You can get a master’s degree at a research university or at a university of applied sciences.
Master's at research universities
The primary goal of research-oriented master’s programmes is to provide you with the necessary knowledge and analytical skills at the graduate level, so that you can carry out independent research either in a specific field or in a multidisciplinary field.
There is a variety of master’s programmes to choose from:
- academic master’s providing advanced training in preparation for employment;
- research master’s in which you are engaged in scientific research;
- teacher training master’s programmes, that prepare you to teach at all levels of secondary education.
The minimum length of a master’s programme is one year (60 credits), but research master’s, teacher training master’s and programmes in engineering, mathematics, natural science and agriculture are two years (120 credits) in length.
Advanced professional programmes in the medical sciences, such as medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine and pharmacy take a total of three years (180 ects) of study.
Master's at universities of applied sciences
The primary goal of master’s programmes offered by universities of applied sciences is to increase your knowledge and professional expertise at the graduate level. The focus is on further improving your professional competence, clinical and analytical skills and preparing you for managerial and leadership positions in a particular field.
Some programmes are full-time, but the majority are given part-time, as you will usually need to be employed in the specific profession already. This allows you to apply classroom theory to daily practice, and to bring real-life experience back to the classroom, to discuss with your teachers and fellow students.
In many programmes you also need to do some type of applied research, based on practical experience you gained at work.
Master’s programmes last at least one year (60 credits),but many are longer, ranging from 1,5 to four years (90—240 credits).