The general coursework (40 ECTS) consists of advanced training in academic and research skills. The design and timing of these courses is such that students can immediately apply their newly acquired skills to their own research project. Besides lectures, the programme offers seminars, work in small groups, and practicals.

The obligatory specialisation-specific coursework (20 ECTS) consists of four advanced content-specific courses, in which students acquire in-depth knowledge of a range of theories, issues and research domains in developmental psychology.

For the most up to date course overview, see the e-Prospectus.

Students can choose electives (20 ECTS) from the range of modules offered in the different (research) master’s programmes at the Institute of Psychology, either to concentrate further on the specialisation of their choice (by choosing additional specialisation-specific electives) or to broaden their view. Students who wish to expand their expertise in the domain of Brain and Cognition can choose from a wide range of elective courses offered within and outside the Institute of Psychology.

Students who wish to pursue a career as scientist-practitioner / clinician may combine the research master with specific parts of the professional one-year master’s programmes in Child & Adolescent Psychology or in School Psychology to qualify for post-master psychotherapy training programmes.

The aim of the internship is for students to gain hands-on experience in their area of interest by learning from expert researchers in the field. It is recommended that students become acquainted with various research designs and/or methods of data collection and analysis that extend those employed for their thesis. Students could do this by participating, for example, in designing a study, data collection and data analyses, observing lab and testing situations and reading the involved research proposals. Preparations for the internship that are directly work-related (reading, communication with supervisor, writing funding letters) are part of the internship. You can find more information about the internship in the e-Prospectus. 

In the second year you focus on writing a master’s thesis (20 ECTS). During the first semester, the research master’s thesis focuses on the preparation of a literature review and the development of a research question, resulting in a written research proposal. During the second semester, students implement the research, collect and analyse the data, and write their thesis.