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Health Sciences (MSc)

Specializations in Health Sciences

The one-year Master’s in Health Sciences is intended to educate students as specialist in the field of health care, public health and disease prevention. The study load is 60 ECTS credits.

A range of fascinating specializations

Within the Master’s in Health Sciences you can choose one out of five specializations. Another option is to select your own courses to create your personal Master’s degree (with the approval of the examination board). The five specializations correspond with the research areas at the Department of Health Sciences:

Policy and Organisation of Health Care
Prevention and Public Health
Infectious Diseases and Public Health
Nutrition and Health
International Public Health

We encourage our students to think ahead and gear their programme to the placement or research project that they would like to do. For example, Clinical Nutrition provides a good basis for tackling projects in clinical settings, while Public Health Nutrition prepares you for projects in organizations such as Municipal Health Services (GGD) and the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM). Students in all specializations are required to complete an internship and write an article.

Course descriptions can be found in the study guide.

Policy and Organization of Health care

This specialization focuses on health technology assessment and health economics. You will study elements that determine the efficiency, effectiveness and quality of care. Waiting lists, staff shortages and extreme work pressure in the health care sector are major problems for politicians, management, staff and – above all – patients. You will also study how to spend time and money in ways that will improve healthcare quality, long-term care, equity, efficiency, staff shortages and extreme work pressure in the healthcare sector.

Focus	Health economics and health policy
Issues	Purchase care, incentives, competition and health care health care quality, long-term care, equity, efficiency staff shortages and extreme work pressure in the healthcare sector; increasing scope and complexity of healthcare.
Objective	You will learn how to bring these problems into focus and help create solutions.
Internship opportunities	e.g. health insurers, hospitals, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis (CPB), and consultants.
Compulsory courses	Care and Prevention Research Advanced Health Economics
Optional courses	At least one of three set optional courses: Health Law Management in Health Organization Regulation and Organization in Health Care Two free-choice courses, see the General Electives.

For more information contact Xander Koolman, x.koolman@vu.nl.

Prevention and Public Health

This specialization is intended for students who want to specialize in health promotion and disease prevention. You will gain a broad overview of the theory, research and practice in the field of prevention and public health. The focus is on health behaviour, disease prevention, communication, lifestyle interventions and environmental interventions.

Focus	Human behaviour and the living and working environment.
Issues	Prevention is better than cure, but how exactly do you go about preventing a disease?
Objective	Developing interventions for a healthier lifestyle.
Internship opportunities	e.g. VU University Medical Center, TNO Applied Research Institute, Municipal Health Services (GGD), Consumer and Safety Foundation, the Netherlands Institute for Health Promotion and Sickness Prevention(NIGZ).
Compulsory courses	Care and Prevention Research Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
Optional courses	At least one of four set optional courses: Policy and Prevention Health Psychology Communication Campaigns and Research Prevention of mental health problems Two free-choice courses, see General Electives.

For more information contact Ingrid Steenhuis, ingrid.steenhuis@vu.nl.

Infectious Diseases and Health

This specialization will give you a broad overview of the biology of pathogenic organisms, the interaction between pathogens and their hosts. You will focus on the epidemiology and control of infectious diseases in the Netherlands and abroad.

Focus	Pathogenic micro-organisms and parasites.
Objective	Studying epidemiology, control and prevention of infectious diseases.
Internship opportunities	e.g. Royal Tropical Institute (KIT), National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp (ITM). In addition universities and research institutes in e.g. Venezuela, South Africa, Thailand, Vietnam, Senegal and Uganda.
Compulsory courses	Care and Prevention Research Nutrition and Infectious Disease
Optional courses	At least one of three set optional courses: Containment Strategies of Infectious Diseases in Global Context Parasitology Health Geography Two free-choice options, see General Electives.

For more information contact Maiza Campos Ponce, m.camposponce@vu.nl.

Nutrition and Health

This specialization focuses on the role of diet in health and in disease. You may, for example, concentrate on promoting good health through primary and secondary prevention of nutrition-related illness in the population, on nutritional problems in the clinical setting, on nutrition and infectious diseases, and/or on nutritional problems in developing and developed countries.

Focus	Prevention and treatment of disease through diet.
Issues	21st-century complexities in demographic patterns, disease burden, climate change and economic development in all societies, rich and poor; increasingly complex health problems
Objective	nutritional intervention for improving lifestyle optimizing nutritional status in specific population groups, i.e. children, elderly, non-western immigrants nutritional components for the prevention of chronic disease optimizing nutritional treatment in a clinical setting.
Internship opportunities	e.g. Municipal Health Services (GGD), food industry, government organizations, RIVM, TNO, universities and university hospitals.
Compulsory courses	Care and Prevention Research Public Health Nutrition
Optional courses	At least one of three set optional courses: Nutrition in Health and Disease Nutrition in Clinical Practice Nutrition and Infectious Disease Two free-choice options from another Master specialization or from the General Electives.

For more information contact Margreet Olthof, margreet.olthof@vu.nl.

International Public Health

This specialization will train you to cooperate and communicate with professionals from various scientific and medical disciplines as well as representatives of public health and related organizations (such as patient organizations), focusing on health problems in a global context.

Focus	Broad perspective on the diverse aspects of international public health.
Issues	21st-century complexities in demographic patterns, disease burden, climate change and economic development in all societies, rich and poor; increasingly complex health problems
Objective	To develop a more integrated approach to complex problems through a strong interdisciplinary focus on developments in intervention strategies to address health needs worldwide.
Internship opportunities	e.g. universities, research institutes, NGOs, ministries in countries such as Ghana, South Africa, Vietnam, Thailand, Bangladesh and the Netherlands; international organizations (e.g. WHO), national organizations such as NIVEL.
Compulsory courses	Research Methods for Needs Assessment Containment Strategies of Infectious Diseases in Global Context Policy, Management and Organisation in IPH
Optional courses	Health Globalisation and Human Rights Nutrition and Infectious Disease Parasitology International Comparative Analyses of Health Care Systems See also General Electives.

For more information contact Marjolein Zweekhorst (m.b.m.zweekhorst@vu.nl) or visit the website of International Public Health.

General electives for Master’s specializations

You can choose some optional courses from another Master specialization of from thes General Electives:

Community Genetics
Migration, Culture, Health and Research
Health and Psychosocial Factors of the Elderly
Business Management in Health and Life Sciences
Gezondheidsjournalistiek

For descriptions of these courses, see the study guide.