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Program and courses Research Master in Psychology: Individual Differences and Assessment

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. You enrich your methodological toolbox with powerful and sophisticated statistical and programming skills, which you use to study how individual differences affect people's lives in the domains of work and health.

Program structure

This two-year program consists of 120 credits (ECTS):

  • Fundamental courses (18 ECTS)
  • Applied elective (6 ECTS)
  • Free electives (12 ECTS)
  • Methods (27 ECTS)
  • Papers and scientific support (42 ECTS)
  • Internal and international traineeships (15 ECTS)

The program offers four lines of learning:

  1. Content
    In the fundamental courses, you will learn about classic and modern theoretical models of individual differences, their biological correlates and how they develop over time. In the applied electives, you will learn about the implications of individual differences for health and/or work. In the free elective, you can choose any Research Master course that complements the IDA curriculum. You can also choose two Clinical Neuropsychology courses to strengthen your clinical qualifications.
  2. Statistics
    In the methods and statistics courses, you will learn state-of-the-art (statistical) methods, including multivariate statistics and multi-level modeling, programming, structural equation modeling, and extended assessment methods.
  3. Scientific writing
    In the first year, you write a paper based on existing data and in your second year you write a Master's thesis based on data you collect yourself. Outstanding papers and theses are submitted to an international journal.
  4. Projects
    During internal and international traineeships, you experience what it is like to apply research skills in practice. 

This program starts at the end of August.

Program content

Year 1

Block 1: August – October

  • Biological Correlates of Individual Differences
    Identify and explain the relations between mental and bodily processes in the context of individual differences, using important psychological theories on individual differences and the psychological sub-discipline of psychophysiology. 
  • Theoretical Models of Individual Differences 
    Learn the most important elements of theories about structure and process of individual differences. Learn to use theoretical frameworks to explain the structure, processes, and consequences of individual differences.
  • Multivariate Analysis, including Multilevel Models
    Learn to describe and apply different data collection designs and techniques and translate research questions to testable hypotheses. 

Block 2: October – January

  • Dynamics of Individual Differences
    Acquire in-depth knowledge about how and why personality traits and cognitive abilities change across life and how they interact with each other at different stages in life. 
  • Psychometrics: Measurement of Individual Differences
    Get familiar with theoretical foundations of different measurement models and learn to apply psychometric methods for construction and evaluation of measurement instruments. Discuss various traditional and modern psychometric approaches. 
  • Multivariate Analysis, including Multilevel Models
    Learn to describe and apply different data collection designs and techniques and translate research questions to testable hypotheses. 

Block 3: January – March

  • Programming
    Learn how to work with the statistical program and language R. You will learn how to independently work with R in future courses and research projects. 
  • Internal Traineeship I: Skills & Knowledge 
    During the first internal traineeship, you could do conceptual research by conducting a literature review, for example, or you could become familiar with a specific assessment technique and the literature on this technique. 
  • Research Seminar
    During the research seminar you get all the skills you need to conduct scientific research. You learn to interpret and communicate scientific results, you'll be introduced to the steps of the research process, the development of research questions and hypotheses, and scientific writing. You put these skills to use by writing your First-year Paper. 
  • First-year Paper
    During the First-year Paper course, you identify a research question, review literature, analyze data, and write a concise and coherent research paper. You'll present your paper during the End of Year Conference. 

Block 4: March – June

  • Extended Assessment Methods
    Gain knowledge and insight into extended assessment methods, that go beyond the classic research methods. 
  • Internal Traineeship II: Design
    You’ll develop an empirical study, which could potentially be executed. The final product is a written essay in the form of a research proposal.
  • First-year Paper
    During the First-year Paper course, you identify a research question, review literature, analyze data, and write a concise and coherent research paper. You'll present your paper during the End of Year Conference. 
Year 2

