Study programme

Programme outline

The Master’s programme Neuropsychology lasts one year, during which you must earn 60 ECTS credits. The programme consists of courses, an internship (clinical or innovation) and a thesis research project. Please note that if you want to apply for an internship abroad this is only possible in semester 2 (period 3 and 4)

*of which at least one is from the three electives mentioned in this programme outline (period 2 and 3). For more information please read the text below about the elective course.

Courses

Compulsory courses
In the first block, the Advanced Neuropsychology Course will provide in-depth knowledge of various cognitive disorders including amnesia, agnosia and executive dysfunction, Moreover, this will be coupled to current models of cognitive function, the latest insights from neuroanatomy and to various aetiologies such as stroke, brain tumour and neurodegenerative diseases.

Elective course
During period 2, you will choose at least one elective from the courses Neuropsychological Rehabilitation (only open to Dutch speaking students), Developmental Neuropsychology, and Cognitive Neuropsychiatry (offered during period 3). If you choose to enrol in only one of these courses, then you can also enrol in another elective, such as:

• Clinical Psychology: loss and psychotrauma
• Clinical Child, Family and Education Studies: systematic guidance for children and families (with focus on specific areas)

Below, you will find an overview of courses from the current academic year of this Master's. This overview is meant to give you an idea of what to expect. The course offer may change in the coming academic year.

"As my primary interest was in research, I pursued the Innovative Research Track as part of my internship. I believe this internship track provides a great opportunity to international students, since for them it may prove difficult to find a medical internship without being fluent in Dutch."

Internship and Master’s thesis

From the first day of the Master’s programme, you begin preparing for your internship and your thesis, and you will continue to work on them for the rest of the year. These two activities together represent two-thirds of your total study load.

Internship
Two different types of internship are possible, a clinical internship and an innovation internship. During the clinical internship, you will become acquainted with the day-to-day work of a neuropsychologist in clinical practice. Under expert supervision, you will work in an institution where people with cognitive disorders are treated or cared for. Internship organisations may include:

• hospitals
• nursing homes
• rehabilitation centres
• psychiatric institutions
• private practices

An innovation/research internship is focused on how the latest scientific findings with respect to cognitive function can be translated into innovative assessment or treatment tools in healthcare. Examples are the use of eye movement recordings or virtual reality during neuropsychological assessment. These internships are offered by the university, academic hospitals or private companies.

You will apply your knowledge and develop basic skills in non-verbal, verbal and written communications, diagnostics (both research and clinical), the use and evaluation of scientific literature, and reporting.

The clinical and innovation internships are available are open for both Dutch and non-Dutch speaking students. Please send an e-mail to the Internship Coordinator Gini Mathijssen or the innovation internship coordinator Teuni ten Brink, before contacting a possible host institution.

For more information, please check our students website on internship.

Master’s thesis
While working on your thesis, you will learn how to set up and conduct a neuropsychological study independently, and to report on it in the form of a scientific article.

Academic Professional course
Over the course of the year, you will also work on the Academic Professional course, which deals with issues such as:

• scientific and professional integrity
• ethics
• working in multi-disciplinary teams
• career orientation
• life-long learning