Testimonials
I really like the practical focus of the programme. During the lectures we worked on various case studies.
- Previous education
- Bachelor Psychology (Radboud University)
- Nationality
- German
- Programme
- Work, Organisation and Health
- Study start date
- Study end date
Master's student Ann-Kathrin Claßen is studying the Psychology specialisation Work, Organisation & Health at Radboud University.
What do you like about this Master's specialisation and why?
During the Bachelor's I really enjoyed the organisational- and work psychology courses and I wanted to pursue this interest. I feel that this Master's specialisation gives you better options for your future career. You can develop yourself in many different directions and this will give you plenty of choices for the workfield. Also, I really like the practical focus of the programme. During the lectures, several professionals talked about their work life and experiences, and we worked on various case studies.
What do you think about the atmosphere in class?
The atmosphere is nice and the groups are pretty small, so you get to know everyone well. The interaction is mostly informal and equal as teachers and students interact in a way colleagues do. I've gotten to know a few friends extra well, as we form the board for our study association Argon. Together with the committees, we organise activities like business excursions, training events, dinners and a yearly city trip. This is a really cool experience, as we learn new things and expand our network even more.
What do you find most challenging in your Master’s? Have you encountered any obstacles?
The programme requires more practical thinking and initiative in comparison to the Bachelor's, giving the opportunity to improve your personal and professional skills. For me, the biggest challenge in the beginning was the way the essay assignments were designed. They do not give as many instructions as in the Bachelor's, meaning you need to guide yourself through the process of getting to the goal and developing a product.
Are you currently doing an internship? Or what is your thesis about?
I am doing my internship at a big bank in Germany. As an HR-intern, I started working on recruiting tasks like checking resumes, inviting candidates for an interview but also doing the interviews. Luckily the Master's programme prepared me well for this, not just with different theories but also by having interview practice sessions. I'm currently focusing on the sales training programme for new employees. Besides helping developing and planning the training, I have also had the opportunity to give the training. For my thesis, I will look into this training programme and evaluate its effectiveness.
Why do you think it is important that there are people with this degree? What are your plans once you have received your Master's degree?
I think it's important having more professionals with a psychological background in large companies shifting the focus and emphasis on well-being and efficiency. I'm not sure exactly what I want to do after graduation, but I enjoy working on the training programme and giving these trainings. It is really rewarding to share knowledge and I liked having the role of a teacher. So I might be leaning towards a job in learning and development.
There is a growing need and relevance for professionals with knowledge and practical skills in this field of psychology.
- Previous education
- Bachelor's Psychology (Radboud University)
- Programme
- Work, Organisation and Health
- Study start date
- Study end date
Master's student Iris Willems is studying Psychology (Work, Organisation & Health) at Radboud University.
What do you like about this Master's specialisation and why? How has the programme challenged you?
I chose this programme, because I wanted to be able to apply my knowledge of Psychology to organisations and businesses. My expectations about this Master's specialisation enabling me to do this have already come true. I am learning how to gather information from and about people within organisations, and to form a valuable and professional judgement based on this information, built on empiric evidence. Becoming a scientist-practitioner has never been this real for me. Being objective but also bringing new insights, combined with constructive confrontations is challenging. You learn to draw up meaningful advice in multiple ways.
What do you think about the atmosphere in class?
In my opinion, the difference in atmosphere is quite big between the Master's and the Bachelor's. Lectures and workgroups during the Master's are much more small-scale and personal compared to the Bachelor's. You get to know the professionals that teach you and they get to know you, as a future professional. It feels valuable to enlarge your network in this way. I feel even more empowered to learn and grow as a scientist-practitioner because of this while getting ready for the work field.
Also, you get to know almost every fellow student quite well, without even making a big effort. The programme is arranged in a way that it enhances teamwork and interesting discussions. Next to this, a lot of time is reserved to get to know each other in informal atmospheres on campus, as well as off-campus.
What do you find most challenging in your Master’s? Have you encountered any obstacles?
