The first Master’s of Science in Primary Education (EMPO)

Anne Fleur Kortekaas-Rijlaarsdam

Maartje Raijmakers

From September 2022 the VU, UvA and ULeiden offer a joint degree master’s program for primary education. The VU is secretary of this joint degree and within the VU prof. dr. Maartje Raijmakers and dr. Anne Fleur Kortekaas-Rijlaarsdam are responsible for the EMPO. This new master’s program is directly accessible for students with a university bachelor degree in social sciences (for an overview of all accessible programs see here)...

From September 2022 the VU, UvA and ULeiden offer a joint degree master’s program for primary education. The VU is secretary of this joint degree and within the VU prof. dr. Maartje Raijmakers and dr. Anne Fleur Kortekaas-Rijlaarsdam are responsible for the EMPO. This new master’s program is directly accessible for students with a university bachelor degree in social sciences (for an overview of all accessible programs see here). The program was developed in close collaboration with schools and schoolboards.

With the EMPO, we aim to attract a new group of ambitious teachers. In the EMPO, students explicitly learn how to apply their bachelor (or master) expertise in social sciences in primary education. For example, students with a background in Pedagogical Sciences or Psychology may specialize in Learning problems while students with a bachelor or master’s degree in Sociology may prefer specialization in education at the macro level, addressing inequality and adjusting to increasing diversity. For example, students with a 

background in Pedagogical  Sciences or Psychology may specialize in Learning problems while students with a bachelor or master’s degree in Sociology may prefer specialization in education at the macro level, addressing inequality and adjusting to increasing diversity. 

The EMPO is a full time teacher training program at a university master’s level, resulting in a Master of Science degree and full teaching qualification for primary education. The program is taught by experts from the three universities and school(boards). The purpose of the EMPO is to train adaptive experts: highly qualified, scientifically strong teachers with a broad range of effective teaching routines and the flexibility to adjust and improve strategies when needed, based on contemporary scientific evidence. Pedagogic and didactic skills are taught at the meta-level were relevant (instead of specific didactic routines for each school subject), and the ability to teach heterogeneous classes and address individual needs within those classes is central in training of effective teaching routines. 

In the EMPO, students explicitly learn how to apply their bachelor (or master) expertise in social sciences in primary education.

Intensive internships in a primary school works towards effective action based on deep understanding in the classroom. The EMPO program is substantially different from existing teaching training for primary education. School(board)s in the metropole region of Amsterdam, Leiden and De Hague are very enthusiastic and committed to the EMPO. EMPO-alumni are eminently suitable to build bridges between scientific research and actual school practice.

With a new program, it is always crucial to reach all potential candidates. We can use your help here.

Please inform your students / student assistants and broader connections about this new Master’s program!

More information (in Dutch) can be found here. For questions, please e-mail empo@vu.nl.

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