Master´s Programme in Psychological Science
Summary
The Master’s Programme in Psychological Science is designed to give you sustainable knowledge and skills that support life-long learning. As a student of the programme, you will learn how to plan and execute research projects and incorporate broadly applicable skills, such as generating research hypotheses, critically reviewing and evaluating concepts and ideas, planning and organizing research projects, collaborating in science, and peer reviewing. You will actively engage in psychological science—not just read about it.
About
Psychological science is the systematic study of human thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. With carefully planned studies and well-informed theories, psychological scientists can provide practical advice for virtually every part of society. Some researchers study environmental attitudes and behaviours that have implications for climate change. Some study how people can organize themselves effectively and collaborate better in work contexts. Others study the psychology in legal contexts and give advice to improve the practices of police, judges, and lawyers.
Psychological science is the systematic study of human thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. With carefully planned studies and well-informed theories, psychological scientists can provide practical advice for virtually every part of society. Some researchers study environmental attitudes and behaviours that have implications for climate change. Some study how people can organize themselves effectively and collaborate better in work contexts. Others study the psychology in legal contexts and give advice to improve the practices of police, judges, and lawyers.
Preparing for the future with a personalized portfolio
The master's programme in Psychological Science builds on and is designed to promote active involvement and engagement. You will build your own learning portfolios and develop your future career plans as part of the programme.
As you learn about the central concepts, theories, and research in each major area of psychology, you will take complementary research methods courses. This approach integrates learning of methods and subject-matter content. The programme equips you with practical skills in quantitative and qualitative research methods, as well as in-depth knowledge of the main areas of psychological science:
- personality psychology
- cognitive psychology
- social psychology
- lifespan and developmental psychology
- biological and human neuropsychology
Research-oriented learning and active participation
From the start and throughout the whole program, you will be part of a research group at the department and a peer group of your classmates.
In the research practicum course, you will be matched with a supervisor, with whom you will work on research projects for three semesters. By collaborating with active researchers in psychology, you will get practical hands-on experience with various research-related tasks as well as in-depth understanding of research challenges. In addition, this collaboration can act as the basis for your master’s thesis that you will write during the fourth semester.
Course readings will primarily include current high-quality research articles from the most influential journals in the field, and courses are taught by teachers who are active researchers in their fields.
Programme structure and content
The Master's Programme in Psychological Science is a 2-year international campus-based programme.
The first three semesters consist of courses in the main areas of psychological science.
• Psychology as a Science
• Personality Psychology
• Cognitive Psychology
• Social Psychology
• Lifespan Developmental Psychology
• Human Neuropsychology
Each semester also includes courses on research methods (a total of six). By the end of the programme, you will have acquired an arsenal of methodological and statistical tools.
The programme includes a three-semester practicum course, in which you will work in one of the several research groups at the Department of Psychology.
In your fourth semester, you will complete your thesis, which provides you with an opportunity to begin to carve out your research specialty and gain experience in planning, executing, and reporting psychological science.
Who should apply?
Do you want to actively engage with a research group and contribute to an active learning process?
Do you see yourself eventually pursing a PhD in psychology or conducting research as part of your career?
Are you interested in psychology research and want to develop the skills needed to contribute to the field?
If you have a bachelor’s degree in Psychology, and want to deepen and broaden your knowledge and skills, apply for the master’s programme in Psychological Science.
Prerequisites and selection
Requirements
The applicant needs to have achieved a Bachelors degree of at least 180 credits with a major in Psychology (or equivalent), and a minimum of 15 credits in research methods. The applicant must also prove skills in the English language at the level of at least English 6 / English B or equivalent level on an internationally recognized test such as TOEFL or IELTS. Potential candidates will be asked to submit motivation letters indicating their academic and professional background/experience as well as how the programme will benefit their defined professional career goals.
Special instructions for application
Master's Program in Psychological Science
More information about Special instructions for application
Selection
The selection process will be based on a motivation letter that will be scored. How the score is calculated, please see the template for the motivation letter.
After graduation
Graduates of the programme receive the degree Master of Science with a major in Psychology.
The programme focuses on training foundational research skills in psychological science, so after completing the programme, you will be well equipped for research-related professions and for further study. You will be prepared for either PhD studies or for a variety of jobs in the public and private sectors, such as policy analyst, design consultant, or user experience researcher.
Internship
In the research practicum course, you will be matched with a supervisor, with whom you will work on research projects for three semesters. By collaborating with active researchers in psychology, you will get practical hands-on experience with various research-related tasks as well as in-depth understanding of research challenges. In addition, this collaboration can act as the basis for your master’s thesis that you will write during the fourth semester.
