Fleur follows the unique Health Food Innovation Management program

I am Fleur Cuijnen, a 21-year-old from Deurne (Noord-Brabant), which is 20 minutes by train from Venlo. My hobbies are going out with friends, shopping, traveling, and of course: eating good food! I’m currently following the Health Food Innovation Management master’s at Maastricht University Campus Venlo

During my bachelor’s in Health Sciences at Maastricht University, I noticed that next to biology and health, I’m also into business. However, going for a master’s degree in only Business Administration did not seem to be my thing, since I really like to study both disciplines. Health Food Innovation Management is a 2-year master, which combines health and nutrition with law, entrepreneurship, management, and consumer behavior. I’ve always been interested in healthy foods and drinks, which are still tasty and not too expensive. So, this master was an easy choice! On top of that, I really like the Problem-Based Learning system of Maastricht University, which invites you to (inter)actively think about real-life solutions and answers.

This program is unique and is only offered in Venlo, and therefore people all around the world come to Venlo to study this program! Venlo might not be the first city to think of when thinking of a student city. However, I was surprised about how many cozy cafés and bars there are in Venlo. Since Health Food Innovation Management is a small program, you get to know all your fellow students very well and most of them join the student association: Umami. This association organizes fun events for all students of the program in Venlo, which are always a success and lead to funny stories in class the days after. You also meet students from other programs in Venlo, everyone is very welcoming and trying to have a little chat. Since Venlo isn’t that big of a city, you get to know many people personally because you see them multiple times when going out!

Lastly, I would like to give some tips! Come to Venlo and bond with your fellow students and students from other programs! You will definitely meet new friends, both Dutch and international. There’s as much to do as you like :-).