Communication Studies

Hello all! My name is Emma and I am 23 years old. At 18, I moved to Groningen to pursue a bachelor's degree in Communication and Information Studies at the UG. After finishing the bachelor's in Communication and Information Studies, I knew for sure that I wanted to follow a subsequent master's programme at the UG!

After thorough research, I chose the master's track Communication Studies because I wanted to further broaden my acquired communication skills and knowledge. This master's track appealed to me because I wanted to work within educational, business and organisational communication. I also wanted to tackle complex communication issues.

So far, my focus has included writing papers, conducting experiments, giving presentations and developing my own communication training. In doing so, I have regularly worked closely with fellow students and the various learning outcomes per subject have been central. My choice for this master's track was partly determined by conversations with former Communication Studies students. Their experiences gave me a good idea of the subjects within this master's, which really helped me in my decision. Regular conversations with the study advisor were also important in finding the master's track that suits me best.

‘Groningen and Communications are it for me!’
For me, the choice to study in Groningen was quickly made. My older sister, who also studied in Groningen, was very positive about living and studying in Groningen. After I visited an open day at the UG where I attended an information session on the bachelor's in Communication and Information Studies, I was immediately enthusiastic about it. I then participated in the ‘Student for a Day’ programme to experience what a day as a CIS student in Groningen looks like. After that, I knew for sure: this is it for me! I have now been living in Groningen with great pleasure for more than four years. It is a beautiful city with a friendly atmosphere where everything is accessible by bike. I also joined the study association Commotie. Both academically and personally, this offers me a valuable experience.

Apart from my academic experience, I have also gained work experience as a content marketeer and e-commerce employee in recent years, where my academic knowledge came in handy. In the coming years, I want to develop further, especially in the digital field. I am looking forward to following a master's degree in Communication Studies focused on datafication and mastering digital skills.

Golden tip
My golden tip: take your time and choose a programme that suits you! I recommend talking to students who are or have completed the master's and contacting a study advisor to get a good idea of the programme. Visiting open days and participating in the ‘Student for a Day’ programme is also incredibly valuable.

Student Emma Lokhorst

My name is Aleksandra, I am 25 years old and I am following the Master Communication and Information Studies in English at the RUG. I am originally from Poland and I moved to Groningen when I was 19 years old. I followed the BA programme European Languages and Cultures and specialized in Politics and Russian. I chose the Minor Journalism. Next to my studies, I have worked in hospitality in the city and through work experience, I managed to learn Dutch on a communicative level.

I have chosen to study the mastertrack Communication Studies because it offers a variety of courses that study communication from both theoretical and practical perspectives. The programme enables me to study communication in combination with other disciplines, such as psychology or rhetoric; but it also allows me to apply communication in practical settings, for example in education or corporate environments. What I like the most about this track is that it puts a lot of emphasis on conducting your own research, which allows me to explore my own interests in an academic setting. By listening and discussing the individual research projects of my classmates I learned a lot of new concepts and theories I would otherwise not be aware of.

What helped me to decide that this track was the right one for me was meeting with the study advisor, but also the coordinator of the master programme; as they were the ones that could tell me the most about the programme and answer my questions.

Groningen charmed me with its “small-town” feel
Of course, part of my decision to move to Groningen was based on the educational opportunity the UG offers. However, the City of Groningen charmed me with its “small-town” feel; as a fresh high school graduate at 19 years old Groningen felt less overwhelming to start a completely new life in (as compared to other, bigger cities like Amsterdam). Moreover, Groningen offers a dynamic student life and provides an opportunity to engage with multiple student organizations, societies and sport clubs. By attending various events and activities I was able to meet many people, both Dutch and international, which made me integrate very well in a new city and eventually in the Netherlands in general. Groningen is a young, vibrant city.

Make the world a better place
Because Communication is such a broad discipline, it can be applied in virtually every context and setting. There are multiple career paths that become possible after graduation, which can be both exciting but also quite overwhelming for prospective graduates :) Personally, I would like to find a career path that allows me to apply my research skills in a pedagogical setting or improving societal challenges. Although it sounds like a cliche, I would like to find my own way of making the world a better place, therefore after graduating I would like to gain experience in an NGO or educational institution.

