Language
  • English
Format
  • Full time
  • Part time
Start date
  • September
Location
  • Maastricht
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Human Movement Sciences

Discover the science behind movement, health, and performance. In this master’s, you’ll explore how exercise and nutrition impact the body—from patients to athletes. Choose between two specialisations: Health & Rehabilitation or Sports & Nutrition.

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Why this programme

In today’s world, where health and well-being are more important than ever, the field of Human Movement Sciences holds increasing relevance. Human beings are built to move, but modern life has become increasingly sedentary — leading to chronic conditions like obesity, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes. As a result, governments and health organisations are recognising not only sports and exercise, but also general physical activity as a critical public health issue. 

Understanding the biological basis of health benefits will aid in tackling these problems. This programme covers all aspects of the relationship between physical activity, health and performance – from patients trying to get better, to individuals just trying to stay fit, to top athletes aiming for the pinnacle of their sport.

This programme is for you if: 

  • you have a keen interest in understanding the role of physical activity in the prevention and treatment of disease, and the role of physical exercise and nutrition in (sports) performance,
  • you are passionate about translating science to optimize human movement in relation to general health, aging, disease, and performance,
  • you want to promote physical activity as an answer to contemporary health issues.

A biological and physical angle to health

As a Human Movement Sciences student, you will learn to apply biological knowledge of cells, tissues, organs and entire organisms to address questions such as; How can we combat health problems using knowledge of the biological and biophysical mechanisms involved in physical activity? How can we help older people to remain mobile and independent? And how can we train athletes to become Olympic champions? 

Tailor your degree

The programme offers a great deal of variety, with courses covering themes as diverse as nutrition, muscle & brain function, energy production and metabolic profiling. Before the start of your studies, you choose between two specialisations: Health and Rehabilitation or Sports and Nutrition. Within the set courses for these specialisations, you will also have plenty of room to concentrate on specific areas of interest. To finalize your degree, you will perform an individual 4- to 5-month research-driven internship/placement, providing you the opportunity to pursue your own focus within the programme. 

So whether you would like to become a sports counsellor, work as an exercise scientist or even plan to start your own company in exercise promotions after you graduate, the programme ensures that you can obtain all the academic knowledge and skills you need to get your career off to a great start.

State-of-the-art facilities

Human Movement Research at Maastricht University focuses on understanding the biological principles behind human movement and applying this knowledge to develop effective intervention strategies to maintain health throughout the lifespan. This involves biomechanics, exercise physiology, and neuroscience of human movement, as well as (sports) nutritional science. Examples of ongoing research are moving in the virtual world, inactivity physiology and muscle adaptation and health.

At the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, you will be able to access a fully equipped experimental laboratory. Both in education and research, we use state of the art equipment for exercise physiology and human motion analysis. Available facilities include:

  • Metabolic Research Unit Maastricht (MRUM)
  • Computer Assisted Rehabilitation Environment (CAREN)
  • Muscle physiology laboratories
  • Clinical Research Unit

The strengths of our faculty