For this program of study, you must be able to read and understand specialist literature in English. However, you will not be required to provide separate proof of your language proficiency. Psychology is a mixture of social and natural sciences. An interest in interacting with people, whether individually or in teams, and an appreciation for the natural sciences and mathematics, especially statistics, are a must for this program.

Psychology studies human behavior, experience, and actions in all its forms. The field of psychology is comprised of the following subdisciplines: general psychology, developmental psychology, personality psychology, and social psychology.

Furthermore, foundations of biopsychology and neuropsychology are also essential, in addition to psychological diagnostics and statistics.

During your internship in experimental psychology, you will learn how to design, carry out, and analyze psychological experiments.

1st academic year:

• Orientation in qualitative methods (statistics, data analysis)
• Scientific methods and techniques
• Fundamentals:
  • Neuropsychology and fundamentals in biology
  • General psychology
  • Developmental psychology
  • Differential psychology
  • Social psychology

2nd academic year:

• Internship in experimental psychology
• Diagnostics
• Fields of application
  • Health psychology
  • Legal psychology
  • Occupational, organizational, and economic psychology
• Interdisciplinary fundamentals of psychotherapy (medicine/pedagogy)
• Clinical psychology

3rd academic year:

• Internship (orientation/research/career)
• Bachelor’s thesis
• First professional qualifications

You can select your areas of specialization through your selection of a minor subject, internships, and your bachelor’s thesis topic. The minor subjects on offer will provide you with further insight into related subject areas. You are free to choose from philosophy, sociology, educational science, sports science, child and adolescent psychiatry, general psychiatry, or economics.

Stays abroad

Would you like to live abroad for a semester or a year? Do you want to learn another language and get to know a new culture? Or gain a different perspective on your particular subject? A stay abroad provides you with the perfect opportunity to achieve this and is possible with every degree program – either self-organized or by taking advantage of one of the popular exchange programs. This is made possible by various cooperation agreements and partnerships with foreign universities.

For more information on this topic, please visit our websites on studying abroad. Visit our student exchange platform for an overview of cooperating universities in your field.

This program of study does not require you to spend time abroad, but you nevertheless have the opportunity to do so.

For this particular degree program, it is recommended that you study abroad no earlier than your third semester. Apart from the reasons already mentioned, studying abroad allows you to discover aspects of psychology that do not exist in Germany. Popular destinations include France and Spain, but Poland, Hungary, and the Nordic countries also offer interesting programs.

Internships

In the Psychology and Psychotherapy bachelor’s degree program, you will complete two internships:

In a four-week orientation internship, you will gain firsthand experience in a clinical care facility under the guidance of psychologists, psychotherapists, or child and adolescent psychotherapists. Upon request, you may also choose to complete your internship in an institution for interdisciplinary health care services.

During your four-week scientific or professional internship in your 5th and 6th semesters, you will take part in exemplary scientific studies or learn firsthand about other areas of psychology in institutions and private companies. Internships are a good way to get to know more specialized areas of psychology, as well as a great opportunity for making connections that could come in handy later on in your career.

Even voluntary internships are a good way to learn about a career field.

Company-based, non-university internships in a variety of fields can help you determine which careers or industries are of interest to you. This will help you shape your career path, but also mold your course sequence – in particular by selecting specializations that suit your practical experience.

You can find further information and relevant internships on the Career Service website.

Your career options will depend on your chosen specialization and career field. For most areas of the psychology profession, a master’s degree will be required.

Job market analyses show that in recent years, there has been an increase in demand for professionals with psychological backgrounds in a number of different sectors.

Of course, the classical professional field for psychologists is clinical psychology. The next largest professional field is that of teaching and research at universities. Other areas of psychology that are in increasing demand are those of occupational, organizational, economic, and legal psychology.

The career options for psychologists with master’s degrees are wide-ranging and, in some cases, require special professional training beforehand.

At the heart of psychological professions is the development, implementation, and evaluation of diagnoses and treatments, especially that of psychological consultation and training. Professional activities range from clinical-medical psychological issues, to economic issues, all the way to basic academic research.

Just as diverse are the following career options:

• Psychological and psychiatric departments in clinics and psychotherapeutic practices
• Education, youth and family assistance centers
• School counselor positions
• Labor market and educational counseling
• Management consulting and organizational development
• Personnel selection and management
• Coaching and continuing education
• Market and public opinion research
• Basic research and applied science at universities
• Research and development in the auto industry, in banks, at insurance companies, in the medical technology sector, and in digital media, (usability, designing user interfaces, visualization of complex information)
• Providing expert opinions in legal proceedings concerning family and criminal law; carrying out psychological work in correctional facilities; working with authorities and at forensic outpatient clinics; carrying out expert evaluations alongside clinical neuropsychologists

The website of the German Psychological Society offers an overview of the various professions and their descriptions.

Not sure what to do after graduation? Don’t worry!

A university degree generally does not prepare you for a single profession but qualifies you for a wide range of career paths – for example, in research, in a typical profession related to your field of study, or in one of many other academic fields.

This is why career orientation is also part of your studies. Gaining practical experience is key, and you can do so through internships, working student positions, part-time jobs or voluntary work, for example.

JGU’s Career Service will support you throughout the entire process with information, advice, workshops and numerous events – from career orientation and working on your profile and skills to finding your dream job and successfully applying for it.