The compulsory part of the programme consists of courses with a clear research focus. These courses cover all aspects of scientific research, from designing a project through doing analyses, to writing reports and presenting your research to others. In total, the compulsory programme contains nine courses:

1. Conducting and evaluating empirical research
2. Presenting research and academic writing
3. Methods and instruments in cognitive and affective neuroscience
4. Designing research for science and society
5. Applied multivariate data analysis
6. Recent advances in education and child studies
7. Small sample size approaches in relational and intervention designs
8. Test theory and scale development
9. Research colloquia

These courses are all unique to the research master, so you follow them with a relatively small group of students.

Check the Prospectus for more information on all courses

Besides the research-focused courses, you will get to choose one out of six substantive profiles. These profiles provide a strong connection to the practice of education and child studies. Each profile consists of five courses (of 5 EC each) that allow you to obtain theoretical knowledge of, and practical experience with a particular part of that field. 

Three of the profiles are clinically orientated. If you would like to obtain a Dutch professional registration as Basis Orthopedagoog (NVO) you need to choose one of these profiles. Note that proficiency in Dutch is required to follow these profiles. You can choose from:

A.    Forensische Gezinspedagogiek 
B.    Orthopedagogiek
C.    Leerproblemen

The other three profiles are not connected to a Dutch professional registration and do not require proficiency in Dutch. You can choose from:

D.    Educational Science
E.    Parenting and Child Development
F.    Applied Neuroscience in Human Development

Within each profile, three courses are mandatory; these courses are substantively connected, so that you will get a more in-depth view of a specific part of the field. In addition, you can choose two courses from a list. Your study advisor and mentor can help you choose a profile that fits your personal goals.

In your second year, you will complete an internship at an external organization, where you will gain hands-on experience in the daily practice of a scientifically trained pedagoog. To ensure you develop the necessary practical skills, your internship must be either practical or clinical, depending on your chosen profile.

• Non-clinical profile: Your internship may take place at a school, a research organization focused on education or family studies, or a (non-clinical) family support or foster care organization.
• Clinical profile: Your internship will be at a clinical facility.

Regardless of your profile, the organization must be outside the university and must have connections to or experience with scientific research. You will select a suitable internship in consultation with your mentor and the Internship Bureau.

The main goal of the Research Master’s project is that you will be able to practice working as a researcher within the context of an extensive scientific research project. The project starts halfway through the first year and runs through the entire second year of the programme. In this project, you will collaborate with more experienced researchers within the Institute of Education and Child Studies, in accordance with the master-apprentice model. You will experience what it is like to be part of a research team and explore your own role in such a team. 

Your master’s project will result in a research thesis. This thesis is written as an article which, in terms of its level, would be ready for submission to a refereed international scientific journal.