Programme overview

The Master programme in Health Sciences aims to provide students with a thorough understanding of methods in either clinical or public health research. Majors include clinical epidemiology, epidemiology, public health epidemiology, genomic & molecular epidemiology, biostatistics and health decision sciences & technology assessment. After completion, candidates will have the knowledge, understanding and skills to propose state-of-the-art studies, write excellent study protocols, perform the research, analyze the data using modern statistical techniques, make defensible causal inferences, come to justified conclusions, and write outstanding research papers. Depending on the choice of major, the candidate will focus on for example clinical trials, population studies, public health interventions, or modeling studies.  

Learning Objectives MSc in Health Sciences

1. The student has knowledge about quantitative methods and the ability to apply this knowledge in preparing, performing, analyzing and interpreting research.
2. The student understands core concepts of research in etiology (causality), prognosis, diagnosis, prevention, and intervention.
3. The student has knowledge of regulations and ethical rules applicable to the fields of clinical and public health research and is able to apply this knowledge. 
4. The student is able to translate a problem in the area of (clinical) epidemiology, public health, health care and/or clinical practice into a scientific research question.
5. The student is able to translate a scientific research question in the area of (clinical) epidemiology, public health, health care and/or clinical practice into a research protocol and/or proposal, choosing appropriate methodology for the specific setting and (patient) population.
6. The student is able to conduct a systematic literature search of a clinical or public health issue and is able to critically assess the literature.
7. The student is able to write a draft manuscript, based on a subject in the area of (clinical) epidemiology, public health, health care and/or clinical practice.
8. The student is able to present the research findings in an engaging way for a broad academic audience.
9. The student is able to critically review and assess the relevance of their own scientific results.
10. The student is able to collaborate with (international) co-investigators in order to set up and conduct a research project, to collect data, and to analyse these data to draw conclusions.
11. The student is able to respond to criticism in a constructive and productive manner.
12. The student engages in personal and professional development.

Majors

Please see below for information about the major within this Master Programme. Whether a major is offered full-time or part-time, is indicated accordingly. Read more about the majors here. 

Curriculum Overview

* Students are allowed to exceed the amount of elective EC points by max 1.4 EC. 

This programme runs from September 2026 until August 2027 and can be followed part-time.  
Note that some courses need to be followed in a specific order as earlier courses are prerequisites for later courses.