Valérie Spaus – Sustainable Development Master Utrecht University

Can you describe briefly who you are and what you are currently doing? Could you give an example of what you are working on?

My name is Valérie, I am an international student from Luxemburg originally. I started the Bachelor of Science Tourism in the Netherlands in Breda and Wageningen and from there I proceeded with the master’s program in Utrecht doing the MSc in Sustainable Development where I do the track of International Development. It is a mix of environmental and social sciences which is still very similar to BTO but it misses the tourism component. My Masters focuses on SDGs (Sustainable development goals), but it is an interdisciplinary master which gives me the chance to dive into different topics and really figure out what I want to do. The master is a two-year program, one entire year of courses and I am starting the third semester following courses I am interested in. The fourth semester focuses on the thesis and there I would have the opportunity to do an internship, combine it with the thesis, or go abroad.

Why did you decide to do this program as a follow-up on the BSc Tourism? How does your BSc Tourism-program relate to the program you are currently doing (e.g. minors, free-choice courses, etc.)? Have you doubted between multiple programmes? Which ones?

I was considering also the follow-up Masters in Wageningen as a second choice and as a third option a master in Barcelona, but because it was just a one-year program and because of the pandemic I decided not to go for the third option. In my current Masters, I like the fact that it's two years. I think the two years component was definitely an advantage for me, and because it is still kind of brought was important for me and it provides the opportunity to choose electives from different masters. Even though I focus on this one track of International Development as the social part, I could also still keep the environmental science part. During my bachelor I also did a minor which focused on tourism still but included sustainability more, which personally really interests me. Also, this master’s was slightly less broad, and I really like the fact that I could choose the environment but also still the people aspect. If I really want to do something with tourism I could still manage afterwards.

How has the BSc Tourism helped prepare you for this master program?

 BTO is still quite similar and because we learned about sustainability, it was not new to me in the masters. However, BTO and my masters is definitely very similar. The master is diving a bit deeper into certain things compared to BTO, where I had a lot of courses but more on surface level, which was very nice because you learn about a lot of things in the bachelor. However in my masters I have the possibility to go a bit deeper into some subjects that really interest me. Overall, choosing this master is a really good fit because it has very similar courses.

What do you do besides studying? Do you have a special interest or talent (e.g. part-time jobs, sports, hobbies, boards, etc.)? What do you think about the student-life?

I live in a shared student house, and both the house and my neighborhood are social. During the introduction week it really helped me to get to know some people from my studies and I'm really happy I joined that even though it was just a few activities. Living in Utrecht there are a lot of possibilities of what you want to do, for example doing some sports or like outside beach volleyball or rollerblading, running and swimming in the canals. People have been organizing like smaller things, the neighborhood has been quite tight I think because of because of Corona they started hang out together. It's been very different, but it's been also really good. 

What are your future plans (e.g. thesis, internship, job prospects)?

I'm still figuring out what to do with my thesis, so if that will include an internship or not. I definitely want to do some internships because I didn't really have one proper long internship yet, and I think I would like to work in different organizations or places until I find something I really enjoy.

Do you have any advice for future graduates of the BSc Tourism on choosing a fitting master program?

I was also struggling what to do and where to study because there are so many possibilities these days and it's really hard to choose. The minor, for example, helped me because I really chose certain courses including the environment and realized that I really liked it. It's also important to look into what is there, it is a process of making decisions which can be hard. Reading the master’s and course descriptions was important to me, instead of just reading the title. Also, for me the city where I'm going to live in is very important, it’s almost a 50/50 with the study and the city. I would recommend going to the places and explore a bit. Also, I would recommend focusing on one course that you really enjoyed and look for masters that way. For me it was also going for a bit of a broader Master which then gives me the choice to still focus on something maybe after year. Another point of advice is to look at what you don’t like to do so that you can scrap those options. In my opinion, there is not a wrong decision you can make choosing a Master if you follow your interests.

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