MSc in Governance in Leadership in European Public Health
Maastricht, Netherlands
DURATION
1 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
01 May 2025*
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2025
TUITION FEES
EUR 32,000 / per year **
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* for non-EU applicants | June 1 for EU applicants
** institutional fees top; low - EUR 21,400 per year; high - EUR 25,000 per year | statutory fees: EUR 2.601 per year
Introduction
Sound health policies and plans as well as effective health services contribute to the health and wellbeing of people. In Europe and beyond, there is a need for public health professionals who can advise on public health outcomes and strategies. With Governance and Leadership in European Public Health, you learn how to create and use evidence to advise on effective health policies. You are taught to include political, legal, ethical, and social determinants. All to become a future health leader.
Our student population is as diverse as the curriculum, allowing for multicultural and multidisciplinary collaborations. You practice your leadership capabilities during training sessions with public health experts and alumni to grow as a future leader in the health domain.
This programme is for you if:
- you seek to understand health policy processes and the role of evidence therein;
- you are looking to lead societal transformations for health and well-being;
- you want to pursue a career in research, policy, advocacy, consulting, or regulatory affairs.
Fast facts
- Unique in its Europe-focused approach to public health
- Option for an international internship
- International staff and students
- Possibility to develop leadership skills
- Double degree possibility with the University of Bremen (Germany) and the University of Health Sciences Kaunas (Lithuania)
- Part of the Joint Diploma Erasmus Mundus, Europubhealth master
- 1- year, full-time, taught in English
- Study load per week: 12 hours classes, 2-4 hours group work, 18-20 hours individual study
- Starts in September
Public health policies throughout Europe
The Master Governance and Leadership in European Public Health in Maastricht is unique: nowhere else in Europe will you find a programme like this. We provide you with the analytical tools, innovative research methods and change-management instruments to lead the transformations of public health systems. You learn how to prepare, support and monitor health policy decision-making processes in public health and government institutions. You also learn to take social determinants of health into account, with an emphasis on how decisions affect diverse groups in society.
Leadership skills and how to grow as a public health leader
You participate in an international classroom with students from different backgrounds. This helps you to build a network and learn from each other and it simulates the public health work environment, where you will collaborate with people from different disciplines. Learn more about yourself and your leadership capabilities during leadership training sessions, media training, writing policy briefs, project work, and mentoring/coaching sessions. You are guided by public health experts and alumni.
Governance structures and EU processes
Health system reforms in Europe are now focusing more on enhancing governance processes and capabilities to produce well-designed policies. At the same time, health systems globally increasingly use a mix of private and public providers of services and financing methods. You will be equipped with a toolbox of measures to guide stakeholders in the health system towards desired health and well-being outcomes.
For example, the governance toolbox enables you explore measures to direct networks of care providers towards integrated care. You learn how to develop strategies for collaborating with experts from environmental, veterinary and public health sciences under the roof of “OneHealth”. You gain an understanding of how processes of science advice and good governance can become integral to health policymaking.
Employability
In addition to the scientific and core public health skills, Frequent small-scale tutorial sessions and group assignments train your ability to function effectively and communicate clearly within working groups, enhancing your project management skills. The programme faculty’s network allows for the contribution of eminent scientific experts and practitioners from the field as guest lecturers. Each year in March, we offer an annual career event with workshops, alumni meets and a networking session with alumni and potential employers.
Placement opportunities
The programme hosts a network of 40 external organisations across Europe and beyond that offers unique research placement opportunities that are of practical relevance to these organisations. Placements provide insights into the “way of working” of different types of public health organisations and opportunities to network. Organisations include universities, public health agencies, ministries of health, consultancies, public health advocates in Brussels, non-governmental organisations and the pharmaceutical and med-tech industry. There is also the possibility for the placements at Maastricht University or suggest an organisation outside the programme’s network.
