Leisure Studies

Focus

Our leisure time is a vital resource that can be used for creative and physical activity, building
relationships, forging identities and developing skills. The experiences that fill our leisure time
are provided by an industry which accounts for 6% of the workforce in the Netherlands. Leisure sectors such as tourism, sports, culture, events and media are increasingly interlinked and require an integrated and multidisciplinary approach. Courses of this master’s programme build on knowledge and expertise from various fields such as sociology, psychology, economics, management and marketing.

Course details

The master’s programme is a 12 month programme and consists of two phases. The aim of the first phase is to provide context in the form of master classes. In the second phase you will work on providing your own content to the field in the form of your master’s thesis.

Phase I - Master course on Leisure in a Network Society

All five master courses in this initial phase will have a dynamic set-up in the sense that they are positioned within the context of Leisure in a Network Society. The master courses centre on the three main current research programmes in Leisure: Storytelling, Imagineering and Events.

• Leisure, Creativity and SpaceThis master course discusses recent insights into the processes of globalisation, mediafication and commercialisation and their impact on the changing role of leisure in the design of public and private places and spaces.

• Understanding Leisure Attractions and Events

  Recent insights and research in the field of change management, innovation, networks, co-creation, attractions, theme parks, and ‘eventful cities’ are the key ingredients of this master course.

• Imagineering as Strategic Design in Leisure Organisations

  Central themes of this master course include strategic management, value creation, and strategic design. Students are introduced to the theoretical foundations of Imagineering and their application in the creative industries.

• Experience Marketing

  As marketing is a key instrument in the leisure industry, the master course in Experience Marketing will immerse students into the field of marketing and market research, zeroing in on the leisure industry and the experience economy. The pros and cons of various research techniques, such as web surveys, is one of the topics addressed in this course.

• Analysing Leisure Interactions

  Students are introduced to the field of practice theories, interaction rituals, lifestyles, and decision making in practices. Students work in groups to study issues related to authenticity, creativity or physical activity.

Phase II - Master's thesis

To ensure a smooth progression from the course and content phase (phase I) to the thesis phase (phase II), students will first attend the Seminar Leisure Studies. They will be placed into theme-based seminar groups, within which they write their individual thesis proposals. Their work culminates in a research thesis on a theme according to individual preference.

Audience

Challenging and inspiring education with different cultures

Your study programme will cover some focus areas which are very unique to NHTV. These focus areas are cross-cultural understanding, social responsibility, imagineering and entrepreneurship. In a cross-cultural context you learn to look at other cultures. The aim is to learn to understand different views looking at a problem from several perspectives. You will set off to uncover hidden information, you won’t think twice about asking questions, and you will learn to innovate based on a social responsibility, or in other words, based on certain values, such as sustainability and business ethics. Out-of-the-box thinking and imagineering are the connecting thread that runs through all of NHTV’s study programmes. You learn how to let go of obvious ideas and develop your own values, allowing you to create a product or service that appeals to the target market’s imagination. Entrepreneurship and graduation projects with own companies are encouraged and facilitated.

Admission requirementsIf you have successfully completed the International Leisure Studies (ILS) programme, NHTV’s pre-master’s programme in Leisure Studies (more information below) or NHTV’s pre-master’s programme Strategic Business Management and Marketing (SBM), you will have direct access to the academic master’s programme.If you have successfully completed an academic bachelor’s degree in any of the social sciences - such as sociology, psychology, economics, management or marketing – your access to the academic master’s programme will be evaluated in an introductory interview and/or an inventory of your methodology skills and academic knowledge in leisure studies. Premaster Leisure StudiesIf you have a professional bachelor’s degree, you will first have to complete a pre-master’s track to prepare you for studying at an academic master’s level. After completion of this pre-master’s track, you will have direct access to the academic master’s programme in Leisure Studies.Test Of English as a Foreign LanguageAs a non-native speaker of English, you must also show sufficient results of one of these tests:TOEFL test (minimum score 90 internet-based and minimum sub score for Speaking 20)IELTS test (minimum overall band score 6.5 and a minimum sub score for Speaking 6.0)Cambridge Advanced CertificateWith an appropriate diploma you may be exempted from the obligation of taking a language test. English Language Requirements IELTS band: 6.5 TOEFL iBT® test: 90

Grants and scholarships

It is a well-known fact that most students live on a very limited budget. This limited budget can be an obstacle when going abroad to study or on an internship. However, some students qualify for extra financial support. Check your options below.

• Loan tuition fees/'collegegeldkrediet'

If you are going to study at an institution of higher education in the Netherlands (or abroad), you are required to pay tuition fees to that university (or university of applied sciences) at which you will be studying. The university can inform you about the amount of tuition fee you have to pay. In some cases you can apply for a loan to pay for the tuition fees. Please visit the DUO website for more information.

• Taks deductions

The Dutch tax authorities (www.belastingdienst.nl) accept the course fees and costs of study books under the regulation of "buitengewone aftrek studiekosten". In such cases, the fees can be deducted from the taxes, which gives a financial advantage of 30-50% (or in some cases even more). This is only applicable to the parents of students who pay their taxes in the Netherlands. We advice students, who would like to know more about this, to contact the tax authorities directly.

International students could check with their local tax authorities if they offer similar possibilities.

• Netherlands Fellowship Programmes (NFP)

The Netherlands Fellowship Programmes (NFP) are fellowship programmes designed to promote capacity building within organisations in 50 developing countries by providing training and education to their mid-career staff members.

The NFP is initiated and fully funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the budget for development cooperation.

Please visit the NFP website for all information concerning this scholarship program including requirements, procedure and link to apply.

Students meeting the NFP criteria can apply for a NFP scholarship. Interested students need to apply for admission at NHTV and for the scholarship in Atlas separately.

• StuNed Scholarships

StuNed, Studeren in Nederland, is a scholarship programme focusing on mid-career professionals, as part of the bilateral cooperation between Indonesia and the Netherlands. The scholarship programme aims to contribute to the development of Indonesia through strengthening the human resources of Indonesian organisations.

A student needs to be admitted to one of the programmes offered by NHTV in the academic year. The application deadline is in March, (check the website for the precise deadline) therefore make sure you apply in time to allow us ample time to assess your application. Some programmes require students to take part in an intake interview (by phone).

More information on the StuNed Scholarships can be found on www.nesoindonesia.or.id

• Colfutoro Scholarship-Loan Program

Colfutoro Scholarship-Loan Program offers financial support to Colombia’s most talented and capable people.

The Loan-Scholarship Program is COLFUTURO’s main program. It provides financial support for Colombian professionals pursuing postgraduate degrees overseas in any field of study. A percentage of the loan becomes a scholarship when the beneficiary meets a set of requirements.

More information about the requirements and how to apply can be found on www.colfuturo.org