Study programme

Psychology: Human Resource & Career Management

The Master’s track Human Resource & Career Management focuses on advancing your knowledge of personnel psychology and the application of this knowledge to practice.

Semester 1
Semester 2
Internship

During your internship, you'll spend at least 504 working hours as a Work and Organisational psychologist. A key part of the internship is completing a specific assignment related to Work and Organisational Psychology.

Enjoy the flexibility to fulfil the internship in The Netherlands or anywhere else in the world. The entry requirements for the Master’s internship include having passed two specialist courses of the master’s track (i.e., Human Resource Management and Psychological Assessment, Career Management and/or the elective course).
Thesis
Starting in January, you'll dive into crafting your Master’s thesis. You'll get a list of topics to choose from. Throughout the process, a teacher from the Work & Organisational Psychology team will guide and supervise you using a step-by-step thesis planning guide. Previous topics cover areas like:

stimulation of worker’s proactive career behaviours in insecure working conditions

lifelong learning and the role of supervisor support

career decision stress

support at work and increased employee voice behavior

financial stress and work performance

what works best: working from home or at the office?

diversity in organisations

telepressure and its negative impact on employee well-being

The entry requirements for the Master’s thesis include having passed the methodological course (i.e., Methodology: Analysing, Presenting, and Scientific Writing) and at least two of the other courses of the track.

COURSES SEM 1 SEM 2 SEMESTER 1 SEMESTER 2 EC

Career Management

Period 1

6

This course is highly interactive and has a strong focus on application of the literature to practice. During lectures, a small group of students presents the literature on a specific subtheme and provides practical applications. You will learn about the most important theories and empirical knowledge regarding topics such as career planning, career choice, career development, inclusion, and the future of careers.
HRM and Psychological Assessment

Period 1

6

This course focuses on human resource management from an applied psychological perspective. More specifically, the focus within this course is on workforce planning and employment (e.g., How do you find and select the right people for the right job? How to socialise new employees and how to retain (good) employees?), human resource development (e.g., How to appraise employee performance?), and rewards and employee relations (e.g., How to measure and reward employee performance?).
Master's Internship Work & Organisational Psychology

Period 1

Period 2

Period 3

Period 4

Period 5

Period 6

18

The duration of the internship must be at least 504 working hours during which you work mostly in the role of a Work and Organisational psychologist. An important aspect of the internship is the execution of a specific Work and Organisational Psychology-related internship assignment. The internship can be fulfilled in The Netherlands or elsewhere in the world.
Methodology: Analysing, Presenting, and Scientific Writing (MAPS)

Period 2

6

This course deals with all aspects of the research cycle: writing a research proposal, designing a study, analysing data, and interpreting the results. The course prepares students for the empirical master thesis.
Master's Thesis Work & Organisational Psychology

Period 4

Period 5

Period 6

18

As of January, you will work on writing your Master’s thesis. You will be asked to choose a topic from a list that you will receive in the first semester. You will be supervised by one of the teachers of the Work & Organisational Psychology team based on a step-by-step thesis planning guide.
Restricted-choice electives: Mastertrack Human Resource & Career Management

Period 1

Period 2

6

You can choose between 3 electives: Team Development through Action Research, Coaching, and Organisational Creativity and Innovation

See more information in the Course Catalogue

The courses of this track are really in line with what I thought I could do in the future. Read more about the experience of Chiara

Additional information

student-activating teaching methods

All courses use student-activating teaching methods. In addition to lectures and self-study, the courses comprise assignments, tutorials, and practical training in which you will actively work with the course content. Developing professional skills (e.g., conducting selection interviews, psychological assessment, career counselling) and applying theory to practical problems are central to this track.

In this way, you will be trained as a scientist‐practitioner who works in a critical, evidence‐based manner in the field of human resources and career counselling.

Frequently asked questions

What is the main difference between the UvA’s Work and Organisational Psychology (WOP) Master’s tracks?

The main difference between the WOP Master’s tracks is the focus of each track. The main focus of each track is reflected in the 2 or 3 mandatory specialist courses. The Master’s track Coaching & Vitality in Organisations focuses on (positive) occupational health psychology. The two core courses are Interventions in Occupational Health Psychology and Coaching. The Master’s track Human Resource & Career Management focuses on personnel psychology.

The two core courses are Human Resource Management & Psychological Assessment and Career Management. The Master’s track Consultancy & Organisational Development focuses on organisational psychology. The two core courses of this track are Organisational Change and Consultancy and Conflict and Cooperation. Finally, the Master’s track Sport and Performance Psychology focuses on improving performance at work or in sport. The 3 mandatory specialist courses of this track are Essentials in SPP, New Horizons in SPP and Interventions in SPP.
Do the UvA’s Work and Organisational Psychology Master’s tracks overlap?

Yes, the Master’s tracks Coaching & Vitality in Organisations (CVO), Consultancy & Organisational Development (COD), and Human Resource & Career Management (HRCM) have some overlap. Some courses are shared by two tracks. For one track it might be a mandatory course and for another track it might be an elective course. Therefore, it is good to think about which courses you are most interested in, to compare the Master’s tracks and to see which track fits best.
What is the workload?
You will have weekly lectures or other forms of literature discussion sessions for all courses, practicals or working group sessions for some, and a number of professional skills trainings. However, a large part of your program consists of self-study and working on assignments, that can either be focused on practical application or on theoretical elaboration. Lectures and other types of meetings are scheduled on campus on 3 to 4 days of the week. Attendance is compulsory for all courses.

Lectures or literature discussion sessions: approx. 6 hours per week 

Tutorials/practicals: approx. 5 hours per week 

Self-study: approx. 31 hours per week

Study load per week: 42 hours (21 hours per course)

Study programme

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