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International students
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2 year
Master's programme

How do we overcome bad habits in order to act in a more social way? How do we resist temptations to maintain a healthy lifestyle? How do we cope with personal and social threats in order to prevent or recover from stress and anxiety? How do we balance different priorities in our social and work life?

Investigate the social and health-related aspects of behavioural regulation

The Master’s programme in Social and Health Psychology (Research) investigates the social and health-related aspects of behavioural regulation. We will address not only basic psychological research of how people regulate their own behaviour, we also will examine how such basic knowledge can inform interventions and policies to support people in regulating their behaviour for the benefit of social interaction and health.

During your studies, you will acquire basic knowledge and explore leading theories and concepts of behavioural regulation and their interconnections with various fields of study. We will also devote considerable attention to advance your skills in methods and statistics. You will be trained to use and develop cutting-edge research tools through participation in ongoing projects, where you will gain research experience in the study of behavioural regulation.

One of the most important challenges that people face in modern life is to regulate their own behaviour in social context. We have to resist impulses and cope with numerous social and health-related threats, and our decisions often deeply affect our own and others' lives.

Programme goals

Through this Master’s programme, you will develop into a qualified psychological scientist who is ready for a PhD position or a research career outside academia. You will have the training and tools to use multiple research methods to investigate social and health-related issues related to behavioural regulation.  

Multiple levels of analysis

The two-year curriculum involves multiple levels of analysis of the study of behavioural regulation ranging from basic concepts (social cognition, motivation, emotion and goal-directed behaviour) to more applied views (relationships, welfare, and health). Attention is also paid to misregulation and underregulation (dysregulation) of behaviour in the context of social and health-related issues. Understanding the mechanisms of dysregulation is essential for the development of interventions to repair these manifestations of dysregulation behaviours.

Education built on research

The Social and Health Psychology (Research) programme is supported by the Department of Psychology, and includes a broad set of research approaches and methods to the study of human behaviour, including experimental research in laboratories, field experiments, surveys and observational studies, experience sampling and simulation studies.


How does this Master’s programme differentiate itself from similar programmes at other universities?

  • The Master’s programme has an international character that offers you multiple benefits
  • Unique: thematic focus
  • Lecturers with a background in research
  • Small scale programme
  • State-of-the-art research facilities


World-class university in a lively student city

Choosing Utrecht University means choosing one of the best universities in the country with several renowned international rankings  and twelve Nobel Prize laureates

Located in the middle of the Netherlands, Utrecht is a medieval city with a centre small enough to explore on foot, yet large enough to host world-class festivals, fashionable shops, modern architecture and fascinating museums. Find more about what student life is like in Utrecht! 

Key facts

Degree: 
Social & Health Psychology (Research) (MSc)
Language of instruction: 
English
Mode of study: 
Full-time
Study duration: 
2 years
Start: 
September
Deadline: 

Check the deadline that applies to you

Tuition fees: 
Dutch and other EU/EEA students (statutory fee, full-time) 2025-2026: € 2.601

Non-EU/EEA students (institutional fee) 2025-2026: € 20.605

More information about fees
Croho code: 
60380
Accreditation: 
Accredited by the NVAO
Faculty: 
Social and Behavioural Sciences
Graduate school: 
School of Social and Behavioural Sciences