MSc in Youth 0-21, Society and Policy

Our aim is to increase the quality of upbringing, care and education by improving policies and interventions for young people and their social and learning contexts.

Do you want to:

• Explore how interventions can improve the well-being of young people, their families, schools, and communities?
• Learn how to successfully implement interventions in child and youth care and education?
• Discuss the role of research in improving interventions and youth policy?

Then this Master's program might be just ideal for you! Completing this program equips you with

• State-of-the-art knowledge of youth research, practices, and policy, how they are linked, and how they can improve each other
• The skills to design, carry out, and evaluate youth policy and interventions using interdisciplinary and international insights
• A reflexive, critical attitude towards youth policies, practices, and innovations

Why study this program in Groningen?

Students actively shape their learning in collaborative learning communities and gain valuable work experience during an internship. Strong connections between our department and the practical field help to prepare you for a variety of professional roles. The unique spectrum of research topics and expertise in different methods ensure that the content of the program reflects the state-of-the-art in youth research.

Research

Multiple research perspectives and approaches

Many of the teachers in this program are internationally renowned researchers. We are involved in national and international research consortia and organize symposia and workshops such as the International Seminar Series. Our methodological expertise covers qualitative and quantitative techniques including longitudinal studies but also active participatory approaches. Increasingly, these approaches are combined in mixed methods studies to benefits from a plurality of perspectives.

Job prospects

After completing this Master's program, you will be able to apply for positions in the practical field or in research. Some of your options are:

• Team coordinator in a child and youth organization where you are responsible for quality assurance and improvement of the work of practitioners by supervising, coordinating, offering support, and/or leadership
• Quality commissioner of a child and youth organization where you interact with other organizations and researchers to bridge sources of knowledge of the good practice
• In an Agency for Quality Improvement, where you work with researchers, team coordinators, and quality employees of child and youth organizations to monitor and improve the quality of professional practice
• Child & youth officer where you work as a member of a team of civil servants with policymakers, child & youth organizations, and agencies for quality improvement
• Scientist practitioner where you work with children and their families and offer support to teachers and other adults who are partners in parenting and initiate and support activities that stimulate civil society and inclusive education
• If working on the thesis inspires you to do more research, you can apply for Ph.D. positions, write your own Ph.D. proposal, or explore possibilities in governmental and non-governmental research agencies.