Why this programme?
On the one hand, exercise and physical activity are means to get or stay healthy. How can we combat health problems using knowledge of the biological and biophysical mechanisms involved in physical activity? On the other hand, physical activity, mobility and performance can also be an aim in itself. How can we help older people to remain mobile and independent? And how can we train athletes to become Olympic champions? As a Human Movement Sciences student, you will learn to apply biological knowledge of cells, tissues, organs and entire organisms to address such questions.
Exercise and physical activity for health and performance
Human beings were designed for daily physical activity. But in the modern world our sedentary lifestyle has led to chronic diseases like obesity, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Governments are increasingly recognising the importance of physical activity as a public health issue. Understanding the biological basis of health benefits will aid in tackling these problems. This programme covers all aspects of the relationship between physical activity, health and performance – from patients trying to get better, to individuals just trying to stay fit, to top athletes aiming for the pinnacle of their sport.
Tailor your degree to your ambitions
The programme is versatile, providing a large offering of courses on themes as diverse as nutrition and exercise, muscle and brain function, motion analysis of movement disorders and metabolic profiling. Within the set courses, you will also have plenty of opportunity to concentrate on specific areas of interest.
So whether you would like to become a sports counsellor, work as an exercise scientist or even plan to start your own company in exercise promotions after you graduate, the programme ensures that you can obtain all the academic knowledge and skills you need to get your career off to a great start.
Key topics of the programme
The key topics/themes of the programme are:
- healthy living
- biomechanics in health and disease
- exercise physiology in ageing and sports
- neuroscience methods in rehabilitation
- sports nutrition
- academic reading, writing and presenting
- designing and performing academic research
Esther, Human Movement Sciences master's student posts weekly about her experiences on Instagram. She is also happy to answer your questions about the programme and about (student) life in Maastricht.
Master’s thesis
The second part of the programme is devoted to your internship and master’s thesis. During this period, you'll get to do research yourself. In the past, students have written theses on topics as diverse as:
- Assessing aerobic capacity in children with asthma
- Testing serious gaming applications for fall prevention
- 3D motion analysis of athletic performance
- Metabolic profiling in patients with obesity and diabetes
- Testing efficacy of sports nutrition supplements for recovery and performance
- Determining return to sports following rehabilitation after ACL rupture
Human Movement Research at Maastricht University
Research focuses on understanding the biological principles behind human movement and applying this knowledge to develop effective intervention strategies to maintain health in an ageing population. This involves biomechanics, exercise physiology, and neuroscience of human movement. Examples of ongoing research are:
Moving in the virtual world
Successful human locomotion is determined by an intimate interplay between muscle-skeletal system and neural control. Due to ageing, injury or disease the performance of the system can decline or even fail. An example is the increased risk for falling in elderly subjects at an advanced age. In the human performance laboratory we study human locomotion in health and disease to identify the source of the problem and to develop rehabilitation/training programmes exploiting virtual reality.
Inactivity physiology
Evidence is increasing that inactivity in daily life is a major health risk. Several chronic diseases have been associated with excessive sitting. So far it is unclear what the extent of sedentariness in society is and what the exact relation between (the pattern of) daily sitting time and health risk is. In various populations both randomised controlled trials and large scale cohort studies (e.g. the 'Maastricht Study') are performed to investigate the relation between inactivity and health risk.
Muscle adaptation and health
Research focuses on the skeletal muscle adaptive response to exercise, and the impact of nutritional and pharmacological interventions to modulate muscle metabolism in health and disease. The main research interests include exercise metabolism, sports nutrition, adaptation to endurance and resistance type exercise, and the use of physical activity and/or dietary interventions to improve health in chronic metabolic disease (ageing and type 2 diabetes). The latter are investigated on a whole-body, tissue, and cellular level, with skeletal muscle as the main tissue of interest.
State-of-the-art facilities
At the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, you will be able to access a fully-equipped experimental laboratory. You can use state of the art equipment for exercise physiology and human motion analysis. Available facilities include:
Spend time abroad
The Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences gives you the opportunity to study abroad in a work placement programme. Imagine skiing down a slope in Switzerland, wandering the streets of Cape Town or taking a weekend hike through the Scottish Highlands, all while studying at a top university. The faculty has approximately 130 partner institutions in more than 40 different countries all over the world. Students return having had the experience of a lifetime: travelling the world, meeting new friends, learning about different cultures, and working to complete their studies.
Small groups = big advantages
As with many Maastricht University programmes, the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences programmes are taught using Problem-Based Learning (PBL). In small tutorial groups of 10 to 12 students, you seek solutions to ‘problems’ taken from real-world situations. Instructors act as facilitators, giving help as it’s needed. This allows you to build independence and develop problem-solving skills that you’ll need in the field. This active, dynamic and collaborative learning method has one of the highest knowledge retention rates of any instructional method.
Problem Based Learning - quote compilation
Video: UM students talk about their experiences with Problem-Based Learning
Our differences are our greatest strength
Maastricht University is focused the development of its International Classroom, a place where our differences become our strengths. From day 1, you’ll be challenged with differing viewpoints and experiences as you interact with staff and students from all over Europe and the world. Your preconceptions and worldview will be enhanced by this interaction, bringing you closer to the programme’s goal of teaching students not only facts and concepts but also international accessibility and understanding. Roughly 14% of the students in this master’s programme come from outside the Netherlands. Such diversity creates an international atmosphere that is strengthened by the international orientation of the programme.
PREMIUM honours programme
PREMIUM is our Honours programme for high-performing master’s students. If selected, you will work in an interdisciplinary team on a project for a real client from the public or private sector (e.g. Cisco, DHL, EcoAct). Along with guidance from a project mentor, you will receive individual coaching focused on your personal and professional development. You will also attend several workshops and events designed to cultivate valuable knowledge and skills, as well as build a network that provides you with the best preparation possible for the job market.
Are you up for the PREMIUM challenge?
Programme highlights
- The programme considers the relationship between physical activity and health in healthy individuals, patients and professional athletes from a biological perspective.
- You'll have the opportunity to conduct research with renowned scientists in the field of human movement sciences
- You’ll develop research skills and have the opportunity to work with state of the art research facilities
- You can develop an international network with fellow students from abroad.
- There is a great deal of free choice to pursue your own interests.
- You will have the possibility to conduct your master’s thesis research at one of the faculty’s partner universities around the world or at a selected health or sports institute.
- From a PhD candidate, to a product developer, exercise scientist, trainer or sports nutritionist in companies and (applied) universities, and at rehabilitation institutes or sports clubs: the career opportunities are diverse.
In today’s aging society, it is essential that we deliver well-educated students with a strong academic background in physical activity, exercise and/or nutrition as it is becoming increasingly evident that these lifestyle factors are key to optimizing and maintaining health and physical performance throughout the entire lifespan.
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