Health, Ageing and Society (MSc)
About the programme
The quality of the care for our senior citizens could be improved. With an eye for the biological, social and management aspects, this Master’s programme provides important insights for improvements. The Master’s in Health, Ageing and Society starts you thinking, puts you to work and gives direction to your career.
Interdisciplinary, intergenerational and international
Explore the Three Pillars of Our Master's Programme
Our master's programme is built on three essential pillars: interdisciplinary, intergenerational, and international. Each pillar is described in detail below, highlighting how they contribute to a comprehensive and enriching educational experience.
Fostering Creativity and Innovation
We encourage you to be creative and innovative in your research and assignments. To stimulate open-mindedness, 'innovation' classes and exercises are integrated into each module. These activities are designed to challenge your thinking and inspire groundbreaking ideas.
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- Students and professionals enter from different health related studies. There is a list of degrees we consider, but we are certainly also open to degrees that are not quite health related; diverse insights enrich our imaginations.
- The courses are given on topics and perspectives on the unprecedented growth in the number of older citizens in our western societies. Viewed from biological, social and management aspects.
- Our Master’s seeks coordinators and lecturers from the medical, social and public administration faculties.
Senior citizens play an important role in the Master’s programme:
- Senior citizens play an important role on our advisory board. They advise on substantive issues.
- Older people actively participate in the education and in innovative projects.
- The language of instruction for the Master’s is English.
- International study material is used.
- The Master’s is very suitable for international students who would like to learn about the Dutch healthcare system and want to study in The Netherlands for a year, or two years if you want to follow the parttime programme.
- Lectures by international experts.
- Study trips to Cologne and Brussels.
- Dutch students are encouraged to seek internships abroad.
If you would like to know more, have a look at the Course content of our programme.
Characteristics of the Programme
One or two years of study?
There are two options to study this master's: fulltime (1 year) or parttime (2 years).
If you choose the one-year, full-time programme, you will need to expect five days per week on campus for face-to-face lectures and working groups. Alternatively, you can spread the course subjects and study load over a period of two years. This creates the opportunity to study the degree part-time, leaving time for a job or another study. Every Friday, there are on-campus seminars and lectures which you are expected to attend. The other days of the week are spent studying independently and watching recordings of lectures.
The power of intensive guidance and small groups
Our students appreciate the master’s programme for its personalized study methods and its small-group, international set-up. Students with various bachelor backgrounds set out to study and work in small groups to do their assignments under intensive guidance.
A mix of cultures, languages, and people
Our students are diverse in culture and background. You will attend interactive seminars, studying in an interdisciplinary and international environment. Together, you will find solutions to the challenges of the future, experiencing the value of this collective approach. An international approach is encouraged as a matter of course. Examples include the guest lectures by international experts, the annual study visit to the European Parliament in Brussels, and the Max Planck Institute of Biology and Ageing in Cologne, and research into the healthcare systems of your international peers. Finally, many students choose to do their research internship abroad.
International perspective
When it comes to elderly care, our country leads the way. Our master’s programme offers international students a unique opportunity to learn more about the Dutch views, systems, and challenges, and to compare them with healthcare systems in other countries. Do the systems match up or are they totally different? Finding the answer to this question will lead to surprising new questions, remarkable perspectives, new insights and solutions.
With and for all ages
The Health, Ageing and Society master’s programme offers a valuable expansion of knowledge and insight for students as well as experienced professionals from the broad field of healthcare. There is a wide mix of ages and levels of experience, offering the added value of a fresh approach combined with dedicated experience in the field. In addition, senior citizens are involved in the curriculum in various ways; as members of the advisory council, as participants in the lectures, and taking part in innovation projects together with the students.
Angelika Gilli
Student
"I wanted to broaden my horizon in the field of ageing. Since this Master offers very different points of views it is actually more than my expectations were."
Eva Edam
Student
"Before beginning my clinical rotations, I wanted to have a useful gapyear. This one-year master’s programme really stood out to me because of it’s broad curriculum. Besides that, I wanted to learn more about all the aspects of ageing."
Esther Werkman
Student
"A highlight for me is that older individuals are involved in the study programme. They sometimes give feedback for assignments, or we interview them to learn more about their experience. I think this is very valuable."