Educational Sciences: Learning in Interaction (Research)

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Explore the complexity of cognitive and social learning processes

Do you want to disentangle and understand the complex interaction of development, education, and learning? Are you curious about how processes in educational contexts relate to the cognitive and social development of children, youth, and adults? The Master’s programme in Educational Sciences: Learning in Interaction invites you to tackle these topics and more.

Education can sometimes be dull and ineffective. We can change that through recognising and developing the concept that we never learn alone. We always learn by interacting with someone or something, such as:

• People who are more knowledgeable than us  (teachers or more advanced fellow students)
• People who are equally knowledgeable as us (peers or in teams)
• Artefacts (the environment around us, books, computers, etc.)

If you’re interested in learning about and carrying out high-quality research into these interactions, you can make a real difference in learning, teaching, and instruction.

Research-focused

This programme is designed to prepare you for a career in research (for example as a PhD candidate), or for work in education policy and consultancy. Educational Sciences: Learning in Interaction is offered by the Department of Education and Pedagogy, which in turn is part of Utrecht University’s Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences. The programme is based in the faculty-wide research theme of Education and Learning, which is embedded in local, national, and international research networks. 

High Quality Programme

Educational Sciences: Learning in Interaction is recognised as a high quality programme and has been awarded several high ratings by different ranking-organisations in the Netherlands. The renowned Keuzegids Masters 2018 labelled Educational Sciences: Learning in Interaction as a Top Rated Programme, meaning this Master's scored exceptionally high across judging categories.

Internationally oriented

Collaboration with students from multiple countries provides you with opportunities to explore issues in education and learning within a broader international perspective. In addition, researchers and scholars from abroad are invited for guest lectures and research seminars. We encourage all students to participate in international research seminars or to complete an internship abroad.

Multidisciplinary

This multidisciplinary two-year programme allows you to synthesize insights from education, psychology, neuroscience, and linguistics. Our lecturers represent different disciplinary backgrounds, such as developmental psychology, educational sciences, experimental psychology, human movement science, linguistics, pedagogy, natural sciences, and sociology. This broad range of perspectives will help you develop a comprehensive outlook on education.

PROGRAMME OBJECTIVE

As a graduate of this Master's programme, you’ll be a well-qualified practitioner in educational and learning sciences. You’ll have thorough knowledge of current developmental, learning, and teaching theories as well as the neurobiological basis of education and learning. In addition, you’ll have the tools and expertise to understand and conduct high-quality research in education. The programme prepares you equally well for a career as a PhD candidate or as an applied researcher outside academia.