Your future
Governmental, non-governmental and private organisations are increasingly faced with rapidly changing decision-making conditions. In a period where the information society is becoming more and more complex there is an increasing need for generalists who are able to deal with innovation in a reflexive and politically conscious way.
Career prospects
Practically all ESST graduates find employment on the intersection of science, technology and society. Approximately one-third continues in academic research, some forty per cent in the private sector, and one quarter in the public sector. Some 10-20% of the MA ESST students every year enter the programme from a working situation. These are typically professionals advanced in a particular career path (e.g. finance or web design) seeking to broaden their scope and deepen their understanding of the sectors they were working in. These students typically do not return to their old jobs but find new opportunities. It is not unusual for MA ESST students to find jobs immediately after graduation – or even before.
Examples of companies and institutes where our graduates work:
- Energy Centre Netherlands
University of Edinburgh
- Accenture Indonesia
- American Chamber of Commerce Italy
- Bioforum biological famers' association
- Global Wind Energy Council
- Rathenau Institute, The Hague
Many ESST graduates find work in non-academic institutes, such as:
- Governmental agencies and NGOs (Analyst, Parliamentary Assistant)
- Advisory bodies, e.g. think tanks, health councils (Advisor)
- Private research institutes, e.g. sustainability centres (Policy Analyst, Research Assistant)
- Commercial companies or consultancies specialising in science and technology and innovation (Marketing and Communications, Business consultant)
The Master Career Track
Your future after university isn't set in stone. While your studies give you valuable knowledge and skills, your career path will also be shaped by your interests, talents, ambitions and ideals. Knowing how to align these with the opportunities out there is key. But where do you start?
The Master Career Track (MCT) is a programme for master's students designed to inspire and empower you to confidently kickstart your career after graduation. By the end of the programme, you will have the insights, skills, and tools you need to pursue a career that truly fits you.
The Master Career Track consists of three interactive lectures:
- Get to know yourself
Identify your strengths, values, and passions - Explore the labour market
Discover job opportunities and connect with people in your field of interest - Enter the labour market
Learn how to apply for a job successfully
The Master Career Track is delivered by experienced career coaches from UM Career Services, who remain available for personalised guidance and support for up to six months after graduation.
Want more info about the Master Career Track? Visit the Master Career Track page.
Alumni talk
In this video, alumna Alexia Papadimitriou tells us more about her experience with the master's programme European Studies on Society, Science and Technology.
Alumni @work
Maximilian Eckel
Director of the Entrepreneurship Center at WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management
I genuinely enjoyed the sessions in the old rooms on Grote Gracht, right across from my apartment, where we engaged in in-depth discussions about the papers we had read. Reading about abstract or polarising topics at home is one thing—but discussing them in a small group of highly engaged peers was an entirely different experience. Those conversations really brought the material to life.
Adrián Gavorník
Junior Specialist at Kempelen Institute of Intelligent Technologies, Slovakia
In this video, alumnus Adrián Gavorník tells us more about his experience with the master's programme European Studies on Society, Science and Technology.
Livia Țurcanu
Technology Advisor
Alumna Livia Țurcanu studied the master’s programme European Studies on Society, Science and Technology. In our interview, she told us more about her experience with the master’s programme and her student life in Maastricht.
Betty Tkadlcikova
Social Media Officer
European Committee of Regions, Brussels
I studied the master’s programmes Media Studies: Digital Cultures and European Studies of Science, Society, and Technology. I look back at my time in Maastricht with zero regrets. I still consider moving to Maastricht for studies as one of the best decisions of my life.
Shelly Tsui
PhD Candidate, Eindhoven University of Technology
I chose a specialisation in Science and Public Policy. I did not stray far from my love for political theory, and was happy to see that I could combine it with science and technology studies.”
Maria Neicu
Knowledge Manager, Spencer Stuart, Amsterdam
Maria shares her experience with the programme and how it helped her with her future career
Dominique Nijssen
Project leader at Brightlands Smart Services, the Netherlands
Dominique talks about the programme, his career as a project leader at Brightlands and the Maastricht University Problem-Based Learning system
Martin Diepeveen
Account Executive, Microsoft, Amsterdam
Being passionate about technology, sociology, and having a keen interest in philosophy of science, the ESST master was a perfect fit for me. As a small group of students from different cultures and diverse disciplines, we got to learn a lot from each other, as well as have vivid debates.
Carlos Quiros Campo
Alumnus
After completing the bachelor's programme in computer sciences in Costa Rica, I left for Nairobi in 2003. There, I could start to work for the ILRI, a NGO which works at the crossroads of livestock and poverty, bringing high-quality science and capacity-building to bear on poverty reduction and sustainable development.
Matthijs Versteegh
Director Institute for Medical Technology Assessment (iMTA)
I have a BSc in Health Science and wrote a master’s thesis on the emergence and value of scientific facts in art research. After ESST I did an internship in the research department of the Institute for Cultural Heritage in Amsterdam, and now I am a PhD student in this field.