Why Annika chose the International Joint Master of Research in Work and Organizational Psychology

Studying at Maastricht University (UM) is a personalised, life enriching experience that prepares you for the future, both professionally and 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?

Annika, 21, is from Germany and decided to stay in Maastricht for the 2-year International Joint Master of Research in Work and Organizational Psychology. “I have a bachelor’s degree in Psychology, the English-taught programme, from Maastricht University. I developed an interest in stress management and work-life balance and went to the Open Days to find out about suitable master’s programmes.”

Annika’s extra mile in health: “I want to contribute to a healthy work-life balance by translating research into helpful interventions”

“As soon as I saw this programme I fell for it. It’s very broad and very small-scale. Each semester takes you to a different university in a different country and I think it’s a great opportunity to combine travel with studying abroad. For me as a person it also forces me to develop more flexibility, which is a soft skill that I need to improve in.

This first semester I spend in Maastricht, focusing on research. The second at Lüneburg University in Germany, focusing on entrepreneurship. In my second year I will first go to Spain, to Valencia where we will focus on interventions. During the last semester you will do a research project somewhere, depending on the topic.

This programme is very international and you benefit from all those different settings and the backgrounds of your fellow students. Problem-Based Learning is one of the reasons I wanted to study in Maastricht. You learn together, in an interactive and pleasant atmosphere. I’m interested in translating research into practice. As people are ageing, work-life balance becomes increasingly important. I want to contribute to that by developing helpful interventions.”