Child and Adolescent Psychology (MSc)
About the programme
The major aim of the master specialisation Child and Adolescent Psychology is that students develop skills to empower young people and their families and teachers to overcome psychological problems that can occur among children and adolescents. Students will be expert in both the normal development of children and adolescents, and in the psychological problems that may arise.
Programme overview
We offer a very diverse programme that takes you through all the indispensable elements of Child and Adolescent Psychology. You can find a short summary below; for a detailed overview of the Master, please read our Prospectus.
In the master's specialisation Child and Adolescent Psychology you will take four mandatory courses.
During these courses Dutch and International students need to locate young people with whom they can work in order to fulfil requirements for the practically-oriented courses. Our staff will provide tips as to how this can be done.
Please read more information about the specialisation structure.
Students need to do an internship of 10 or 20 ECTS. A 10-ECTS internship has to be supplemented by two elective courses. In the mandatory internship of 10 EC, students gain hands-on practical or research experience. As one of the final parts of their training to become a ‘scientist - practitioner’, students have to familiarize themselves with the professional activities of a psychologist, either by focusing on applying scientific insights in the field, or by focusing on conducting applied or fundamental research.
An internship in a Dutch professional institution is only available for students who speak and write Dutch well enough. Internships for English speaking students in the Netherlands are very scarce. The Master specialisation can therefore not guarantee the availability of those internships. International students may do an Internal Practical Internship (IPI) at Leiden University or may look for possibilities for internships in their home country or in an English speaking country. Participating in an internship in the home country or another English-speaking country is likely to lengthen the time taken to complete the Master’s program (i.e., more than one year). Dutch students may also complete internships abroad. In all cases, the internship has to be approved by our internship coordinator before the start of the internship. See the Prospectus.
20 EC External Internship
Students in this master specialisation can extend the standard internship (10 EC) to an 20 EC External Internship if they aim to qualify for a postmaster program in Health Care Psychology. The 20 EC External Internship comprises the practice of professional skills such as diagnostics, practicing interventions, counselling or coaching of clients in Health Care Institutions. There are various ways to find a position to do an internship. Most students find an internship of their choice in the public health sector in the Netherlands or abroad.
Your master's thesis will be the crown on your university education. Your thesis will enable you to go in depth on an child and adolescent related topic and you may get the opportunity to obtain experience with all the phases of empirical research. Alternatively, some staff members have access to large and rich datasets, which will enable you to write a thesis without collecting new data. Staff members will offer research topics related to their own research interests, for which students can sign up. The exact topics and the participating staff varies from year to year.
Raluca Gatej
Student
Having come from the University of Glasgow, Scotland, a world top university in Psychology, the programme at the University of Leiden not only lived up to but exceeded my high expectations.
The teaching excellence and intertwinement of advanced research and hands-on practice within this programme have enhanced my knowledge of conducting evidence-based assessment and interventions in a developmentally-sensitive manner.
Educational methods
We use various modes of instruction to augment the learning experience:
- In the lectures the literature you have read will be applied to real life, by examples, to enhance your knowledge of the subject at hand.
- In the small (10 to 24 students, depending on your specialisation) work group sessions you'll delve deeper into the course material. There is room for discussion. Work groups sessions require active participation and attendance is therefore mandatory.
- In practical sessions you'll work on your skills. You'll gain, for example, skills in interviewing, observation and using statistical computer programmes (depending on your specialisation). Attendance is also mandatory in these practical sessions.
-
In the online course environment students review their peers’ assignments and prepare for examinations with online mock exams and recorded lectures.
-
The assigned material will be discussed during lectures -
In small work group sessions you will delve deeper in the course material -
Master students spend a lot of time studying the material by themselves -
Practical sessions vary from interview skills training to lab tests -
Theory becomes practice during these wide-ranging practicals
Student support services
Perhaps you have questions about your master’s, or could use some extra help, or maybe you’d like some support of a more personal nature? At Leiden University we have people and departments who will be glad to help in any and all of these areas.
Study adviser
Your study adviser is an expert on all aspects of your study programme, for example exam regulations, planning, academic issues, study delay etc. With the study adviser you discuss problems of any kind relating to the studies or any personal circumstances which might trouble your study.
Read more
Research and education are strongly connected
Due to the selected cookie settings, we cannot show this video here.
Watch the video on the original website or