MA in Psychology

The aim of the program is to train psychologist professionals who master the theories and methods of the science of psychology at an advanced level, who are proficient in the various fields of psychology, who possess the skills and techniques of the psychologist profession and are able to apply these to help individuals, groups or organizations develop and improve.

Further aims are to present recent theoretical and practical material, to establish professional skills and commitment for the profession within the field of psychology at a level that gives a solid foundation of knowledge that enables the student to practice psychology as a vocation independently at a master level, to participate in postgraduate courses and to attend further training in doctoral schools.

A master of psychology is characterized by expansive and integrated professional and theoretical knowledge, the creative adaptation of the methods of academic knowledge, psychological responsiveness, and communicational efficacy through the utilization of personal resources along with a high degree of professional commitment.

Specializations

Developmental and Clinical Child Psychology Specialization

The person in charge of the specialization: Judit Balázs, Ph.D., associate professor.

The educational aims of the Developmental and Clinical Child Psychology specialization: to offer up-to-date theoretical and methodological knowledge in the domains of typical and atypical development in order to be able to carry out overall diagnostic work, therapy, and research in institutions dealing with children.

Our students will gain competence in the following areas:

• Psychopathology
• Diagnostic Processes
• Therapeutic possibilities
• Research in Developmental Psychology and Clinical Child Psychology

Our research teams

• Developmental Neuropsychology
• Social Minds Research Group
• Research Group of Childhood Mental Disorders

Clinical and Health Psychology Specialization

The person in charge of the specialization: Attila Oláh, Ph.D., university professor

The educational aims of Clinical and Health Psychology specialization: to train experts in the applied branches of clinical and health psychology who possess extensive knowledge of diagnostics, therapy, and clinical research, who have wide-ranging skills in methodology, and who are able to use their Master’s level knowledge of psychology in the service of promoting and improving health.

Our students will gain competence in the following areas:

• Clinical and diagnostic work
• Supportive and motivational communication
• Planning and assessment of health promotion programs
• The critical assessment and identification of the practical relevance of clinical research.

Our research teams and workshops:

• Health Psychology Research Group
• Research Team in Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy
• Research Group on Addiction
• Positive Psychology Research Group
• Personality, Health and Emotion Regulation
• Our partners
• Support Centre for Giving Up Smoking- Budapest
• National Institute for Health Development
• Research Institute for Psychology, Hungarian Academy of Sciences

Cognitive Psychology Specialization

The person in charge of the specialization: Ildikó Király, Ph.D., Assistant Professor

Educational aims of the Cognitive Psychology specialization:

• To lay particular emphasis on the study of developmental and neuroscientific aspects of higher-order cognitive processes – such as perception, attention, memory, numerical cognition, and language – built on an intensive research project.
• The high-level education of the views, methods, and applications of cognitive psychology, is the leading trend in modern experimental psychology.
• To develop our students’ competencies in the knowledge and methods of the associated fields – primarily in neuropsychology, cognitive science, neuroscience, and neurobiology.

Research practices provide the backbone of the training in the following areas:

• Cognitive Neuroscience specialization
• Researching the behavioral correlates of perceptual and cognitive abilities
• The study of cognitive development, most specifically the development of higher-order cognitive functions and social cognition
• Our methodological training:
• Electrophysiology Lab
• Brain imaging techniques
• Neuropsychology
• Programming
• Eye Movement Lab
• Infant Cognition Lab
• Research methods
• Behavioral experiments
• Psychophysics, Electrophysiology (EEG, ERP)
• Imaging techniques
• Eye movement tracking

Counseling and Educational Psychology Specialization

The person in charge of the specialization: Katalin Kollár, Ph.D., Assistant Professor

The educational aims of the Counseling and School Psychology specialization:

• To train professionals – working primarily in the practical areas – who are equally familiar with the socialization issues of childhood, adolescence, and adulthood, who possess the necessary skills in their theoretical preparedness as well as in their diagnostic and counseling methods used in practice to work with clients of various age groups.
• They can primarily be employed by childcare institutions (nursery and pre-school) and schools, educational advisories, and other institutions doing work related to career counseling, life skills counseling, and crisis counseling.
• They are familiar with the psychodynamics of individual, group, and family counseling.
• Their work in psychological care can especially be useful at the various levels of prevention. Its mission is to facilitate development and change in individuals, groups, and the family systems alike.

Our students will gain skills in the following areas:

• Life skills, Couple’s and Family Counseling
• Career counseling
• Group counseling
• School psychology
• Educational counseling
• Crisis intervention
• Children’s psycho-diagnostics
• Counseling in health psychology

Our research groups and workshops

• Pedagogical Psychology
• Research Group on Test Methodology for Differential and School Psychology
• Research Group on Teaching Profession and School Psychology
• Research Group on Qualitative Psychology

Interpersonal and Intercultural Psychology Specialization

Program director: Dr. Lan Anh Nguyen Luu, associate professor, head of IIPE

In addition to providing a theoretical basis of interculturalism, the program lays particular emphasis on applying theories to practice in different fields of psychology. By enabling students to manage diversity in a creative way, they will be prepared to make extensive use of their knowledge gained in the course of their training, either as researchers, or psychology practitioners/ practicing psychologists.

Our students will gain skills in the following areas:

• Intergroup relations
• Cross-cultural research
• The social psychology of minority status
• Changing identities and challenges
• Multicultural counseling and therapy
• Training methods

Social and Organisational Psychology Specialization

The person in charge of the specialization: Anna Kende, Ph.D., Assistant Professor

The educational aims of the Social and Organisational Psychology specialization:

• To ensure continually updated theoretical knowledge about organizations, the economy, groups, social-historical processes, the forming of public opinion, and decision making.
• To help our graduates acquire the necessary experience and skills to analyze socio-political-economic processes and to do work as professional organizational consultants.

Our students will gain competencies in the following areas:

• Human resource development
• Headhunting and training
• Decision support
• Organizational development
• Advertising, marketing
• Public opinion polling
• Scientific research
• Political consulting
• Data visualization

Work and Organisational Psychology Specialization

The person in charge of the specialization: Anna Kádi, PhD

The educational aims of Work and Organisational Psychology Specialization: Our program is focusing on leadership and organizational development. Our aim is to provide students with current theoretical and practical knowledge based on evidence-based data and research. Our students will be able to understand and analyze the attitudes, activities, and decisions of managers, teams, and organizations. Students are welcome to join the research programs of the Department (e.g. psychological aspects of success in managerial and organizational effectiveness, the effect of the working environment on the well-being of workers, etc) The students are prepared to become: organizational developers, executive coaches, trainees, staff development managers, and academics.

Our students will gain competencies in the following areas:

• Organizational diagnosis; Methodology of organizational diagnosis (interviews, focus groups; participant observation, document analysis, questionnaires).
• Planning, preparing, and implementing organizational development projects.
• Leadership development, management training, and coaching.
• Measuring and evaluating the effectiveness of development interventions.
• Planning, preparing, and implementation assessment and development centers (AC, DC).
• Project management.
• Environmental and ergonomic analyses; diagnosis and intervention.
• Designing and conducting organizational psychology research.
• Critical, innovative, solution-focused thinking.