Composition of degree programme

Alongside the subjects which form the foundation of this degree (general psychology, physiological psychology, developmental psychology, differential psychology and social psychology), the first two years of the programme also provide more vocational courses in applied psychology, such as clinical psychology, work and organisational psychology and educational psychology. Methodological competence in statistics, testing theory and diagnostics is also trained in these two years. The module "Scientific work in the area of psychology" serves to impart interdisciplinary skills such as academic reading and writing, arithmetic and presentation.

The third year of this Bachelor of Science enables students to follow their own inclinations in choosing electives ranging from classic areas of psychology (e.g. recruitment, the promotion of learning, developmental disorders) to newly emerging fields (e.g. neurosciences, learning with different media), as well as to undertake a period of work experience and write their Bachelor's thesis.

In their final module, students gain more in-depth knowledge of the theory and practice of scientific work. The third year thus sees the emergence of each student's individual qualification profile on the basis of his/her combination of vocational and personally elective modules, finishing with the Bachelor's thesis.

Contents

Electives

*Each student chooses three electives from the following:

• Perception and Cognition
• Cognitive Neurosciences
• Biology and Personality
• Cognitive Development and Disorders
• Biologic Psychology and Neurosciences
• Clinical Disorders
• Educational Psychology
• Recruitment and Assessment
• Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging
• Social Psychology
• Introduction to programming with Matlab
• Psychological Diagnosis
• Particular subjects of Psychology

Ancillary subjects

**Ancillary subjects can be chosen from the following fields:

• Medicine
• Economics and Business Administration
• Education
• Music
• Sports

Further fields are possible according to prior agreement.

Professional and site-specific cases

The programme focuses on the following professional and site-specific areas:

Clinical psychology concentrates on the preconditions, diagnosis and treatment of psychological disorders such as phobias, depression, eating disorders and addiction. The options to focus on neuroscience and/or go on to study the programme offered in association with our faculty to qualify as a behavioural psychotherapist, which ends in a period of clinical experience, provide excellent opportunities to become familiar not only with the physiological basics of psychological diseases but also with their treatment. The programme also focuses on health-related behaviour, rehabilitation, the classification of psychological disorders and psychotherapeutic methods.

In work and organisational psychology, almost all the central areas in research and practice in this field of Psychology are covered. Special emphasis is placed on recruitment and staff development, as this is seen as a particularly significant area of the job market for graduates with Bachelor's degrees. By choosing economics or business administration as an ancillary subject, students can link their knowledge of organisational psychology to an understanding of management issues, which they will find invaluable when working in business.

The field of educational psychology is concerned with learning and teaching processes and how these can be made more effective by means of scientifically controlled intervention. To these belong a) measures to promote cognitive, motivational and social skills in children, teenagers and adults, and b) ways in which to create learning environments using modern teaching technology (multi-media teaching, e-learning, virtual learning environments). Areas of study cover pre-school, school and parental education as well as adult education and continued vocational training.

Modules on research into physiopsychology and neuroscience form a further area of focus in this degree programme. These impart theoretical and practical knowledge of the neurological, genetic and biochemical basis of human behaviour and behavioural disorders. In this field, students enjoy access to laboratory facilities (magnetic resonance imaging, a molecular genetics laboratory) and research institutions (e.g. the post-graduate centre) which are unique in Germany.

Bachelor's Thesis

Almost half of the study time in the sixth semester is allotted to writing a Bachelor`s thesis. Students are expected to show within a limited time that they are capable of independent academic work.