Student Aleksandra Dudkowiak

Hi, I'm Rianne, I graduated from the master's track Communication Studies in 2022. During my bachelor International Relations and International Organization at the UG, I realized that every essay or paper in which I had a choice, I wrote about the effect of language on people and society. Then I went to the master's track in Communication Studies via a premaster. I did not regret that.

Giving the right information at the right time
During the master's track, I did a five-month graduation research project at the UMCG. The final products were an advisory report for the UMCG and a thesis. After this, I also joined the UMCG as an employee.

In my current work as a communications advisor, I work with healthcare professionals to ensure that patient information is digitalized. This often means looking from a leaflet or brochure, which contains everything, to the whole patient journey to provide the right information at the right time. Both analogue and digital. I am also a communications advisor in the nursing domain. The nursing profession in the UMCG is developing rapidly. There are themes such as working methodically and career opportunities for nurses. The challenges in healthcare are great, so these are important developments.

Looking at issues with an analytical eye
The complexity of issues facing a communication department is increasing. In this master's track, you develop an analytical view with which you learn to look at such issues. Some of the things I encounter in my work where this analytical view immediately helps are:
- Turning complex themes and developments into a clear story
- Making communication plans in which you do not immediately dive into the means mix, but start from a clear goal, your message and knowing what connects with your target group

One of the master courses has stayed with me strongly. It concerned a communication issue of an organization that supplies aids in home care. We were given quite a lot of tools from the teachers. One of the tips we were given was to find out the ‘question behind the question’. I remember that at first I didn't think the latter was concrete enough. This frustrated me: ‘but what exactly should I do and ask?’ But this is perhaps the most important skill I learnt. It is always searching for what is the real purpose behind a question and there is not one trick for this. While you definitely get better at this, it is a case of re-examining how to find the right ‘question behind the question’ with every client.

Tips for students
I advise students to do an internship. A walk-in/work internship, research internship, or tailor-made work. This helps you discover what you want (or not), what suits you, and provides insights you cannot learn from books or from other people's experiences.
Furthermore, start networking while studying, such as attending career events. Or approach people with a career path that seems interesting to you on LinkedIn, and ask them to tell you a bit more about their interests and choices. Professional associations such as (Young) Logeion are also great fun and useful to join.

Alumnus Rianne van der Hoek

Hi! My name is Daan van Ommen. I was born and raised in the Dutch province of Limburg, and I currently live in The Hague. In 2021, I started the pre-master CIS and in 2023, I finished the master CIS. Before coming to Groningen, I completed a bachelor at a university of applied sciences and another study programme. During my studies, I was a member of study associations Commotie and MARUG.

Advising role
The study programme made me a lot more aware of the fact that as a communications professional, you often have an advising role. You give advice and help think about how to properly present a product or a person through for instance media, social media and online and offline channels. Your role in this can vary greatly: you might think about which words should resonate, or you might look at the image that should stick. We were able to experience this advising role in one of the courses during the master. For this, we worked with a consulting agency to provide a large municipality with advice on improving awareness of a tool for people with lower incomes. We received regular feedback on our advice through the advising process, which gave us a better idea of how to further shape our advice. This gave us a more complete picture of all the aspects of advising.

Language is all around us
You don't always realise, but language is all around us. At home, in the train, in a shop, in the streets: language is everywhere. The words you hear, or notice are consciously chosen. They inform you, make you think or make you act. The programme makes you more aware of the role and effect of language. What particularly struck me is the importance of thinking carefully about the words you use. The same word can have several meanings, depending on the context. After all, you want to avoid people understanding and doing B, while you wanted to convey A. Besides, it was incredibly fun getting to know people from other parts of the country and the world!

Working as a press officer
I now work as press officer at the Dutch ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature. The government had long been on my list as a possible employer and, after a usual application, I was hired. My work includes answering a variety of press questions and writing press releases. In both, it is important to think carefully about the words you use, because you want to avoid the essential message of a press release not reaching the audience, or the answer to a press question creating confusion or being misinterpreted. As a press officer, I am also a consultant, advising on media requests and key messages, among other things.

