The study programme in a nutshell
Curriculum
The Health Psychology Master's will provide you with the theoretical expertise and the skills necessary to work effectively in the field of health psychology and behavior change. The curriculum consists of four core courses:
- The first core course focuses on theories of health psychology and behaviour change and the process of understanding and analysing targeted behaviours.
- The second core course considers the role of communities and broader social systems in relation to health and well-being and teaches how to co-create with societal stakeholders to address societal challenges.
- The third core course dives into the world of digital behavioural health and how to design, implement, and evaluate digital interventions.
- The fourth core course focuses on key professional and research skills for behaviour change specialists.
The curriculum includes the option to complete one or two electives. You can choose from courses that strengthens your methodological skills, such as qualitative research methods or advanced statistics, or broaden your theoretical knowledge, for example in leadership and coaching.
All teaching activities are taught in English, including the lectures, study manuals, examinations, and literature.
Internship to apply your knowledge
In the second semester, you will complete a research internship leading to your final thesis and a practical, professional internship. Both can be carried out either in external organisations and companies working in healthcare and health promotion, policy making, behaviour change and/or e-health, or within research groups at our faculty. The internships can also be combined into a longer project that integrates practical experience and research.
These internships give you the opportunity to apply the skills and competencies you developed in the first semester and and to gain professional and research experience in the field. You will experience the work of a health psychologist and behaviour change specialist in real-life settings, helping you build a strong foundation for entering the job market.
Our internship network includes public and private organisations offering exciting and relevant internship positions across various topics, such as public health promotion (at the local or national level), sustainability, digital health and well-being, policy development and implementation, etc. Examples of organisations include the municipality of Rotterdam, the GGD (local public health services), research organisations (consultancy firms, national and international research consortia), e-health providers, software and start-up companies working in digital behaviour change. An internship abroad is also possible in an organisation relevant to the contents of the master's programme.
The educational programme is subject to change. No rights can be derived from the information below.
Testimonials
The Health Psychology master's employs a mix of educational methods, including traditional lectures, problem-based learning, field visits, and project assignments based on real-life cases, to be carried out independently or in small groups. The teaching team brings in many examples from their own work and experience with societal change, such as community actions to improve the health of Rotterdam citizens () and the development of the student well-being app ROOM to grow.
Our educational approach is student-centred: students play an active role in your learning process and have opportunities to influence it, for example by choosing cases that match their interests. Instead of relying mainly on lectures to transfer information, the programme encourages active participation in small groups. Students discuss, explain, test ideas and learn by doing, which supports deeper learning.
The programme includes plenary lectures and workgroups in which students address together real-life, multidisciplinary problems. These open-ended problems have multiple possible solutions and simulate professional practice. Students will search for relevant information, discuss it with their group and develop a practical solution, while using and refining their knowledge and competencies
On average, there are 12 contact hours per week. This time is distributed over lectures, workshops and individual office hours with the course coordinators. Students spend a large part of their time on personal study and projects/assignments, individually or in groups. Most students spend approximately 40 hours per week on their studies.
Curriculum
The curriculum of this Master's programme consists of 20 EC core courses (four courses of 5 EC), the Master's thesis (minimum 20 EC) and an elective component of 20 EC. The elective component can be filled with a combination of elective courses (each 5 EC), a practical internship (10 EC or 15)) and a longer Master's thesis (30 EC instead of 20 EC).