Overview

We believe that a multidisciplinary approach is needed to get the best understanding of human behaviour. We combine knowledge and research methods from the fields of psychology, educational sciences and communication science. These disciplines are not taught separately but instead are brought together in most of our courses, making our approach unique. Half the programme consists of learning research skills. There are many issues you can choose to study and a large research staff you can work with.

Future career opportunities

We prepare our students to become behavioural scientists with excellent analytical research skills, advanced statistical knowledge and in-depth understanding of human behaviour. The programme provides an excellent basis for a scientific research career and the majority of our graduates have gone on to PhD positions. You can also work within other settings than academia, such as industrial and commercial settings, non-profit organisations, and clinical settings. Another possibility is to combine research with clinical practice in psychology or educational science and become a scientist practitioner. Students who are interested in this latter option usually do a clinical or applied Master's in addition to our programme.

Research

More than half the Master’s programme in Behavioural Science consists of research. In the first year you’ll do a minor project in which you choose from research themes that are provided by staff members or PhD students.

In the second year, you’ll do a major project in the form of a nine month internship which provides you with the experience - and data - needed to write your Master’s thesis. Most internships are carried out within the Behavioural Science Institute (BSI), working closely with colleagues, many of whom are internationally renowned researchers. However, there is also the option to arrange an internship abroad.

Accreditation

This programme is accredited by the NVAO (the Dutch-Flemish accreditation organisation).