Block 1: August – October

  • Applied elective course - choose one or two:
    • Individual Differences and Work and/or
      Acquire insights in how individual differences impact important causes, processes and consequences in the applied area of work.
    • Individual Differences, Personality and Health
      Learn how to improve health in individuals with chronic diseases by promoting lifestyle change.
  • Free elective courses - choose one or two: 
    • any Research Master's course at Tilburg University or elsewhere and/or
    • Diagnostics in Cognitive Neuropsychology and/or
      Learn to perform a complete neuropsychological assessment from a scientist-practitioner perspective.
    • Treatment Methods in Cognitive Neuropsychology 
      Learn how to design an intervention plan from a scientist-practitioner perspective.
  • Internal Traineeship III: Data Analysis 
    Gain expertise in data analysis and writing sections of a manuscript, including the reporting of methods and results.

Block 2: October – January

  • Structural Equation Modeling and Analysis of Longitudinal Data 
    Become familiar with a general statistical framework that brings together multiple regression and factor analysis: the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) framework.
  • Free elective Course - choose one or two: 
    • any Research Master's course at Tilburg University or elsewhere and/or
    • Diagnostics in Cognitive Neuropsychology and/or
      Learn to perform a complete neuropsychological assessment from a scientist-practitioner perspective.
    • Treatment Methods in Cognitive Neuropsychology 
      Learn how to design an intervention plan from a scientist-practitioner perspective.
  • Ethics and Data Management
    Learn the basic principles of scientific integrity and ethics (with emphasis on issues of individual differences research). Apply these principles to your own research design and data.

Block 3: January – March

  • Internal Traineeship IV: Peer Review 
    Gain expertise in peer-reviewing research materials. The traineeship involves the peer-review of more than one type of research material.
  • Elective course(s)
  • Master's thesis

Block 4: March – June

  • International Traineeship 
    You can choose one of three options for your international traineeship: you can attend an international conference or a summer school, or you could conduct research abroad. 
  • Master's thesis
Master’s thesis

In the second year (block 3 and 4) you will write your Master’s thesis (24 ECTS), in English, under the guidance of a knowledgeable staff member who will supervise you during the research and writing process.

  • You choose your own thesis topic and supervisor.
  • Your Master's thesis should be written as a manuscript that could be submitted for publication. If your thesis is of high enough quality, you are encouraged to publish it. 
  • You will learn how to conduct all aspects of the research process: creating hypotheses, collecting data, analyzing data, and writing a scientific article.
  • Prior to writing the thesis, you will write an individual research proposal (IRP) based on an original idea, with the input of your supervisor.

Examples of thesis topics:

  • Understanding Employability from a Multilevel Perspective: The role of Job Crafting, FTP, and Organizational Climate
  • Human Single- and Multi-Cell Variability in Response to Image Feature-Richness as a Marker of Effective Memory Encoding
  • Sample Size Recommendations for Estimating Cross-Sectional Network Models  
  • Risk Profiles of Patients diagnosed with Substance Abuse or Dependence, in Dutch Forensic Psychiatric Centers
Internal and international traineeships

In four internal traineeships you will be embedded in active research groups at Tilburg University and experience what it is like to apply research skills in practice.

In the international traineeship, you will have the opportunity to receive more experience with research in a format you prefer, e.g., attending and presenting at an international conference, attending a summer school or visiting a research lab abroad. Students choose the internal- and international traineeship themselves. The international traineeship is partly funded by the university

You will find a detailed description of the courses and required literature in our course catalog.

Go to the course descriptions


Please note: programs are subject to change. We advise you to look up the current program in OSIRIS Student at the start of the year.


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Short overview of Research Master in Individual Differences and Assessment 

  • This Research Master is unique in the Netherlands, and distinctive worldwide. The innovative curriculum allows you to personalize your educational experience by personally selecting your supervisors, research topics, electives and (inter)national traineeships
  • You can experience hands-on research in assessing individual differences in various contexts during traineeships, acquire a thorough methodological and statistical education and write two scientific papers as part of the curriculum.  
  • Join a small-scale and interactive program with individual guidance from international experts.  You become part of an ambitious and international group of students, and experience the real ‘cohort’ feeling. 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 thereby 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

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

Check your eligibility and the deadlines for application