is highly selective, with a small cohort of fifteen to twenty students starting each year. The small size of the programme facilitates interaction and cooperation between you and your fellow students. You will learn not only from teachers and supervisors but also from each other, through in-depth class discussion and other activities.

All teachers involved in the Research Master's programme possess high-level teaching and research skills. They are members of Research Schools that have been (re-)accredited by the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) or take part in national Research Networks in which researchers from this Faculty cooperate with colleagues from other Dutch universities. This ensures a combination of excellent teaching and research in an intellectually stimulating environment.

After having successfully completed the Research Master's programme you:
 

• have an overview of important theoretical and methodological issues in your field of study. You have expertise and experience in the elaboration of a research project with a clearly formulated research problem that is innovative while building on the state of the art in the field and being well grounded in the literature;
• have an overview of different research designs and methods of data collection. You have acquired the expertise and experience in the elaboration of research designs and methods of data collection that are adequate for answering an underlying research question. You are capable of choosing and applying them in your research;
• will be trained in the research methods that are appropriate in your field of study. You have gained experience in the full process of social or behavioural research and in reporting the results of research in a special field of study. These qualifications are reflected in a Master’s thesis, which has the form of a publishable research paper;
• are capable, based upon a research proposal, of independently carrying out research towards acquiring a PhD;
• are able to formulate policy implications of scientific research in your own field. You are trained in academic writing, in presenting for various audiences, and in data documentation and archiving;
• have acquired a general work orientation that is required for membership in a research team and in a research network in your own research domain.