Carolin is from Germany and chose to come to Maastricht for the master’s programme in Work, Health and Career. “I did my bachelor’s in Health Communication, in Germany, but had an urge to specialise, since the bachelor’s programme was very broad. Next to my studies I’ve always had jobs and that put me on the path of this master’s programme.

In the jobs I held - some of them study-related, others simply to earn money - I experienced many different working conditions and quite a lot were fairly negative. It definitely guided me towards this master’s programme, since I’m convinced that reward, recognition and healthy working conditions are all very important aspects in a person’s working life. For everyone in the organisation, from the very top to the lowest ranks. Fortunately, there is a law in Germany now that obliges health insurance companies to actually spend money on the working conditions of the people they insure.

During my bachelor’s I spent one semester as part of the Erasmus programme in Maastricht where I was introduced to Problem-Based Learning (PBL) for the first time. It was a positive experience, so when I was researching the options for a master’s, Maastricht was high on my list because of PBL. Besides, I wanted an English-taught programme to improve my language skills. I considered numerous options, even at other universities but there was no other master’s programme with this unique combination of topics. In fact I think it’s the only specialised master’s in Europe in this field.

I love what I’m doing now, the lecturers motivate you and the small tutorial groups are a highly stimulating environment. I also love this city, big enough to offer something different each day, but on the other hand not so big you get lost.”