In the master's specialisation School Psychology you will take four mandatory courses. Please read more information about subjects of this master's specialisation in the Programme 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, students gain hands-on practical experience or research experience in an area of their own interest within the domain of their master’s specialisation. 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. The master School Psychology offers a 10 EC internal practical internship, which is particularly suitable for international students. Alternatively, international students may do a research internship or may look for possibilities for internships in their home country or in an English speaking country. 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. 

External Internship

Students in this master specialisation can extend the 10 EC External Internship to a 20 EC External Internship if they aim to qualify for a postmaster program in School Psychology (or Health Care Psychology). An External Internship comprises of performing professional skills such as diagnostics, practicing interventions, counselling or coaching of clients in educational institutions (e.g., primary schools, secondary schools, school advisory services, private practices). There are various ways to find a position to do an internship. Most students find an internship of their choice in the educational sector in the Netherlands or abroad. 

Please note:
External Internships of exactly 20 ECTS (560 hours) are very hard to find in The Netherlands, most institutions offer longer internships (usually, 6-8 months, 3 days/week). This may make it difficult to complete this programme within a year. We are working with regional partners to make more 20 ECTS internships available, but as of now, few are available. The advantage of these longer internships of course is that you will learn more and get more responsibilities. See the Prospectus. 

Your master's thesis will be the crown on your university education. Your thesis will enable you to go in depth on a school psychology 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.

Thesis topics relevant to School Psychology can be found within each of the four main research areas of Developmental and Educational Psychology. The Brain and Development group explores the relations between brain development and cognitive development. The Emotional Development group focuses on the development of emotion regulation in young children and adolescents. The Intellectual Development and Dynamic Testing group studies cognitive-intellectual abilities and processes in children and adolescents. The Social Anxiety and School Refusal group studies the dynamics and treatment of social anxiety during adolescence.