Population Health Management (MSc)

Course content

First year

The first year of the programme consists of 10 courses of 4 weeks each. The first two weeks of each course you will mostly follow independent, online education. The third week is an intensive, full-time on-campus week to expand your skills through groupwork. During the intensive on campus week, you work in groups on a complex project. There will be lecturers and guest speakers to help you on your way, and additional guidance to answer any questions you encounter. The four-week period concludes with the test week in which everyone provides their individual reflection.

This master programme is unique in its combination of online education and the intensive on campus weeks. You get to work from home during the online weeks and learn and grow together with fellow students during the on-campus week. Be aware that this is a full-time study that requires due effort, also during online weeks.

Overview of first year courses

• Introduction course introducing the basic concepts and themes of PHM (blue).
• Courses on Data Analysis in health care (green).
• Courses on Health and Health Behaviour (pink): These courses focus on the effects of behaviour on health and illness and how to address this to improve (health) care on an individual and (risk) group level. In addition, these courses focus on the possible interventions in case of coincidence and accumulation of problems in different domains.
• Courses on Governance and organization (light purple), focusing on the development and scientific underpinning of new stirring arrangements in health care including financial aspects.
• Umbrella courses (purple): Panel Management is about the scientific support needed to design and implement population based care by structurally influencing the risks and outcomes of the individuals in a sub population. The goal of the final course “Implementation” is to support the students with knowledge and skills to execute complex  PHM approaches in larger populations or regions.

In parallel to the thematic courses, you will work on two project cases based on real life (light blue). These cases will translate the knowledge and skills directly into hands-on assignments that resemble what graduates could be confronted with in their future work environment. Moreover, these group assignments give you ample opportunities to practice the interdisciplinary skills that are part of this master's programme.

Second year

The first semester of the second year is reserved for deepening your knowledge, skills and competences. You will create your own individualized programme in one or more of the focus areas: Governance, Syndemics, Data Science or Epidemiology. To help you make a good choice and create your individual programme, the coordinators organize two orientation weeks during the first year. 

Semester 3: 

• Individualized programme (30EC) 

Semester 4: 

• Final Research Project (30EC) 

Overall: 

• Professional and Personal Development 

Professional and Personal Development runs throughout the first and second year. You will reflect on your personal and professional development, mainly related to the six competences of Population Health Management. In addition, you will get insight into future career perspectives. You will make your own Individual Development Plan to reflect on your development and formulate learning goals. In addition, you will write a third semester plan. 

You will get the opportunity to follow courses at Leiden University or universities abroad combined with internships in national or international organizations or research institutes. We have a broad network that could bring you into contact with international universities. All acquired competences will come together in the final piece of the master’s programme: the final research project. This research project is PHM-related and interdisciplinary. Research projects are often introduced by partnering health care organisations or research institutes, making it applicable to real life. 

Further details about the courses and internships per specialisation can be found here. 

Follow your own path: designing your second year

In your second year, you can organise your programme yourself. You may keep semesters 3 and 4 separate or combine them into one period. If you keep them separate, your final research project takes place in semester 4, and semester 3 can be used for courses, an internship, or both. If you combine the semesters, you decide how to divide your time between courses, an internship, and your final project. You may take courses and do an internship in any order or at the same time. All possible pathways are shown below.