Testimonial Myrte van der Heijden

What are your experiences with this programme?

‘’With this online master’s I am delighted that the part-time programme gives me the flexibility to combine a master’s in Food Technology with my professional career. I am happy that the online master’s includes input from different disciplines within food technology as I still enjoy exploring diverse areas. I experience it as a very complete and useful programme as I can immediately apply a lot of knowledge in my work. The programme takes quite some effort, but the schedule works for me very well as it allows you to focus on one course for 4 weeks, before starting the next course.‘’

What kind of work do you do next to studying?

‘’I work as a Food Technologist at Royal Cosun. I am working on the development of extraction and purification processes of plant-based proteins, from lab scale up to pilot plant scale. I characterize the resulting proteins and determine their functional properties to evaluate the process. In addition, I perform application research on our ingredients in dairy products and dairy substitutes to determine their potential benefits.‘’

When and where did you obtain your BSc degree? And why did you choose Wageningen University & Research for your Master of Science?

 ‘’4 years before I started this master’s, I obtained my BSc degree Food Technology at HAS University of Applied Sciences in 's Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands. For me, Wageningen University & Research was the most obvious choice, because it is a highly regarded university in the food industry and fits in well after my Bachelor at HAS. But of course, also because it offers a parttime online programme. In addition, the courses really appealed to me because they cover a wide area of what I was interested in.’’

During the programme, students will visit Wageningen twice for practical weeks. How did you experience these weeks?

‘’For me it was great to go to campus in February. I met fellow online master's students, with whom I had been in online contact with for more than half a year before meeting them. I enjoyed walking around campus and felt like a real student. It was great to get lectures in real life. It were 2 pretty intense weeks, but it was really nice to focus on a course full-time for once. I am already looking forward to next February.‘‘

What are your plans after your graduation?

‘’I started this master’s to broaden my knowledge and to gain more in-depth knowledge. Within my current and future job I would like to apply a more scientific perspective. I enjoy doing research, but to some extent I am limited by my practical perspectives. After graduation, I hope to apply a deeper research approach to my work.’’