MSc in Theory and History of Psychology
University of Groningen
Key Information
Campus location
Groningen, Netherlands
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
1 year
Pace
Full time
Tuition fees
EUR 2,314 / per year **
Application deadline
01 May 2024*
Earliest start date
Sep 2024
* Dutch, EU/EEA and non-EU/EEA students
** EU/EEA students: €2,314 | non-EU/EEA students: €17,800
Introduction
Theory and History of Psychology (formerly “Reflecting on Psychology”) studies psychology as a science, a discipline, and a profession. It's the only program of its kind in Europe.
Our aim is to understand why psychology became the way it is, how it has been understood, how it negotiates its boundaries with other allied sciences, and how it could be improved. We focus on the social, methodological, philosophical, and conceptual issues that underlie contemporary psychology. For this reason, our program will appeal particularly to students who wonder why things are the way they are, dare to question established truths, and dream about how they could be different.
This is a program for those who want to explore beyond statistical analyses of quantitative data and to learn about the various historical, cultural, and qualitative alternatives to the standard set of approaches in contemporary scientific psychology. Gaining access to a broader range of concepts, literature, and research methods will help you to identify and ask the most exciting and urgent questions, and discover new ways to consider their answers by looking at history, philosophy, public understanding, and sociology of science.
Together with faculty and fellow students, you will set to work by reading deeply in both primary and secondary sources, examining popularizations, writing your own texts, presenting your own ideas, reconsidering your reasoning, and debating the consequences. This active learning process will help you to think flexibly and well in various different contexts, conduct independent research unconstrained by current fashion, and communicate in an understandable and attractive way about ideas that have not yet been popularized elsewhere.
Note: The application deadline for the MSc in Psychology has passed on March 1, but for the track Theory and History of Psychology (THP) some more places will be almost certainly available.
Why study this program in Groningen?
- A unique opportunity to study at the highest levels in the only program of its kind in Europe, which serves as a gateway to a global community of specialists
- An interdisciplinary and strong international orientation, with foreign guests who often visit
- Our faculty serve on editorial boards for the area's main journals, in positions of leadership in its scholarly societies, and have been recognized with numerous awards and research grants
- There are many opportunities for intensive collaboration between faculty and students, with personal attention and professional development in equal measure
- Coursework is focussed simultaneously on thinking deeply and developing practical communication skills, such as presenting your thoughts to different audiences
- Students will participate in the research group's monthly forum, in which new research is shared and new ideas developed
- None of our courses use multiple-choice tests, and our pedagogical focus is on learning actively—in specialist seminars, in larger electives including non-specialists, online through discussion forums and peer-reviewing, and one-on-one
Curriculum
Our one-year program consists of course units worth 30 ECTS credits, and a 30-credit Master's thesis project, which may include an internship of a maximum of 15 credits.
Our compulsory course units are Conceptual Issues in Psychology, dealing with classic and theoretical readings we find essential to this Master's program; and Brain, Consciousness and Society, in which you deal with findings from psychological, psychiatric, and neurological research and their reception.
In our elective course unit Boundaries of Psychology, you will explore the boundaries of psychology as a scientific discipline.
During our course unit in Qualitative Research Methods, you will learn various research methods, for example, in-depth interviewing, participant observation, and ethnographic methods.
For most course units, you will do assignments, prepare a presentation and write essays. Writing is an important part of our degree program, which is why we offer a course unit in Writing Skills. The course is scheduled in the first three blocks and will help you with your writing process and with finding your voice in various inspiring ways in various.
All course units are given in the first three blocks, in the last block no courses are scheduled so you can focus on finishing your Master's thesis.
Courses
- Conceptual Issues in Psychology (5 EC)
- Writing Skills (5 EC)
- Master Thesis
- Brain, Consciousness, and Society (5 EC)
- Qualitative Research Methods (5 EC)
- Boundaries of Psychology (5 EC)
- Master Internship Theory and History of Psychology
Study abroad
- Study abroad is optional
We recommend you take all the courses as indicated in the program schedule. If you are interested in doing an internship or research stay abroad, you can discuss this with the master coordinator.
Admissions
Program Tuition Fee
Career Opportunities
Job examples
- Historians of science
for example in archives, as non-fiction authors, or academics - Government advisors
advisors of science policy for governmental organizations - Academics
researchers or teachers in departments of social sciences, philosophy, or medicine - Science communicators
freelance, or for editorial offices of a magazine, university, or publisher - Qualitative researchers
for research agencies, or governmental organizations - Teachers
of psychology or related fields in schools for higher professional education, or secondary schools