The Research 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, clinical research, 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 Health Sciences and Clinical Research
- The student has knowledge about quantitative methods and the ability to apply this knowledge in preparing, performing, analyzing and interpreting research.
- The student understands core concepts of research in etiology (causality), prognosis, diagnosis, prevention, and intervention.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- The student is able to present the research findings in an engaging way for a broad academic audience.
- The student is able to critically review and assess the relevance of their own scientific results.
- 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.
- The student is able to respond to criticism in a constructive and productive manner.
- The student engages in personal and professional development.
Majors
Please see below for information about the majors within this Master Programme. Whether a major is offered full-time or part-time, is indicated accordingly. Read more about the majors here
| Majors | Full-time | Part-time |
|---|---|---|
| Clinical Epidemiology | Full-time | Part-time |
| Epidemiology | Full-time | Part-time |
| Genomic & Molecular Epidemiology | Full-time | Part-time |
| Clinical Research | Full-time | - |
| Health Decision Sciences & Technology Assessment | Full-time | Part-time |
| Biostatistics | Full-time | Part-time |
| Public Health Epidemiology | Full-time | Part-time |
Curriculum Overview
| Research Master in Health Sciences & Clinical Research- 120 EC points - 2026-2028 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Calendar | Course code | Course | EC |
| Fall 2026 | CK001 | Review of Mathematics and Introduction to Statistics | 1,0 |
| Fall 2026 | CK010 | Study Design | 4,0 |
| Fall 2026 | CK020 | Biostatistics I | 4,5 |
| Fall 2026 | CK030 | Biostatistics II | 4,5 |
| Fall 2026 | CK040 | Clinical Epidemiology | 3,0 |
| Fall 2026 | CK050 | Principles of Public Health | 3,0 |
| Winter 2027 | CK060 | Selected Topics in Epidemiology | 3,0 |
| Fall 2026 | CK070 | Core competences exam | 1,0 |
| Fall 2027 | CK080 | Core competences video | 1,0 |
| Winter-spring 2027 | LLS02 | Scientific Writing in English for Publication | 2,0 |
| Fall 2026-July 2028 | LLS03 | Personal Education Plan | 2,0 |
| Fall 2026-July 2027 | LLS05 | Intervision | 0,4 |
| Fall 2026-July 2028 | REMA01 | This Thing Called Science | 1,3 |
| Fall 2026 | LLS07 | Intercultural Communication | 0,2 |
| Fall 2027 | Lifelong Learning Skills elective courses | 1,0 | |
| Fall 2026-July 2028 | RM-RES | Research | 65,8 |
| Jan 2027-July 2028 | Elective courses* | 22,3 | |
| Total EC points | 120,0 | ||
* Students are allowed to exceed the amount of elective EC points by max 2.8 EC
Year 1 = September 2026 until August 2027
Year 2 = September 2027 until August 2028
