Studying at Maastricht University (UM) is a personalised, life enriching experience that prepares you for the future, both professionally as personally. Our bachelor’s and master’s programmes are designed for students who have an intrinsic curiosity in human behaviour and health. Students ‘who want to go the extra mile’ on a professional and/or personal level. What’s your extra mile?

“I am a Doctor of Medicine and graduated in June last year. I did the obligatory residency in order to obtain my five-year license, but it’s doubtful whether I will be renewing that when the time comes. After my master’s degree I started working for a pharmaceutical company, writing on social media for oncological patients, from a scientific perspective rather than a clinical one. That is also where my main interest lies, scientific research. When you look at cancer for example, what are the factors that enhance the risk of cancer? What is the distribution pattern of the disease and what is the impact of the environment and behaviour?

I came to Maastricht because at the UM it’s a one-year master’s programme, which perfectly suited my personal situation. I’m very grateful that I was accepted here on a scholarship, coming from a non-EU country. Furthermore, the UM is renowned in public health circles for its reputation and good career opportunities. So far, the programme is very well structured and exactly what I expected.

Solid research data form the basis for decisions in the public health arena and epidemiology provides you with the tools to get at those data. My ultimate goal is to work for the World Health Organization (WHO) as a dedicated researcher. Possibly in the field of oncology, but not necessarily. Since the WHO is looking for PhD graduates in epidemiology, a PhD position would be my next logical step after this master’s. Working at the WHO in Geneva would be a dream come true for me. Also because Lake Geneva is great for sailing, which is another passion of mine.”

  Mina posts weekly on Instagram about her experiences during the master's programme and her life in Maastricht.

She's also happy to answer your questions about the programme and about (student) life in Maastricht via DM on Instagram. 

  Want to know more about the Epidemiology master's programme? Get our full infopack