For detailed course list please go to the [Courses] section of this website or see [this table for those who started studies in 2015/16 and earlier] or [this table for those who are starting studies in 2016/17 or later].

The University of Warsaw (UW) Faculty of Psychology offers daytime (without a tuition fee), evening, and English (with a tuition fee) 5-year master's (magister) programs. The program of study is identical for the three types of studies and is separated into two levels: basic (Years 1-3) and advanced (Years 4 and 5). The program includes courses that are required for all students (obligatory) as well as courses that are selected by each student in accordance with her/his interests (electives). Courses generally last one semester, not exceeding 30 class-hours. Exceptions to this rule are masters seminars, supervised research, foreign language courses, and some practical courses in applied psychology.

Courses in the Faculty of Psychology are assigned credits in accordance with the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) as proposed by the European Union. According to this system, credits represent a universal measure of workload that is required for all students completing a degree. The basic principle behind this system is that one academic year of full-time courses at a given institution is equivalent to 60 credits. Each institution is guided by this principle when assigning credits to particular courses. At the Faculty of Psychology of the University of Warsaw, credits are assigned to obligatory courses by the Faculty Council, and credits are assigned to electives by the instructor/WISP Program Board depending on evaluation method and workload.
A minimum of 300 credits must be earned during the 5-year course of study. There is no theoretical limit to the number of courses a student may take. Limits on participation in a particular course may depend on logistical (space, technical) constraints or instructor's preferences.

1. Obligatory lectures and practical classes

Students in their first three years of study are required to attend lectures and practical classes. Each of these courses is assigned to a particular year of study.

2. Electives

Students select their own elective courses. Students should take enough electives so at the end of each year they have accumulated at least 60 ECTS credits (from all types of courses combined). Electives are not tied to any particular year of study unless the instructor or the WISP Program Board introduces a seniority requirement. Students can therefore choose from among all of the elective courses offered by the Faculty. Students starting studies between 2012/13 and 2015/16 academic year must accumulate at least 4 ECTS points from courses from each of the eight elective categories ("elective baskets"):

• 1. Clinical Psychology
• 2. Cognitive Psychology
• 3. Biological Bases of Behaviour
• 4. Psychology of Personality, Emotions, Motivation and Individual Differences
• 5. Developmental and Educational Psychology
• 6. Social Psychology
• 7. Methodology, Statistics and Psychometrics
• 8. Interdisciplinary courses

Students starting studies in 2016/17 and later have only one general academic elective basket to fulfill, but they need to acquire 35 ECTS from courses belonging to this basket during 5 years of studies.

Registration for electives may depend on number of students accepted, prior participation in other courses, or other criteria. If a student does not pass an elective course, s/he can, but does not have to, repeat it when it is next offered. If a student was registered for a course but does not attend, the course is considered abandoned by the student, but this still counts as fail. Among elective courses, students must acquire 21 ECTS (an average of about 4 per year) from courses offered in other faculties of University of Warsaw or other institutions (so-called OGUNs) if they started studies between 2012/13 and 2015/16. Those who started studies in 2016/17 or later must aquire 12 ECTS grom OGUN courses during 5 years of studies.

3. Supervised research

Students complete a year of empirical supervised research during their Year 3. Supervised research is passed on the basis of year-long projects. These year-long projects are completed under the supervision of an academic advisor (tutor). Each student is responsible for finding him- or herself a tutor for each of these projects. The tutor advises and aids the student in preparing a schedule of work as well as in all other aspects of studying. Supervised research is passed on a yearly cycle, after the project is written, but students are required to get their tutor's signature during the winter exam session to confirm participation in the course.
Year-long research projects are evaluated by the student's tutor and by an independent reviewer. The final grade is an average of these two evaluations. The project must be completed in time for review and grading by the end of the summer exam session. If the project is not completed, the student does not receive a passing grade for supervised research. Not passing supervised research is considered not passing an obligatory course. The student can in such a case request conditional registration for the next academic year and the possibility of repeating the course then.

4. Specializations and applied courses

In their fourth and fifth years, students must attend applied specialization courses. They may choose from among the following specializations:

• Business Psychology
• Clinical Psychology - track: Neuropsychology
• Clinical Psychology - track: Psychotherapy
• Experimental Social Psychology

At least 48 ECTS credits must be obtained from specialization courses in order to complete the program.

5. Masters seminars

In the fourth and fifth year of study, students are required to participate in a master's seminar. This two-year seminar culminates in the master's defense. The defense of the master's thesis is the final condition for completing studies and receiving the master's degree. Each student is required to choose an advisor (from among those who lead master's seminars). The student's advisor has a counseling role in all aspects of preparation of the master's thesis. A final grade is awarded for the seminar at the conclusion of two years, but the student must get his/her advisor's signature (pass without a grade) at the end of the 7th, 8th, and 9th semesters as evidence of participation in the seminar.

6. Other requirements

Till the end of the 5th semester students are required to complete:

• 4 semesters of PE classes.

Till the end of Year 3 students are required to complete:

• a language exam on at least B2 level (if they started studies in 2014/15 or earlier) or at least B1 level, but it cannot be English (if they started studies in 2015/16 or later),
• 2 semesters of a foreign language course (if they started studies in 2015/16 or later).

Till the end of studies students are required to complete:

• at least 21 ECTS credits from courses from so-called OGUN courses that are not psychology courses if they started studies in 2015/16 and earlier or 12 ECTS if they started studies 2016/17 and later (at least 5 ECTS out of required 21 or 12 need to come from OGUNs beloging to the group of courses in humanities or social sciences),
• students who started studies in 2014/15 or earlier are requested to complete an exam/course in a foreign language or a course taught in a foreign language on the level higher than B2,
• at least 24 ECTS from electives during the 4th and 5th year (for students who started studies between 2012/13 and 2015/16). This requirement does not concern those who started in 2016//17 or later.

Optional: Traineeship

After Year 3, students could complete a 100-hour traineeship in an institution of their choice. If a student decides to complete this traineeship, they acquire 4 ECTS for that.