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Structure and Content

See also: Overview of the curriculum in German, as well as a list of courses in English.

The Master's Degree Program in Psychology with an emphasis on Intercultural Psychology is designed for a study period of four semesters. The curriculum consists of a total of 9 modules, in which lectures are bundled thematically or methodologically. The modules can be divided into three requirement areas:

Methodological required areas
Intercultural applied subjects
Further requirements

This corresponds to a total study volume of 120 credits (CP), of which 75 credits are attributable to the modules accompanying the study (including the minor subject covering at least 12 credits), 15 credits to the career-oriented internship and 30 credits to the master's thesis. On average students earn 30 credits per semester in the prescribed period of study.

The ideal curriculum specifies the position and the extent of the modules (in credit points) within a regular study period of 4 semesters.

In the following, the three requirement areas of the Master's Program in Psychology with a focus on Intercultural Psychology are presented:

1. Methodological requirements

The requirement area consists of two modules, each with either two lectures or one lecture and one exercise course:

In the first module Advanced Research Methodology, theoretical and practical qualifications for the evaluation of empirical investigations are taught by means of multivariate procedures. In addition, students are taught how to plan, implement and then assess evaluations of interventions.
The second module Diagnostics and Evaluation incorporates the evaluation of programs and processes of scaling, under consideration of models of the test theory.

2. Intercultural applied subjects

The intercultural requirement area comprises four modules:

In the module Development and Culture students learn about the interplay of biology and culture and its importance for the course of human ontogeny. In addition, basic and in-depth knowledge about the role of the cultural models of autonomy and relatedness for the active construction as well as construction of development processes are taught. The content of the module also includes diagnostic methods of infants and children, as well as their theoretical and metatheoretical fundamentals.
The subjects of the module Intercultural Business Psychology are Business Psychology topics with special consideration of intercultural aspects. In addition, Work and Organizational Psychology topics are deepened, as well as questions of Consumer and Market Psychology including Economic Psychology methods and instruments of measurement. Methods of analysis and intervention in the subject area are exercised in practice.
In the module Cross-cultural Social Psychology Social Psychology theories are evaluated and reflected upon in relation to the student’s own cultural background and its effects on psychological processes. Knowledge about methods of cross-cultural research and intercultural competences are taught in intercultural trainings.
The focus of the module Research Project and Colloquium in the intercultural core area is on the transfer of specific professional and general foundations and methods either in the area of Development and Culture, Intercultural Business Psychology or Social Psychology. Students learn to plan, carry out and evaluate projects independently according to scientific standards as well as to write project reports and present the results of the project work. The colloquium serves as a forum for the presentation and discussion of the project results.

3. Additional requirements

Additional requirements include the minor subject, the internship and the master's thesis.

The minor subjects can be chosen by students from several subject areas according to their own specific needs and interests. Details on the respective events can be found here.

The internship (module Career-oriented Internship) provides master students with the possibility to apply professional as well as general competences (key qualifications) to new tasks during their daily work. In addition, they are given the opportunity to make contact with the professional world and thus potentially create a basis for their future career.

Students are also given additional offers such as Psychology Practical Events and the Psychology Practical Workshops with lectures and workshops by professional practitioners on various topics.

The students also have the possibility to extend their transcript of records by taking additional courses in the area of Educational Psychology as well as basic courses of other programs and language courses.

In the master's thesis, the students are expected to show that they are able to independently process psychological questioning conceptually and methodologically according to scientific standards using psychological methods and to present them in a coherent form in writing.

For further questions regarding the structure and content of the program, please contact the Academic Program Manager: