Master of Science in Social and Health Psychology
Utrecht University
Key Information
Campus location
Utrecht, Netherlands
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
2 years
Pace
Full time
Tuition fees
EUR 2,209 / per year *
Application deadline
Request info
Earliest start date
Request info
* EU/EEA, Surinam or Swiss students; €17,500: International students
Introduction
Investigate the social and health-related aspects of behavioral regulation
How do we overcome bad habits in order to act in a more social way? How do we resist temptations to maintain a healthy lifestyle? How do we cope with personal and social threats in order to prevent or recover from stress and anxiety? How do we balance different priorities in our social and work life?
The Master’s program in Social and Health Psychology (Research) investigates the social and health-related aspects of behavioral regulation. We will address not only basic psychological research of how people regulate their own behavior, but we also will examine how such basic knowledge can inform interventions and policies to support people in regulating their behavior for the benefit of social interaction and health.
During your studies, you will acquire basic knowledge and explore leading theories and concepts of behavioral regulation and their interconnections with various fields of study. We will also devote considerable attention to advancing your skills in methods and statistics. You will be trained to use and develop cutting-edge research tools through participation in ongoing projects, where you will gain research experience in the study of behavioral regulation.
Multiple levels of analysis
The two-year curriculum involves multiple levels of analysis of the study of behavioral regulation ranging from basic concepts (social cognition, motivation, emotion, and goal-directed behavior) to more applied views (relationships, welfare, and health). Attention is also paid to misregulation and under regulation (dysregulation) of behavior in the context of social and health-related issues. Understanding the mechanisms of dysregulation is essential for the development of interventions to repair these manifestations of dysregulation behaviors.
International orientation
The Master’s program has an international character that offers you multiple benefits:
- International networks and connections: Our staff includes lecturers who are from abroad or have international positions. We also collaborate with researchers abroad, enabling you to arrange research or teaching visits outside of the Netherlands and improve your research and career opportunities.
- Global perspectives on course topics: Numerous international students bring regional and global perspectives to discussions on the course content and related topics. From these interactions, you’ll gain a diverse outlook on social and health psychology issues.
- Advanced English-language skills: The program is entirely taught in English, and we encourage our students to visit symposia, seminars, and conferences in the Netherlands (in English) to further develop their subject-specific vocabulary and expand their global network.
Education built on research
The Social and Health Psychology (Research) program is supported by the Department of Psychology and includes a broad set of research approaches and methods to the study of human behavior, including experimental research in laboratories, field experiments, surveys and observational studies, experience sampling, and simulation studies.
Program Outcome
Through this Master’s program, you will develop into a qualified psychological scientist who is ready for a Ph.D. position or a research career outside academia. You will have the training and tools to use multiple research methods to investigate social and health-related issues related to behavioral regulation.
Career Opportunities
This program prepares you for a career in research in academia (Ph.D. training), research institutes, or at governmental or commercial organizations. You will also be prepared for a non-scientific career path. Highly qualified researchers are in great demand, therefore career prospects are very good.
Academic Career
As a graduate of this program, you will be a highly trained researcher and well-qualified to work as a scientific researcher in the social and behavioral sciences. Typically, around 70% of our graduates continue as Ph.D. students at a university or as a researcher at a research institute.
What does your job involve?
Ph.D. student: You will conduct research at a university in the Netherlands or abroad, writing scientific publications and working as a lecturer for Bachelor’s and Master’s students.
Researcher at a research institute: You will perform research in various areas of society and health, and will be responsible for the design, implementation, analysis of research, and writing reports.
Professional Career
The program also prepares you for a career as an applied researcher outside of academia. Graduates typically are working in three types of the profession:
- Lecturer at colleges and universities
- Policy officer at governmental departments at local and national level
- Advisor at non-profit, private, and/or commercial organizations
What does your job involve?
Lecturer: You will engage in teaching classes and workshops on social and behavioral sciences at Bachelor's or Master's level. You will also be able to follow specific education training and acquire teaching certifications.
Policy officer: You will support the government in identifying, monitoring, and evaluating policies and write reports and fact sheets about the results.
Advisor: You will advise organizations about behavioral regulation theories, research methods, and statistics to solve social and/or health issues and to design or improve consumer products and marketing strategies.