Testimonials
This master is relevant in almost every sector and keeps many possible working directions open for me.
- Previous education
- Bachelor Business Administration, Radboud Universiteit
- Programme
- Strategic Human Resources Leadership
- Study start date
'I like the Master's specialisation, because it offers very varied courses. Each course is taught by a specialised teacher who knows a lot about a specific field within HR. Besides, this Master's is relevant in almost every sector and keeps many possible working directions open for me.
A challenge for me was the amount of study load. This was bigger than I experienced during the bachelor. However, I have not experienced this as a major obstacle. You just have to make more time for it, because the content of this Master's is not too difficult.
The atmosphere in class was great. The amount of students offers space to come into contact with varying students. For example, many students come from another university and some come from international. I didn't know many people from the bachelor's degree, but I actually liked getting to know new people and following the Master's programme with a fresh start. In addition, the teachers of this Master's are real experts in their field, and they teach their courses with great passion. There is a lot of space to have a chat with a teacher and I feel like a kind of colleague, where a lot of knowledge is exchanged, and you are taken seriously as a student. Many courses are also linked to practice, so that you gain knowledge from many perspectives.
What I found most challenging was the start of the Master's, because I had to get used to the amount of study load. Besides, there are a lot of group projects. These are often linked to practice and therefore an inspiring addition to the Master's programme. At the same time, I found it difficult to work with other students. Everyone has a different background and their own way of working and writing. In addition, you have to coordinate the agendas well, which is a challenge with a high study load. Nevertheless, this has taught me to work with different people and to prepare myself well for writing a research project, such as the Master's thesis. I no longer see this as an exciting challenge, because I have confidence in it.
My thesis is about job crafting among nurses. Job crafting is about a series of changes that employees make at work to achieve a better match between their needs and preferences in their job. This is very important for almost every employee in a lot of sectors. The topic of my Master's.
I think it is important that there are people with this Master's degree, because HR is an important subject in any organisation. I also see employees as the most important asset of an organisation. An organisation benefits from the optimal deployment of employees. There are many things to consider, because Human Resources management is broad and varied. Someone who has completed this Master's has a lot of knowledge about this and can therefore be deployed in all kinds of organisations. After obtaining my Master's degree, I hope that I found an interesting job in the non-profit sector, because I want to have my focus on the deployment of employees, so that I can contribute to the well-being of the population.'
It expands your knowledge beyond traditional HR functions, challenges your critical thinking abilities, and equips you with the skills necessary to contribute to organisational success at a strategic level.
- Previous education
- Pre-Master's Business Administration - Radboud University
- Programme
- Strategic Human Resources Leadership
- Study start date
- Study end date
What do you like about the programme/specialisation and why? How has the programme/specialisation challenged you (in relation to your previous education)?
What I like about the Master's specialisation is that it expands your knowledge beyond traditional HR functions, challenges your critical thinking abilities, and equips you with the skills necessary to contribute to organisational success at a strategic level. The specialisation, inherent to a Master's programme, meant that I was exposed to a wealth of new knowledge and perspectives within my field. While intellectually stimulating, this depth of specialisation presented a challenge as I had to familiarise myself with intricate concepts and theories that were beyond the scope of my prior education.
What do you think about the atmosphere in class (for example the relationship between students and with the teachers/researchers)?
Because the specialisation is a fairly small programme, you are not in a class with many students. This means there is plenty of room for discussion during lectures. This makes the classes very interactive. The teachers are also very friendly and approachable, they actively encouraged us to seek their assistance, ask questions, and engage in those meaningful discussions.
What do you find most challenging in your Master’s (specialisation)? Have you encountered any obstacles?
The most challenging is balancing coursework, assignments, and other personal or professional commitments. The workload of a Master's programme can be intense, requiring effective time management skills to meet deadlines and maintain a healthy work-life balance.
Are you currently doing an internship? Or what is your thesis about?
I am currently writing my thesis at a company, where I also work part-time. My thesis is about how recruitment practices can appeal to a more diverse target group. I research this by examining all the company's recruitment expressions.
Why do you think is it important that there are people out there with this degree? What are your plans once have received your Master's degree?
HR is essential because it focuses on maximizing the potential of an organization's most valuable asset: its people. When I finish my Master's, I will continue to work at my part-time job for a while. I then want to travel this winter and then look for a full time job.
The programme provides you with a good basis of knowledge to build on in your future career.
- Previous education
- BSc Recht & Management - Radboud University
- Programme
- Strategic Human Resources Leadership
- Study start date
- Study end date
What do you like about the programme/specialisation and why? How has the programme/specialisation challenged you (in relation to your previous education)?
Though most of the material in this Master's programme is rather self-explanatory, the courses provide you with certain tools in terms of how you can think or act in certain situations. The programme provides you with a good basis of knowledge to build on in your future career. Whereas parts of this specialisation lacked some depth in my opinion, I do find the programme very broad, as many subtopics related to HR are discussed (e.g., the relation of HR and performance, contemporary issues related to HR and Gender & Diversity challenges). With this, the Master's challenges you to think beyond previously acquired knowledge on basic HR themes.
This programme also urges you to think critically about certain topics/problems/solutions, which makes you not just take something for granted, but really look critically at the different sides of a story. Another part of this specialisation that I really liked is the SHRL buddy programme, in which I was paired with a buddy working in the HR field to spar with about HR in practice and to spend a day with them at work. This offered a small insight into HR practices.
What do you think about the atmosphere in class (for example the relationship between students and with the teachers/researchers)?
As I did not follow the regular course of first studying the Bachelor's Business Administration followed up by a Master's specialisation, I did not know any other students beforehand. In the week before the Master's began, we had an introduction day, on which we could get to know both the other students and the teachers. Afterwards, we had to complete many assignments in groups (also randomly selected groups), so you did get in touch with other students from your specialisation. Also, we had a WhatsApp group in which we could share information and ask questions to each other. The aforementioned resulted in a good atmosphere in class. Whereas some courses were very informal - in which we discussed the course material together in a large circle - other courses were more formal and sometimes lacked some input of students.
During this Master's programme, the relationship with my teachers was rather formal and with mutual respect. You do not have to be afraid to ask questions, as the teachers are there to help you and can also have a laugh with you.
What do you find most challenging in your Master’s (specialisation)? Have you encountered any obstacles?
The most challenging of this specialisation, for me, was the statistics course. The way this course is set up is very dependent on self-study, so you really have to put in the time and work yourself. Apart from the aforementioned course, the Master's is very doable and obtainable within 1 year.
Are you currently doing an internship? Or what is your thesis about?
I am not doing any internship at the moment. I did study abroad for three months during my previous Master's and would highly recommend anyone to experience studying and living abroad!
My thesis is about bystander interventions in relation to gender microaggressions against women in the workplace. A topic which is not necessarily HR-related, but could very well have implications for people management in terms of e.g. Gender & Diversity initiatives. This also shows how broad HR is.
Why do you think is it important that there are people out there with this degree? What are your plans once have received your Master's degree?
Employees are the backbone of their organisations, and especially in the contemporary tight labor market, attracting and retaining emloyees is crucial. This Master's provides you with (mental) tools on how to try and keep employees happy, healthy, and motivated. What is unfortunate about most Master's degrees is that there is no opportunity to gain practical experience without study delay. I would therefore highly recommend either an internship or a student job in the HR field to see how the theory looks in practice. My plans after receiving my Master's degree are to possibly start a traineeship in HR, to further obtain knowledge about HR in the working field and to put my acquired knowledge to practice!