Human Movement Sciences: Sport, Exercise and Health

How do toddlers learn to walk? How can augmented reality help patients with Parkinson’s Disease? How do top athletes get maximum performance out of their muscles? What’s the best training to improve stability and prevent falls among elderly people? As a student in the two-year Research Master Human Movement Sciences at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, you will learn how to answer urgent and socially relevant questions while conducting research aimed at unraveling the secrets of human movement through fundamental and applied scientific studies in Sport and Health. 

Human movement is essential for understanding how we function, perform and stay healthy, yet it remains one of the most complex and dynamic areas in science. It is shaped by intricate interactions between the body, brain, behaviour and environment, and affects nearly every aspect of daily life. Questions about motor control, physical resilience or recovery after injury, exploring human movement opens the door to deeper scientific insight with direct societal relevance.

You will specialise in one of four scientific domains (biomechanics, movement neuroscience,  psychology, physiology) , while developing advanced research and academic skills that prepare you to address complex questions in application areas such as sports, prevention and health, physical education, and high-demand professions (e.g., police, military).