First Semester
Students will start with the mandatory specialisation seminars: Strategic Communication and Organisations, Media and Society. You will also start your thesis process by following Thesis Preparation Groups. In block 3, you take the course Research Methods Tailored to the Thesis, in which you will refresh, train and further develop your research skills before starting with writing your Master’s thesis in the following semester.

For multiple papers, I looked at how corporate social responsibility (CSR) is developing and how internal communication styles influence CSR performance.Lotte van Walstijn, The Netherlands Read her experience
Second Semester
In the second semester, you can choose two electives, allowing you to create a Master’s programme that suits your interests best. There is a range of excellent electives offered, including, for example Public Relations, Media and Public; CSR Communication; Digital Analytics; Shaping Society; Climate Change Communication; Sustainability Marketing and Communication. You can find all electives here (the selection of electives varies each semester).
Master’s thesis
In the second semester, you will complete your Master’s thesis (18 ECTS). You will be guided and supervised in the creation, design, conduct, analysis and reporting of an academic empirical study. Previous research topics include:
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The effectiveness of crisis communication strategies;
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Misinformation threats for corporations;
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Gender and age prejudice in hiring procedures;
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Social responsibility and accountability of big tech companies;
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Organisations’ involvement in socio-political issues;
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Media framing of organisations;
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Communication and trust in governmental organisations;
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Adoption of new communication technologies within organisations;
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How to motivate employees through communication;
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The effect of (social) media attention on corporations’ stock-market rating.
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Strategic CommunicationPeriod 1Period 212
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Organisations, Media and SocietyPeriod 1Period 212
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Thesis preparationPeriod 1Period 2—
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Research Methods Tailored to the ThesisPeriod 36
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Elective 1Period 46
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Elective 2Period 46
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Master's thesisPeriod 5Period 618
Workload
This Master's is a full-time programme. You will have weekly tutorials and lectures. In addition, a large part of your programme focuses on self-study (e.g., preparing for tutorials, working on assignments).
- Lectures: 4 hours per week
- Tutorials: 4 hours per week
- Practicals: 0 hours per week
- Self-study and group work: 32 hours per week