"The essence of the Master’s specialisation in Work, Organisation and Health is that you help people and organisations to maximise their potential. This means that you don’t just look at issues at the organisational level, but also at the individual level. That’s what appealed to me most about this Master’s programme. During the first weeks you’re given a great deal of comprehensive information, after which you can choose two of the specialisation courses: Work & Health, Personnel Psychology or Organisation Development & Behavioural Change. Once you have finished the study period of theoretical tuition for these topics, you’ll spend the last study period of the first semester on practical lessons. In my opinion, these were the most informative classes. During these practical lessons, you will learn a range of things, such as which interventions may be used for an organisational change process and the how a job application process works.
When I started my internship in the second semester, I discovered that even what you learn during the practical lessons only offers you a general guideline; you only really learn how to do something when you actually get to do it yourself. Finding my own way in an organisation and seeing how processes were designed was quite enlightening. In addition, you not only get to learn about your own field from your colleagues, but they also teach you things about the organisation. It’s so great to see that the knowledge that you’ve been studying for years in textbooks can also be applied in practice. For me it was the first time that I really felt that I could make a valid contribution to an organisation with the same vision as my own.
In addition to the educational side of things, social contact is obviously also very important. What I really liked about this Master’s programme was that the groups weren’t too large, which meant that you had individual contact with both the students and lecturers and that you got to know almost everybody personally. The lecturers were always prepared to answer questions, have discussions or just have a chat and for me, that’s what made the atmosphere of the programme even better. The best way to get to know your fellow students is during an activity. I really enjoyed being part of the study association and being on one of ARGON’s committees and I had a lot of fun organising a weekend away. In addition to the monthly get-togethers, study-related activities are also organised, so there’s something for everyone!
I had a great time during my studies: I learned a lot both at university and during my internship and I look back on my studies with great pleasure!"