Alumni afstudeerceremonie

Research Master in Psychology: Individual Differences and Assessment

2 years English Starts end of August

Become a research expert in the area of individual differences, such as personality, motivation, intelligence, and cognition, as well as how these change over time. In the Research Master: Individual Differences and Assessment, you study how these differences affect people's lives in the areas of work and health. The Research Master’s is an excellent preparation for a PhD or a career in applied research, for example in human resources, developmental psychology, clinical research, or management.

#41
In Psychology worldwide

QS World University Rankings by Subject, 2023

100%
of the students is (very) satisfied with this program

National Student Survey, 2023 | n = 23

#66
In Psychology worldwide

Times Higher Education ranking, 2024

Program and courses

During this two-year Research Master's, you become an expert in the area of individual differences and assessment. Acquire profound knowledge about the biological correlates and development of individual differences, and how these differences affect people's lives in the domains of work and health. The Research Master's offers four lines of learning: content, statistics, scientific writing, and projects. The program is awarded with the highest student satisfaction, according to Elsevier Best Studies 2022, 2023, and Keuzegids Masters 2022, 2023.

  • Personalize your education by selecting your supervisors, research topics, electives, and (inter)national traineeships yourself. Acquire a thorough methodological and statistical education and write two scientific papers as part of the curriculum.  
  • Become part of an ambitious and international group of students, and experience the real ‘cohort’ feeling in a small-scale, interactive learning environment with individual guidance from international experts. Get a glimpse of the atmosphere of the program in the Character Studies blog.
  • With a specific combination of major and minor courses, you have the opportunity to combine your studies on individual differences with electives from clinical neuropsychology. Under specific conditions, you can qualify for the LOGO declaration, which is required to enroll in the Dutch postgraduate clinical education (GZ Psycholoog). For more information, please contact the Education Coordinator via rema_ida@tilburguniversity.edu.  
  •  Experience hands-on research into assessing individual differences in various contexts during traineeships.

Typical courses are:

  • Biological Correlates of Individual Differences
  • Psychometrics: Measurement of Individual Differences
  • Dynamics of Individual Differences
  • Theoretical Models of Individual Differences

More on the program and courses

  • Eveline

    Eveline Gieles

    Research Master’s student

    "IDA is a super intensive yet equally rewarding program.  I love how we get to shape our own curriculum and choose with who we want to work with."

  • Flavia

    Flavia Cherecheş

    Research Master’s student

    "We work closely with professors from different departments during projects. They value my input and are open to questions. It's truly inspiring to learn in such an environment!"

  • Arian

    Arian Sarwary

    Research Master’s student

    "Thanks to the programming course, I have a good grasp of R, which benefited me in courses and traineeships. Due to the flexibility of the program, I could create the exact curriculum I wanted."

Career prospects

As a graduate, you are an expert in an area of great societal relevance, such as human resource management, health promotion, and clinical research. The research Master's is also an excellent preparation for a PhD and a position in applied research. It is an excellent preparation for a (international) career such as a policy researcher, advisor or human resources and management consultant, or clinical psychologist.

Examples of our graduates' jobs:

  • PhD candidate at Pro Persona - ‘Sporten Versterkt’ research, The Hague  
  • Associate consultant at Accilium - Consulting Digital Transformation, Berlin 
  • PhD student, Utrecht University   

More on your career prospects

Students on campus enjoying the good weather

Application and admission

This Master's program starts:

End of August

Best preparatory programs:

  • Psychology
  • Human Resource Studies
  • Social Sciences
  • Methodology and Statistics
  • Pedagogics
  • Biology

Pre-Master's program

The Research Master in Psychology: Individual Differences and Assessment does not offer its own pre-Master’s program. However, you might become eligible for admission to the Research Master when you successfully complete the pre-Master’s program in Human Resource Studies of the Tilburg School of Social and Behavioral Sciences.  Please note that all other admission requirements and application procedure still apply.

Tuition fees and scholarships

International students, please find all information about the tuition fees and the scholarships available.

Interested in this Master's program?

Check your eligibility

More information on this Master's program

Create your own e-brochure with information on program content, admission requirements, career prospects, and student life in Tilburg. Throughout the year you can take part in various types of events: on-campus, abroad or online.

Interested in the Research Master in Psychology: Individual Differences and Assessment?

Check your eligibility and the deadlines for application