The information underneath is valid as of the 2018-2019 academic year

If you started your studies in an earlier year, see the bottom of this page for your program requirements

WISP is a five-year unified master program in Psychology. Unified means that it does not have a separate bachelor phase, but that after five years a master’s degree is awarded. In terms of structure, the program of studies is comparable to a Bachelor + Master however. The first three years are devoted to covering the basis of the different fields within psychology, the last two years are devoted to specialization in one specific area within psychology.

During years 1-3 a number of obligatory courses cover all major fields in psychology and focus on certain skills any psychologist should possess. In addition there is ample opportunity to choose elective courses on topics of students' own interest.

In years 4 and 5 students complete a specialization of their choice. The current specializations that are being offered are:

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

Also in these final years there is still plenty of opportunity to complete elective courses or courses of a different specializations

IMPORTANT: The overall structure of the program is stable, but the precise courses that must be completed and other requirements that must be fulfilled for graduation may change from year to year. Below is an overview of the program of studies applying to students starting in the academic year 2018/2019. The program of studies applying to a student is determined by the year in which the studies were started. For an overview of the programs and requirements of previous years, scroll down. (Note that students transferring into a higher year will have to complete the program valid for the cohort of students on the year transferred into.)

Courses in the Faculty of Psychology are assigned credits in accordance with the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS). One academic year of studies is equivalent to 60 ECTS credits. These credits need to be gathered by passing all obligatory courses in a given year, complemented with credits obtained from elective courses (including OGUN and language courses - see below). A minimum of 300 credits must be earned during the 5-year course of study.

The table underneath provides an overview of the program of studies with all obligatory courses listed. Below the table are further explanations of course types and requirements.

Obligatory courses

The large majority of the obligatory courses are regular courses covering a certain area or skill within psychology. The empirical paper in the third year and the master’s thesis in years four and five are an exception.

The empirical paper is an individual research project students conduct throughout year 3, under supervision of an academic researcher. Students select a topic of their interest and develop a research plan in cooperation with their supervisor. After data is gathered and analyzed, the results of the study will be described in an empirical paper that has the format of a scientific article. The paper is reviewed by the supervisor and an independent reviewer.

The master’s thesis is the closing piece of the study program. During four semesters –under supervision- students develop a research plan, collect and analyze data, and present the results in the master’s thesis, which will be defended in front of a committee. The defense of the master’s thesis is regarded as the final exam, and is the moment of actual graduation.  

Elective courses

During all years of study students have the freedom to select elective courses. Elective courses come in two general types, 1) those offered by WISP and 2) those offered by other departments of the University – so called OGUN courses (Polish abbreviation for “general university courses”, meaning that the course is open for all university students, irrespective of their field of study).

The elective courses offered by WISP are psychology courses, the “OGUNs” offered by other departments can be related to any topic or field, depending on the department offering the course.

WISP elective courses range from basic introductory courses, primarily aimed at a beginning students, to very specific and specialized courses directed towards students in their final stage of studies. A distinction is made between electives that focus practical application of knowledge and skills, and those that are more typically academic. During their entire course of studies students must complete at least 35 ECTS of academic elective courses.

In addition, during their course of studies students must complete at least 15 ETCS of OGUN courses, 5 out of which should be from the domain of the humanities (for example anthropology, history, linguistics, law, philosophy, etc.).

Specialization courses

In years four and five students must complete at least 48 ECTS of specialization courses. At the end of year three students enroll in a specialization of their choice, which guarantees them access to all courses of that specialization. Students completing at least 48 ECTS of a given specialization, will receive a certificate of completion. Students are not obliged to complete all 48 ECTS within one specialization however. At their free will student may choose to de-register from courses of their specialization and to register for courses of other specializations – provided there is space. Although the requirement for graduation is the completion of at least 48 ECTS of specialization courses, a certificate of completion of a specific specialization is only awarded in case 48 ECTS are completed within a single specialization. If the 48 ECTS are not compeleted within one specialization, students complete their studies having finished the so called "general specialization". Students are free to complete more than 48 ECTS of specialization courses, in order to make it possible to complete one specialization but also explore other specializations.

For an overview of the courses offered within each of the specializations, please look elsewhere on the website.

Other courses and requirements

Physical Education (PE)

By the end of their third year of studies, students must have completed 3 semesters of Physical Education (PE) classes. The University offers a wide range of sports and physical activities students can choose from.

Language

By the end of their third year of studies, students must have:

• Completed 2 semesters of language classes offered by the University. They are free to choose any language except their native language OR the official language of the country of citizenship. Students receive credits for language classes.
• Passed a benchmarked language exam at the B1 CEFR level (lower intermediate). The language of choice cannot be the native language, the official language of the country of citizenship or English. To fulfill this requirement students can take exams organized by the University or present any of the major recognized language certificates attesting to the required level. More information about this elsewhere on the website.

Optional traineeship

Students in year 4 and 5 can choose to complete a traineeship of at least 100 hours for which they can receive 4 ECTS. The traineeship has to be organized by students themselves.

Overview of program requirements for students who started in previous years

Program of studies for the cohort who [started in 2017-2018]

Program of studies for the cohort who [started in 2016-2017]

Program of studies for the cohort who [started in 2015-2016]

Program of studies for the cohort who [started in 2014-2015]