Remco Smulders
your thesis can be the build-up for a PhD-study, you can also write an ordinary thesis and choose a career in, for instance, a consulting and research firm. It is of course possible to choose a topic out of the blue, but there is also the possibility to join in with one of the current research projects in the three organizing universities.
An extraordinary Master Apart from the content, there are some elements of this Master that make it different from other Master’s Programs in public administration. This is, first of all, the size of the group: not more than 15 students that are all highly motivated. You have to apply a few months before the start of the programme , send your CV and portfolio, and show that you are motivated enough during an application interview. As a result of this selection, most classes turn out to be discussions instead of traditional lectures. While the small scale of the programme has an impact on the character of the classes, it also enhances a close relationship between the students. In our first year a few of my fellow students organized a wonderful study trip to London and Oxford, and at the start of our second year the new first years joined us for an interesting week in Berlin. Throughout the year, multiple activities for all the students are organized, and you will also be invited to interesting lectures when foreign scholars visit the Utrecht School of Governance. Thirdly, the Master’s programme is taught completely in English and is also open for foreign students. In my cohort, with two students from Asia, this always results in some interesting insights from people with a different background. A final special feature is that the programme is supported by three universities: Tilburg, Utrecht and Rotterdam. Most courses (about 75%) take place in Utrecht, but you will travel to the other two cities as well. Big advantages of this set up are that you get classes from the best professors of the three universities and that there will always be at least one researcher that knows a lot about the topic you are interested in. Moreover, you get to see and understand the different perspectives on public administration and on doing research in this field that characterize the various cities. You might think that having to travel
a lot is a downside, but since you generally have only two classes a week, this is not a big burden. A last feature of the programme is that you have to work quite hard, certainly in the first few months. Having only two classes a week, means you need to do a lot of reading and writing at home. However, your professors work hard as well and are always prepared to assist you whenever they can. If you are interested and want to know more about the programme, you can always ask questions directly to me (r.g.smulders@uvt.nl) or contact prof. dr. Stavros Zouridis, the coordinator of this Master’s programme from Tilburg.
Master:
Research in Public Administration & Organizational Science
Faculty:
Tilburg Law School, University of Utrecht, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
Duration:
2 years
Form:
Full-time
Language:
English
Start of program:
September
Titelatuur:
Master of Science (Msc)
Necessary bachelor: Bestuurskunde and additional requirements
43 | SecJure Juni 2012