On this page:
- What is the research internship?
- Who can do the research internship?
- Duration of the research internship
- Requirements to start the research internship
- Aims of the research internship
What is the research internship?
In all of the master programmes you are required to devote a substantial time to a research internship. Under the supervision of two supervisors you have to plan, conduct and analyse the results of your own research project. In the final stage of the master programme, you are required to write a report on your research in a master thesis.
Aims of the research internship >>
Who can do the research internship?
The research internship is a mandatory element of all FPN master programmes. It may be conducted at the UM or at another university.
Duration of the research internship
| Programmee | When | Duration |
| Master Psychology | Period 4 - 6 | 28 weeks |
| Research Master | Second year, period 2 - 6 | 35 weeks |
| Forensic Master | Second year, period 1 - 6 | |
| Master Mental Health | Period 1 - 6 | 16 - 18 weeks (fulltime) |
Requirements to start the research internship
The research internship can only be started when the requirements are fullfilled. See the scheme below.
The first step is to write a backup plan, which is needed when you fill out the online application form. See 'Timelines and deadlines' for more information.
| Programme | RRequirements to start |
| Forensic Master | • At least 60 credits have been attained during the programme. |
| Master Psychology | • At least 8 credits of the core courses have been obtained of the modules offered in periods 1 and 2 • In addition, certain Research Internships may require that practical or skills training(s) have been completed. |
Research Master | • At least 54 credits from the first year courses have to be attained; • This must include the courses Applied Statistics I and II. |
Aims of the research internship
Students of the master programmes of the Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience at Maastricht University, are required to conduct a research internship that involves planning, conducting, and analyzing the results of a research project. This work will result in an individually written master thesis.
Planning
In this research project, the student gets acquainted to the empirical cycle of research. The student formulates a research question. The research question must be a scientific question that can be answered with the research project. Research projects can be both qualitative and quantitative in nature.
Conducting
The extent of the internship should be in proportion to the amount of credits (EC) 1 EC = 28 hours.
The number of participants is preferably related to the power calculation in the research. The number of participants should be scientifically valuable yet also practically doable within the time frame of the internship. The research proposal plays an important part here: in this proposal (which must be assessed by both supervisors prior to the data collection) the estimated number of participants will be specified and can be discussed.
It is possible to conduct a study with a team of other internship students. This can facilitate data collection. However, the master thesis is always individually written.
Analyzing
Statistics should be in concordance with the research design: students must be able to answer the research question/ hypotheses with corresponding, adequate statistical methods.