Why this programme?
'Sustainable work' has shot to the top of the agenda in recent years. Governments and companies need employees to remain healthy and productive throughout their careers. Good employee health and decent work are also among the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and urgent action is needed. How do we create decent jobs, which provide a good match between the individual and the job? How to balance work and family lives? And how to maintain employees’ health, employability and functional capacities over the years in a context of constantly changing labour markets and social welfare policies? There is a real need – and a job market – for experts on these contemporary issues. Work, Health and Career focuses on health, wellbeing and employability across the lifespan. You learn to weigh up the diverse interests of workers, families and companies. You will be taught about the changing world of work and social welfare and how you can respond to that. In line with that, you’ll develop and evaluate cutting-edge interventions and strategies to promote sustainable working lives.
Multidisciplinary and practical programme
The health issues that you encounter in the workplace are very diverse. A high workload might cause stress, an inadequately designed workplace might cause physical problems and over the course of their career some employees develop a chronic illness. The may be equally varied. You may be asked to give strategic advice, formulate health policies or you may be handling individual cases.
The programme will therefore provide you with a multidisciplinary and practical training that combines the best of different worlds. You’ll learn about occupational healthcare, organisational and policy science, and health promotion. By combining this with special communications and skills training sessions you’ll learn how to formulate, implement and evaluate evidence-based interventions. The multifaceted nature of the programme ensures that you'll have all the knowledge you need to adequately handle many different situations later on in your career.
Toolbox for the WHC professional
You’ll gain up-to-date knowledge of contemporary topics such as the changing world of work and social welfare, work–life balance, work engagement, health promotion, extended working lives, mental health and physical health problems of workers. In order to get better grip on these topics, you will be trained to apply a bio-psychosocial approach to labour participation, in moral case deliberation and in evidence-based occupational medicine. In the master Work, Health and Career, a strong accent will be on training to equip the WHC professional with a toolbox of practical skills to be able to translate your theoretical knowledge to practice. Throughout the Master programme, three major lines of training can be distinguished, each with their unique contribution to a well-balanced toolbox content: 1. A biopsychosocial approach to labour participation: ICF trajectory; 2. Evidence Based Occupational Health trajectory; and 3. Intervention and Communication Skills trajectory. You will also be taught about the relevant methods needed for research in the field of work, health and career. Upon graduation, you'll therefore be completely up to date with the latest cutting-edge techniques.
Work, Health and Career master's student Ruth posts weekly about her experiences. She's happy to answer your questions about the programme and about (student) life in Maastricht.
Work, Health and Career research at Maastricht University
Maastricht University’s Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences offers an excellent study environment as it has a long-standing tradition of research into health issues. Several research programmes focus on different aspects of work, health and career. Relevant examples are:
- A large-scale prospective cohort study on the determinants of health and labour participation of ageing workers. This study will reveal both the facilitating factors and barriers for prolonged working careers, for relevant subgroups of workers separately (e.g. job title/sector, gender, chronically ill, or shift workers).
- Evaluation of the the intervention “Healthy HR”, which is a dialogue-based online toolkit for the improvement of health and sustainable employability of lower educated workers.
- A qualitative study among managers in the health care and education sectors on whether and how they pick up early signals of burn-out among their subordinates, and whether they take action to prevent burn-out.
- A qualitative study among healthcare workers in the hospital who deliver work-related care to patients with chronic diseases, on barriers and facilitators and what they need to improve delivery of this care.
The knowledge gained from these research projects will serve as input for the courses of Work, Health and Career.
Part-time programme (two years)
The master's programme in Work, Health and Career (WHC) can be followed either full-time (1 year) or part-time (2 years).
The part-time programme presents an excellent opportunity for working professionals. You are required to attend university one day per week, either Tuesday or Friday, which allows you to combine study and work. Moreover, you will be able to carry out your final master's research project at your own workplace.
Students with a relevant bachelor's degree from a University of Applied Sciences (HBO) are admissible as well, after completing an entrance test or proving your academic skills by means of a checklist. It is unique that you can get an academic master's degree within two years, without having to do a bridging programme first.
You can read more about the part-time master's programme in WHC in our flyer.
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
Spend time abroad
The Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences gives you the opportunity to perform your thesis research abroad. The faculty has approximately 130 partner institutions in more than 40 different countries all over the world. The Work, Health and Career master’s programme cooperates with Gothenburg University in Sweden. Staff members with international research contacts offer additional opportunities, and students who want to conduct research in their home country will be supported to find a high quality opportunity. Students return having had the experience of a lifetime: travelling the world, meeting new friends, learning about different cultures, and performing research abroad to complete their studies.
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 25% 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
Want to gain that extra edge by getting real-world experience during your studies? The PREMIUM honours programme will help you gain the experience and develop the skills employers are looking for. As part of a team of students and under the guidance of our academic staff, you’ll spend about three months working on a real-world assignment for a company, NGO or educational institution. You'll also work on a personal development plan, receive intensive individual coaching and attend master classes and workshops. All of this will take about 250 hours, but it will give you a lifetime of benefits.
Are you up for the PREMIUM challenge?
Programme highlights
- Up-to-date programme which addresses the contemporary issues on the labour market and in the dynamic and changing world of work
- A strong emphasis on practical skills, with communication and skills trainings included in each course
- A unique focus on promoting health, participation and employability throughout workers’ entire careers
- Looks at the integration of behavioural, organisational, and technical aspects that are needed to establish sustainable work
- Multidisciplinary: combines the best of occupational healthcare, organisational and policy science, and health promotion
- A bio-psychosocial approach to health and labour participation
- Training for a range of career opportunities, from policy advisor to researchers, from HR manager to consultant
Download our brochure to learn more.
The current society and labour market ask for a sustainable workforce in which individuals are productively employed in jobs that sustain their health and wellbeing across the lifespan. This master’s programme addresses numerous contemporary issues such as the intensification of work demands, work-life balance, leadership and connectedness in times of corona, and the digitization of work. Within this context, you will be trained on how to advise organisations on the sustainable employability of their workforce in a scientific, evidence-based way.
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