Health, Wellbeing and Society

Program and courses

In this track of the MSc Sociology, you combine scientific insights from sociology and health sciences to become a specialist in the field of healthcare policy, societal resilience, and health and wellbeing. You learn to design policy and preventive measures to handle the consequences for health and wellbeing of topics related to financial problems, depression, dementia, stress, burnout, addiction, aging, lifestyle and chronic disease. 

• Learn to analyze how health and wellbeing are related to welfare, healthcare politics, policy, and demographic and societal factors at different levels. You gain an international perspective on health, wellbeing and society in mainly Western societies.
• Collaborate closely with healthcare organizations through participation in the unique Academic Collaborative Centers from Tranzo in theoretical modules as well as during an internship and your thesis.
• Become part of an innovative program which brings together academics and students from all over the world in a small-scale and interactive learning environment, with community-building activities, such as guest lecturers, simulation, serious gaming and study trips.
• Challenge yourself with an Extended Master's program or a Double degree program. The Extended Master's program gives you the opportunity to enhance your practical and professional skills during a 6 month traineeship, which adds an extra semester to your regular Master’s program. With a Double degree program, you have the opportunity to earn a degree from both Tilburg University and one of our partner universities:
  • Double degree in Sociology and Social Research - Tilburg University  and University of Trento (Trento, Italy)
  • Double degree in Sociology and Population Studies – Tilburg University and  Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Barcelona, Spain)

Related tracks:

• The Sociology: Politics, Policy and Society in Comparative perspective track investigates important societal questions and sociological problems related to politics, social cohesion, and inequality. It studies issues such as rising populism, social movements, and the welfare state. You learn to evaluate social policies and use research as input for new policies.
• The Politics, Policy and Societal Development track gives you a different perspective on sustainable development based on the theories and methods pertinent to the Global Management of Social Issues discipline. This specialization addresses societal issues and sustainable development from a sociological perspective.

Typical courses:

• Health, Resilience and Sustainability
• Social Policy and Social Risks
• The Social Structures of Western Societies
• Health and Policy

More  on the program and courses

Career prospects

As a graduate, you are equipped to lead projects and people tackling health and wellbeing related societal problems. You can analyze demographic drivers and outcomes of societal issues and of public interventions aimed at addressing (health)care challenges. Our graduates found work as policy advisor, policy executive, data analyst, researcher or trainer at:

Alumni facts

• Average number of months until first paid job: 7,10
• 70% of our alumni finds a job within 6 months after graduation
• 72% of the graduates is (very) satisfied with the program
• 82% would choose the same program again, at the same university

Source: National Alumni Survey, 2021 | n = 11

More on your career prospects

Application and admission

This track starts:

At the end of August and at the end of January

Best preparatory programs:

Sociology, Psychology, Social Geography, Anthropology, Culture Studies, Human Resource Studies, Organization Studies, and Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Pre-Master’s program:

If your previous education does not entirely meet the entry requirements, you can do a pre-Master's program at Tilburg University. For this program, the pre-Master's program in Sociology is available to both Research University and Dutch University of Applied Sciences (hbo) students. The pre-Master's program takes half a year (30 ECTS) and starts at the end of August and at the end of January. 

Tuition fees and scholarships

International students find information about tuition fees and scholarships available here.

Interested in this Master's track?

Check your eligibility

Related Master’s programs:

• Sociology and Social Research (Double degree with University of Trento, Italy)
• Sociology and Population Studies (Double degree with UPF Barcelona, Spain)
• Politics, Policy and Societal Development
• Research Master in Social and Behavioral Sciences
• Sociology: Politics, Policy and Society in Comparative Perspective