Study programme

In addition to the internship and thesis, the track consists of the following mandatory courses: 

• Organisational Change and Consultancy 

• Conflict and Cooperation 

• Methodology: Analysing, Presenting, and Scientific Writing 

  And one of the following elective courses: 

• Organisational Creativity and Innovation

• Team Development through Action Research 

In addition to the courses, the Master’s track includes an internship (18 ec) and a thesis (18 ec, incl. colloquia). The Master’s internship and thesis can be started only after completion of the courses (i.e., in period 3 of Semester 1) when the entry requirements are fulfilled. 

Thesis

As of January, you will work on writing your Master’s thesis (18 EC). You will be asked to choose a topic from a list that you will receive in the second period of the first semester. You will be supervised by one of the teachers of the Work & Organisational Psychology team based on a step-by-step thesis planning guide. Previous topics include promoting long term intergroup cooperation, transformation of creative ideas to innovative solutions, and situational leadership in work teams. 

Student-activating teaching methods

All courses use student-activating teaching methods. In addition to lectures and self-study, the courses comprise assignments, tutorials, and practical training in which students actively work with the course content. Developing professional skills (e.g., advising organizations, pitching an advice, mediation) and applying theory to practical problems are central in this track.

In this way you will be trained as a scientist-practitioner who works in a critical, evidence-based manner in the field of consultancy and organizational development. 

Additional options

Internship

As of January, you can start your internship. The main focus of the internship is for you to demonstrate you can effectively apply the knowledge and skills obtained during your study in the professional practice. The duration of the internship must be at least 504 working hours during which you mostly work in practice in the role of a Work and Organisational psychologist. An important aspect of the internship is the execution of a specific Work and Organisational Psychology-related internship assignment. The internship can be fulfilled in The Netherlands or elsewhere in the world.

Student-activating teaching methods 

All courses use student-activating teaching methods. In addition to lectures and self-study, the courses comprise assignments, tutorials, and practical training in which you actively work with the course content. Developing professional skills (e.g., collaborative skills, mediation, argumentation, presenting, consulting, and acquisition) and applying theory to practical problems are central in this track. 

In this way you will be trained as a scientist-practitioner who works in a critical, evidence-based manner in the field of consultancy and organisational development.  

Workload

You will have weekly lectures or other forms of literature discussion sessions for all courses, practicals or working group sessions for some, and a number of professional skills trainings. However, a large part of your program consists of self-study and working on assignments, that can either be focused on practical application or on theoretical elaboration. Lectures and other types of meetings are scheduled on campus on 3 to 4 days of the week. Attendance is compulsory for all courses. 

• Lectures: approx. 6 hours per week  
• Tutorials/practicals: approx. 5 hours per week  
• Self-study: approx. 31 hours per week 
• Study load per week: 42 hours (21 hours per course)