Tips and tricks

• Enjoy your student time! It is a valuable time in which you create beautiful friendships and make connections that can benefit you in private life as well as in business life.
• Think about the time after your studies. Which companies/organisations seem interesting to you? Which jobs seem interesting to you? What skills and competences do these jobs require of you? The career opportunities with a communications degree are broad, so try to look at them carefully.
• Get a relevant side job, internship, committee/board year or find other ways to boost your CV. This can also give ideas about the things that may or may not appeal to you in a future job.
• Be yourself!

Alumnus Daan van Ommen

The University of Groningen offers NL Scholarships to international students from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) who want to do their master’s in the Netherlands. Read more on the NL Scholarships and on how to apply.

Informatie over de pre-master CIW

De wetenschappelijke opleiding CIW is een duidelijke aanvulling op een communicatieopleiding op het HBO. Bij CIW wordt veel aandacht besteed aan wetenschappelijk onderzoek. Het opzetten en uitvoeren van onderzoeken komt dan ook in meerdere onderdelen aan bod. Daarnaast ligt de nadruk meer op het proberen te begrijpen en te verklaren van communicatieprocessen dan op het vervaardigen van communicatieproducten.

Lijkt dit je wat? Hieronder staat aangegeven hoe je met de Masteropleiding opleiding CIW kan beginnen.

• Een afgeronde bacheloropleiding Communicatie- en Informatiewetenschappen, Communicatiewetenschap, Toegepaste Communicatiewetenschappen, Informatiekunde aan de RUG of elders, en Nederlandse Taal en Cultuur aan de RUG geeft rechtstreeks toegang.
• Een bachelordiploma Taalwetenschap of één van de moderne vreemde talen, aangevuld met een minor CIW (30 ECTS) of een pre-master van 30 ECTS kan toegang geven tot de masteropleiding. De toelatingscommissie beslist hierover. Informeer daar tijdig naar bij de studieadviseur.
• Met een afgeronde universitaire bachelor op het gebied van Letteren kun je in principe via een pre-master met het masterprogramma beginnen. Soms kun je al schakelvakken in de vrije ruimte volgen van je bachelor. Informeer daar tijdig naar bij de studieadviseur.
• Met een afgeronde HBO-opleiding op het gebied van communicatie kun je via een éénjarige pre-master met het masterprogramma beginnen. Informeer hier tijdig naar bij de studieadviseur.

Pre-master programma

Het HBO-pre-master programma van CIW is een voorbereidend jaar voor studenten uit een HBO-opleiding Communicatie, en door de toelatingscommissie toegelaten studenten met een andere HBO-opleiding of een WO-opleiding.

Gedurende de pre-master volg je een selectie van vakken uit de Bachelor CIW. Je krijgt theorievakken als Pragmatiek en Gespreksanalyse I en onderzoeksvakken als Methodologie. Je mag maximaal 4 achtereenvolgende semesters ingeschreven staan voor het schakeljaar, daarna moet je je vakken hebben gehaald.

Als je alle 60 ECTS van de pre-master hebt behaald, kan je het reguliere masterprogramma van CIW volgen.

NB: Naast de gewone pre-master bestaat er een versneld programma in samenwerking met de opleidingen van de Noordelijke Hogeschool Leeuwarden (NHL) en de Hanzehogeschool communicatie Groningen. Informeer hiervoor bij de studieadviseur.

Aanmelding

Om tot de pre-master CIW toegelaten te kunnen worden moet je vóór 1 augustus (indien je per 1 september wilt beginnen) of vóór 1 januari (indien je per 1 februari wilt beginnen) een verzoek om toelating bij de toelatingscommissie CIW indienen. Je kunt dit verzoek via e-mail of per post indienen. Vermeld welke opleiding je hebt afgerond, of wanneer je de opleiding af zult ronden en geef je adresgegevens op.

Toelatingscommissie CIW
Secretariaat cluster Nederlands
Faculteit der Letteren
Rijksuniversiteit Groningen
Postbus 716
9700 AS Groningen

Email: sec-MILLC@rug.nl

Wij adviseren in alle gevallen eerst contact op te nemen met de studieadviseur CIW.