During this Master I learned not to be reluctant when you face an assignment, that could be seen as challenging and rather different from what you are used to. The specialisation in that sense, does not give you a lot of time to get used to the way of working as it starts with such an assignment. The programme clearly requests independence, good thinking and a bit of guts from you. Personally, this helped me to grow really fast as a professional. I always keep in mind that there can be no shine without friction, after all.
Are you currently doing an internship? Or what is your thesis about?
At this moment I am doing an internship at a healthcare organisation, where I am investigating the factors that hinder and/or encourage healthcare workers to be able to participate in an organisational change. The organisation treats me like a professional who is capable of and responsible for doing meaningful research and getting work done. I can honestly say that the things I learned during the Master’s programme really helped me to do this internship. Things I put into practice are among others conversational skills, empirical background, professional judgement and thorough implementation of an intervention.
Why do you think it is important that there are people with this degree? What are your plans once you have received your Master's degree?
In my opinion, the field of organisational psychology is growing. Organisations are entering a new phase in which, besides technical development and innovations, development in culture and mentality play an increasingly important role. There is a growing need and relevance for professionals with knowledge and practical skills in this field of psychology. After graduating, I would love to be an excellent consultant, who is able to make the difference for employees, leaders and organisations. With a great amount of knowledge on healthy organisations and organisational development I would love to run a company in a progressive and thorough way.
The fact that you can fly into these topics from so many different angles makes it incredibly relevant to me!
- Programme
- Work, Organisation and Health
Tirza van Noorden is an assistant professor at Radboud University.
Can you introduce yourself?
As a University Lecturer in Occupational and Organisational Psychology, I conduct research and teach at the Faculty of Social Sciences. I followed a Bachelor's in Social Psychology, a Research Master's in Behavioural Science and a PhD track at the Radboud University. After these programmes it was time for a change of scenery: I worked in Canada for six months. I could not stay away for long, because back in the Netherlands I started working as a teacher. It was a warm welcome back to my familiar University. Students can recognise me from Bachelor's courses and the Master's specialisation Work, Organisation and Health. I supervise theses and teach courses.
Why did you choose to study/work in this field? What makes this field so interesting?
To be honest, I did not expect to end up in Occupational and Organisational Psychology. My main interest lies in social psychology. Social processes run like a thread through my career: I like to work on this topic in various studies. Even employees can actually be seen as groups of people, so my interest is broadly applicable. I find it fascinating that a person always interacts with an environment. The fact that you can fly into these topics from so many different angles makes it incredibly relevant to me!
What are you currently doing your own research on?
During my doctoral programme, I investigated empathy and bullying behavior in children and adolescents from the perspective of developmental psychology. I was able to combine my interest in social processes with mental health. What happens between students? What happens in the perceptions of children? With my broad interests, I have immersed myself in a lot of other topics, such as student well-being, performance pressure and technical aspects at work. Currently, I am focusing my research on self-confidence.
What advice do you have for students making their study choice?
Actually, I have two tips. The first: whatever you choose to do now, this decision does not determine the next decades of your career! Looking at my own career, I did not expect to end up here in this place. Still, I am extremely happy where I am now. You will learn a lot during your studies, but you will continue to develop yourself after your studies. So: plenty of opportunities to give your career your own twist. My second tip is to think about what you want to achieve with your studies. Which direction do you want to go? What do you want to achieve? Do you perhaps have a higher goal? How would this Master's help you further in achieving that?
What does your work in practice bring to your academic work, and vice versa?
In research, I sometimes tend to miss the practical applications, which is why I provide training on performance pressure to a wide audience. In a sense, then, I am not a teacher for students, but for employees! I try to make scientific theories tangible. What are concrete tools that an employee can use? From organisations, I get input on current issues. What are employees up against? How can this be explained? In this way I benefit from this interaction as researcher, teacher and trainer.
What is the best part of being a lecturer?
Now that I have been teaching a little longer I take on all kinds of tasks: from thesis supervision to work groups, and I enjoy a lot of things. I hope to give students extra knowledge about the professional field, in addition to substantive knowledge, of course. I like educational development: what do we want to give the students in the Master's? How are we going to do that? As a teacher, I want to help students answer their own questions and I find this learning process very special.