Specialise in public health issues
While you are trained to improve your leadership skills and understand governance processes in public health, the programme allows you to apply these insights to a specific public health topic or a field of your interest. Individual course assignments, presentations and papers can focus on a single relevant domain throughout the program. By this, you can demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the field to future employers. Examples of fields that past students focused on include European medicines policy, rare diseases, digital health or female leadership in public health.
Gallery
Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
It is Maastricht University’s (UM) mission to offer students from all over the world the opportunity to develop into active, globally oriented thinkers that are ready to make a positive contribution to their societies.
UM’s high-quality, innovative education based on small-scale Problem-Based Learning (PBL) in an international and intercultural setting prepares students for this purpose.
As an open and accessible academic community, UM offers several scholarships to support top-performing undergraduate and graduate students with personal development potential that are experiencing financial difficulties to pursue a degree at UM. UM scholarship students function as important ambassadors of the university during and after their studies.UM scholarship students are selected on the basis of their academic excellence, extracurricular engagement, active citizenship and financial need. As the number of scholarships is limited, the selection process is highly competitive.
Before applying for a UM scholarship, please take into account the factors summed up below. Read these carefully, to make sure that the valuable time you invest in applying pays off:
- You will have to apply for a study program at UM before applying for a scholarship;
- You are only allowed to apply for one UM scholarship, multiple applications will be disqualified;
- Verify if your nationality is eligible for the scholarship;
- Verify whether your study program is participating in the scholarship;
- Ensure that if the scholarship covers only the tuition fees, you are able to finance your own living expenses (rent, food and insurances) for the complete duration of your studies.
Curriculum
- Measuring and Comparing Health in Europe – Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches EPH4012
- Introduction to Governance and Leadership in European Public Health EPH4014
- Public Health Leadership Strand EPH4016
- Identifying and Assessing Good and Best Practices in Health EPH4003
- Europe as one Zone - European Health Law & Policies: The Translation of Evidence into Norms EPH4004
- Research Methods HPI4005
- Diffusion, Implementation and Quality Assurance of Health Innovations in Europe EPH4013
- Public Health Law and Governance EPH4017
- The EU, Enlargement and Global Health EPH4008
- Research Project and Masters’ Thesis EPH4011
Program Tuition Fee
Career Opportunities
Governance and Leadership in European Public Health graduates are the healthcare leaders of today. They are found all over the world in diverse organisations such as the European Commission, national health ministries, NGOs, private healthcare consultancies and academia.
Career paths
Our graduates play a crucial role in leading societal transformations for health and well-being. They advise on and contribute to effective health policies, improve healthcare accessibility and delivery, incorporate wider determinants of health in decision processes and enhance health outcomes for individuals and communities as a whole. Our graduates typically find jobs in one of the four following destinations:
- Public governmental organisations
- Private healthcare industry and consultancies
- Academia
- NGO’s
Public governmental organisations
As policy advisers, Governance and Leadership in European Public Health graduates help formulate, implement and assess health policies for local, regional and national governments and international organisations. At these organisations, our graduates work as health or social policy advisors, health innovation advisors or are entrusted with a specific health dossier.
Private healthcare industry and consultancies
Graduates find jobs in pharmaceutical, medical device and healthcare industries and their representing associations as well as in (inter)nationally operating consultancy bureaus. In the healthcare industry, they typically advise on relevant regulations and initiatives linked to the business of the company as regulatory affairs officers. In consultancy, they pursue a position as EU health policy or health (innovation) consultants advising clients on the health challenges they face.
Academia
In academia, our graduates typically pursue a PhD-position or employment as research project officer or junior lecturer. As researcher, they are at the forefront of creating new insights to improve public health policies and to enthusiasm students to pursue a career in public health.
NGOs
In NGOs, our alumni usually work in civil society organisations at a national or European level. They work to advocate creating health policies that reduce health disparities, advance global health or provide access to health education. Positions that graduates hold are EU Affairs Officer, Governance or Project Officer and they move to office managers or coordinators after some years.