Psychology – (M.Sc.)

Contents

The objective of the programme is to equip students with advanced training in research methods and professional skills that prepare them both for a career involving psychological research as well as for the application of scientific knowledge and methods in various professional settings.

Training is provided in all relevant skills, including reviewing the relevant literature, applying theoretical knowledge to analyse practical problems, developing hypotheses and writing research proposals, designing and carrying out empirical studies, designing and evaluating the effectiveness of interventions, conducting advanced statistical analyses, and presenting results and recommendations.

Teaching methods

Teaching takes place in the form of seminars and small-group lectures and practicals, and is assessed primarily by written coursework and reports of empirical projects carried out individually and in groups.

Structure and duration

The Master´s programme covers one year. Within this Master´s programme, students can choose from eight different specialisations. All specialisations consist of coursework, 30 EC, 10 EC internship and a Master´s thesis (20 EC).

Specialisations

• Child and Adolescent Psychology
• Clinical Neuropsychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Applied Cognitive Psychology
• Health Psychology
• Methodology and Statistics
• Occupational Health Psychology
• Social and Organisational Psychology

Specialisation: Child and Adolescent Psychology

Children and adolescents are known to experience a wide range of psychological and educational difficulties. The aim of this specialisation is to acquire in-depth knowledge about:

• theoretical models of social and cognitive development and the interplay of risk and protective factors in atypical development
• ways to differentiate atypical from typical development and the use of classification systems of childhood disorders
• choosing and applying the most appropriate intervention strategy for each problem area.

This programme offers intensive courses in developmental psychopathology and learning problems. Moreover, the specialisation helps students translate theory into practice in addressing the varied needs and difficulties experienced by children and adolescents. It also promotes the development of key skills for clinical and educational work with young people, and prepares students for entry into post-Master´s training programmes and employment in education and mental health institutions. The focus is on psychological and educational problems in childhood and adolescence, but a good understanding of atypical development requires a solid understanding of normal development.

Specialisation: Clinical Neuropsychology

Neuropsychologists assess and treat the cognitive, emotional and behavioural consequences of brain disorders as a result of various neurological and psychiatric conditions such as congenital neurodevelopmental disorders, stroke, traumatic brain injury, brain tumours, substance abuse, schizophrenia and dementia. There is increasing recognition of the role neuropsychologists play in the management of brain diseases and the demand for their services is becoming greater as the population ages and medical (neuro)technology advances.

The Master´s programme in Clinical Neuropsychology provides a theoretical background and practical training in neuropsychology and (clinical) neuropsychological research. The programme is grounded in the neurosciences relevant to neuropsychology with astrong focus on evidence-based practice. This means that in the programme students are taught to focus on the conscientious, explicit and well-judged use of current best scientific evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients in terms of diagnostics, prognostics and interventions (the `scientist-practitioner´ model).

Specialisation: Clinical Psychology

Clinical psychology is a discipline concerned with the application of psychological science to the assessment and treatment of mental disorders. The aim of this specialisation is to acquire in-depth knowledge of factors that are causally involved in the occurrence, development and treatment of common mental disorders, such as anxiety and mood disorders, somatisation and personality problems and disorders. The programme also focuses on the development of the skills required to work in multidisciplinary teams, independently analyse problems, evaluate clinical programmes and report on clinicalissues orally and in writing. On the basis of a scientist-practitioner model, students learn to apply basic assessment and intervention skills in the treatment of common mental disorders. During internships students conduct diagnostic assessments and clinical interventions under the intense supervision of members of the staff with clinical experience.

The specialisation prepares students for academic professions in the field of psychotherapy, health care and health policymaking. Professionals with an MSc degree in Clinical Psychology are employed in variousprofessional environments, such as ambulatory mental health care, medical hospitals, nursing homes, psychiatric hospitals and forensic clinics. After completing the programme, students may enter elective Post-Master´s training programmes or pursue a PhD in a clinical setting.

Specialisation: Applied Cognitive Psychology

The aim of this Master´s specialisation is to provide students with a maximum of hands-on experience from the first day on and with all the practical and intellectual skills necessary to apply psychological knowledge to real-life problems in working environments and organisations. The skills acquired in this programme will be broadly applicable and valuable for a whole range of academic, governmental, industrial or helath-related settings, but also for research assistantships and PhD studies in applied areas. The main emphasis is on translating theory into practice. Apart from orientational, practical and methodological courses, students will work in a team on a field project throughout the whole year.

Specialisation: Health Psychology

Health Psychology is a new and rapidly developing sub-discipline of psychology. It can be described as "the aggregate of the specific educational, scientific and professional contributions of the discipline of psychology to the promotion and maintenance of health, the prevention and treatment of illness, the identification of etiological and diagnostic correlates of health and illness and related dysfunction, and the analysis and improvement of the health care system and health policy" (Matarazzo, 1982).

The major aim of this specialisation is to provide students with the theoretical background required for health psychology research and interventions. This includes the acquisition of knowledge and skills relevant to health promotion and disease prevention, but also to the well being of the physically ill and the self-management of chronic diseases. Students acquire advanced research skills by participating in a health psychology research project.

Specialisation: Methodology and Statistics This specialisation is meant for students interested in applying the most up-to-date methods and statistics in applied psychological research. Having completed this specialisation, students are likely to find employment in applied research institutes as well as in business, especially in marketing positions. The programme is also suited to those wishing to pursue a PhD in an applied area. The curriculum of the one-year Master´s specialisation in Methods and Statistics consists of a variety of courses.

During the year students are trained in consultancy, since it is very likely that they will require this knowledge in their future career. Furthermore, students are required to write a thesis in which an empirical data set is analysed and interpreted. Computer practice plays an important role in most courses, so that many courses consist of a mix of the theory and practice of computer skills in a laboratory setting. This makes it possible for students from other specialisations to choose a number of methodological courses.

Specialisation: Occupational Health Psychology

Occupational Health Psychology (OHP) is a rapidly developing area within psychology. In the broadest terms, OHP refers to the application of psychology to protecting and promoting the safety, health, and well-being of workers, and to improving the quality of working life. The specialisation is designed to reflect the contemporary societal concerns for occupational health and safety and to offer not only a theoretical background, but also a range of research and practical skills for research and interventions in the field of work, safety and health. This includes the acquisition of principles and methods relevant to, for instance, health promotion and stress prevention in the workplace, risk management of organisational accidents, and engineering a safety culture.

The interdisciplinary approach and the combination of theory with analysis of realistic case studies makes the Master´s programme in OHP at Leiden University distinctive and useful for careers in education and training, consultancy, management or organisational development, and in research. The one-year Master´s programme in Occupational Health Psychology consists of three parts: mandatory topical courses, a range of topical and method courses and a Master´s thesis.

Specialisation: Social and Organisational Psychology

The Master´s degree in Social and Organisational Psychology has a core curriculum focusing on the integration of social and organisational theory and practice. Within this common stream, students concentrate on social or organisational issues, depending on their interests and ambitions. The programme offers a range of topical courses from which students can choose. They also take coursework in research methods and an application course helping them to apply theoretical knowledge. Additionally, the programme offers space for electives, which can be used either for courses broadening the student´s perspective in psychology more generally or for additional courses from the Social and Organisational programme in order to gain more in-depth knowledge of the field

This programme has a workload of 60 ECTS.

Accreditation

Accredited by: NVAO in: Netherlands

Funding details

Scholarships / Grants:

Leiden University:
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