MSc Psychology (majoring in International Business and Economic Psychology) Sigmund Freud University Berlin

What distinguishes the study of psychology at SFU in general?

All study programs at the Faculty of Psychology are based on the same principles, objectives and values: Basic training (Bachelor's and Master's programs) is practice-oriented and takes place as far as possible in direct connection with existing practice and care facilities. All courses with a practicing character are conducted in small groups. The open-door policy at the Faculty of Psychology guarantees that students receive individual and personal support from professors and assistants. This also enables particularly intensive support with regard to empirical exams and final theses, which paves the way for completely individual research topics and scientific further development.

The study of psychology prepares students for a wide variety of career opportunities. This wide spectrum of career prospects is matched by a very broad range of research-based and research-guided teaching, especially in the undergraduate program. In order to promote the readiness for interdisciplinarity from the very beginning, more attention is paid to including relevant topics from related scientific and practical disciplines in the teaching or to offering the possibility to choose different focal points. In contrast to the primarily natural science-oriented courses offered at Austrian and German state universities and colleges, the curricula of the psychology courses at the Faculty of Psychology are clearly more oriented towards the reception of social science, cultural science and humanities approaches and therefore also include more progressive approaches in the economically oriented courses.

What is the structure of the master's program at the Psychology Department of SFU?

The main purpose of teaching in the master's programs is to help students develop a professional identity that best suits them and is always formed bilaterally resonating in the individual context. For this purpose, not only empirical key qualifications and practice-relevant action competences are imparted within the framework of integrated theory units and application exercises by means of a uniquely close-meshed supervision by the lecturers from science and practice, but also personal further development is promoted. Thus, the ability to adopt a critical stance in scientific discourse and competent participation in professional working life emerges in each case in holitic-integrative approaches to the unfolding of individually appropriate as well as sustainable application solutions.

Either the specialization International Business and Economic Psychology (German-English study program in cooperation with Vienna) can be chosen. Or the decision is made for Clinical Psychology (German program) with a focus on psychotherapeutic and psychosocial intervention (double occupancy possible). In case of doubt, it is advisable to combine both programs in order to complete a double degree within the interlocked program. The business psychology master's program also includes intensive project work with a high degree of practical relevance in order to put theory through its paces in depth. In the clinical master's program, on the other hand, students have the opportunity to prepare for their master's thesis by working on research projects in the field of cultural psychology that relate to clinical psychology practice and are supervised by their professors on a very individual basis. Both courses of study are also linked by the fact that one semester is set aside for a professionally relevant internship, which is also supported by the university parallel to the internship in order to achieve the best possible effects. Finally, there is the possibility to spend a semester at another branch of the SFU (Milan, Ljubljana, Paris & Vienna) if desired. The payment model with the "flat rate" is particularly suitable for this purpose.

Students who started their basic psychology studies (bachelor level) before the winter semester 2020/2021 can start psychotherapy training in Germany after completing their master's degree with a clinical focus. Due to the change in the law in 2020, they have the possibility to complete the license to practice under the old law until 2032.

Study program folder

A module overview as well as a potential study plan can be found in the brochure of the study program.

Accreditation

The Master Psychology program was accredited by the Austrian Accreditation Council in 2009.