Maastricht University, Faculty of Health, Medicine & Life Sciences

MSc in Epidemiology

Are you interested in the basic mechanisms that underlie health and disease? Do you want to learn how to examine their occurrences and determinants in contexts such as clinical practice and healthcare policy? Are you interested in pursuing or developing your career as an epidemiological researcher or policy adviser in public health or clinical medicine? Then Epidemiology could be just the program for you.

Fast facts

• Strong focus on research with a broad scope of applied research
• Study causes and determinants of disease
• In the context of public health and clinical practice
• 1-year full-time or 2-year part-time, taught in English
• Study load per week - full-time: 40 hours, approximately 13 contact hours and 27 hours of group/independent study / part-time: 20 hours, approximately 6-7 contact hours and 11-13 hours of group/independent study
• Starts in September

Why this program?

Epidemiology focuses on the occurrence, distribution and determinants of health and disease, and on the methods that can be used to study them. It’s considered a cornerstone of public health, preventive medicine and evidence-based clinical medicine. In the master’s program in Epidemiology, you’ll gain a solid education in the theoretical concepts, methods and interpretation of epidemiological research focusing on the diagnosis, etiology, and outcomes and prognosis of disease. You’ll also study the efficacy of preventive and therapeutic interventions.

You will explore epidemiology in all its different facets with examples ranging from the epidemiology of cancer or musculoskeletal disorders to nutritional, molecular, clinical and occupational health epidemiology. You’ll develop the full range of theoretical knowledge, practical and analytical skills, and experience you’ll need to become a certified epidemiologist.

Thorough grounding in Epidemiology

In this program, you will learn:

• about the basic principles and core concepts of epidemiology
• about different research designs
• about advanced statistical methods used in epidemiology
• to critically approach the appraisal of research work
• to prepare research proposals and research manuscripts and deliver effective oral presentations
• to develop communication skills that are relevant to the workplace

Improve your research skills

In this program, you’ll focus on building professional research skills such as:

• research design and implementation
• statistical analysis
• preparing a research proposal
• evaluating and reporting of your own epidemiological research and interventions
• peer reviewing and critically assessing scientific publications and reports on public health and patient-bound research

You’ll also put these skills into practice and will have the opportunity to play an active role in faculty research, thanks to the program's close ties with our research institutes. This will give you the skills you need to jump-start your scientific career.

Master’s thesis

During the second half of the program, you will actively participate in epidemiological research and complete a master’s thesis under the close supervision of the academic staff. Past topics have included:

• composition of breast milk and asthma, atopic and infectious outcomes in childhood
• alcohol drinking, genetic variation and risk of breast cancer
• school absence in children aged 13-14 years
• light physical activity and health-related quality of life
• prevalence and early screening of ADHD
• body composition and risk of metabolic or cardiovascular disease

Spend time abroad

The Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences gives you the opportunity to study abroad in a work placement program. Imagine skiing down a slope in Switzerland, wandering the streets of Cape Town or taking a weekend hike through the Scottish Highlands, all while studying at a top university. The faculty has approximately 130 partner institutions in more than 40 different countries all over the world. Students return having had the experience of a lifetime: traveling the world, meeting new friends, learning about different cultures, and working to complete their studies.

Small groups = big advantages

As with many Maastricht University programs, the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences programs are taught using Problem-Based Learning (PBL). In small tutorial groups of 10 to 12 students, you seek solutions to ‘problems’ taken from real-world situations. Instructors act as facilitators, giving help as it’s needed. This allows you to build independence and develop problem-solving skills that you’ll need in the field. This active, dynamic and collaborative learning method has one of the highest knowledge retention rates of any instructional method.

Our differences are our greatest strength

At Maastricht University, we're focused on the development of our international classroom, a place where our differences become our strengths. In this program, you will not only develop knowledge and skills, but also international accessibility and understanding. From day one, you’ll be challenged with differing viewpoints and experiences as you interact with staff and students from all over the world. Your worldview will be enhanced by this interaction. Roughly 40% of the students in this master’s program come from outside the Netherlands. Such diversity creates an international atmosphere that is strengthened by the international orientation of the program.