Prospectus

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Psychology: International Bachelor in Psychology (IBP)

Bachelor

This is the Prospectus for the International Bachelor in Psychology (IBP)

Ga naar de Studiegids voor de Nederlandstalige bacheloropleiding Psychologie

Study programme

The bachelor programme is a three-year programme. In the first year you will be provided with an overview of psychology and all its (sub)disciplines. In the first part of the second year, the knowledge and skills of a psychologist are the focus of attention. In the second part of the year, and in the third year, you will study areas within and outside of psychology based on your individual preferences. The bachelor programme will prepare you for the master programme. You will complete the bachelor programme with a bachelor project.

For a good study progress, a study load of approximately 15 EC per block is recommended. If you want to plan more than 20 EC per block, you need permission from your study adviser to do so. More infomation on how to apply for permission can be found in the International Bachelor in Psychology Brightspace module, see below.

More information

Please consult the ' More info' tab for more information about course registration and electives.

All Bachelor students will be automatically enrolled in the International Bachelor in Psychology Brightspace module. This module is created as your first ‘’go to’’ in case you have questions about study related topics during your bachelor. You will find answers to most of your questions; from planning your programme and choosing which specialisation courses you will do, to deciding how to complete the elective space to planning for your Bachelor Project and master application.

First year

Course EC Semester 1 Semester 2
Academic Skills Tutorial 5
Introduction to Psychology 5
Introduction to Methodology and Statistics 5
History of Psychology 5
Inferential Statistics 5
Personality, Clinical and Health Psychology 5
Developmental and Educational Psychology 5
Experimental and Correlational Research 5
Social and Organisational Psychology 5
Biopsychology and Neuropsychology 5
Cognitive Psychology 5
Psychology and Science 5

Second year

You are allowed to register for a maximum of 20EC per block. More information can be found here.

Course EC Semester 1 Semester 2

Compulsory coursework
Developmental Psychopathology 5
Psychometrics 5
Stress, Health and Disease 5
Consciousness 5
Group Dynamics 5
Psychodiagnostics 5
Perspective on Career Planning (POCP) 5
Interpersonal Professional Skills 5
Multivariate Data Analysis 5

Specialisation courses
Good Research Practices 5
Causal inference 5
Applied Cognitive Psychology 10
Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology 10
Clinical Neuropsychology 10
Clinical Psychology 10
Economic and Consumer Psychology 10
Cognitive Neuroscience 10
Health and Medical Psychology 10
School Psychology 10
Social Psychology in Organisations 10

Electives
Cross-cultural Psychology of Health and Illness 5
Psychology of Advertising 5
Artificial Intelligence 5
Psychological and Neurobiological Consequences of Child Abuse and Neglect 5
Attention: Theory and Practice 5
Culture and Diversity at Work 5
Emotion and Cognition 5
Pharmacological and Biological Approaches to Clinical and Health Psychology 5
Sexology 5
Psychotherapy: Theory, Research & Practice 5
The Adolescent Brain 5

Third year

You are allowed to register for a maximum of 20EC per block. More information can be found here.

Course EC Semester 1 Semester 2

Compulsory coursework
Bachelor Project Psychology 15

Specialisation courses
Good Research Practices 5
Causal inference 5
Applied Cognitive Psychology 10
Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology 10
Clinical Neuropsychology 10
Clinical Psychology 10
Economic and Consumer Psychology 10
Cognitive Neuroscience 10
Health and Medical Psychology 10
School Psychology 10
Social Psychology in Organisations 10

Electives
Cross-cultural Psychology of Health and Illness 5
Psychology of Advertising 5
Artificial Intelligence 5
Psychological and Neurobiological Consequences of Child Abuse and Neglect 5
Attention: Theory and Practice 5
Culture and Diversity at Work 5
Emotion and Cognition 5
Pharmacological and Biological Approaches to Clinical and Health Psychology 5
Sexology 5
Psychotherapy: Theory, Research & Practice 5
The Adolescent Brain 5

More info

Enrolling for bachelor’s courses and exams via MyStudymap

  • First year students are automatically enrolled in all components (incl. exams) of the propaedeutic year. They need to enrol for the resits themselves;

  • Second and third year students need to enrol in all components themselves (e.g. lectures, workgroups and exams) via MyStudymap. For the Bachelor Project there is a different registration periode compared to regular courses; more information can be found on the corresponding Prospectus page;

  • For a good study progress, a study load of approximately 15 EC per block is recommended. If you want to plan more than 20 EC per block, you need permission from your study adviser to do so.

Registering for courses is only possible during registration periods. Registration for exams and resits is possible until 10 days before the exam takes place

More information can be found on the student's website:

If you are a Psychology student and you want to take electives outside Psychology, please go to: Elective credits

Electives for non-Psychology students

The Institute of Psychology offers several courses as electives to non-psychology students from other programmes at Leiden University and to students from other universities or universities of applied science. They can take these courses as an elective student. This only concerns courses designated as elective in the Prospectus. A student taking psychology courses as an elective student should keep in mind:

  • Many of these courses have entry requirements that must be met before taking the course. You can find more information on the entry requirements on the Prospectus pages of the individual courses;

  • If a course comprises mandatory attendance for one or more components, all students, including the non-Psychology students, are required to attend the meetings;

  • For each course there is a maximum number of participants. As Psychology students can also register for these courses, this means that the number of places available for students taking these courses as electives is limited.

Registering for electives

  • Students from other programmes at Leiden University can contact the Student Service Centre (the SSC). The SSC will place students on a waiting list. If places are available once the registration deadline has passed, the SSC will register students to these courses.

  • Students from other universities/universities of applied science (HBO institutions) who wish to take an elective within the Psychology programme can apply via the Student Services Centre. These students should send with their application their ‘Statement of no objection’. Applicants should first have this statement completed by their own university/HBO institution and should then submit the statement to the Student Services Centre, so that the Psychology study adviser can assess the application. The Student Services Centre will return the signed statement to the student. The student should then sent an original statement of payment, the application form for optional subject students and the statement of no objection to Plexus student administration. The student will be enrolled at Leiden University as a guest student, and will be given a student identity number. This gives the student access to Brightspace.

If you are not a student and you wish to take one or more electives at the Psychology department, please see: Contractual enrolment

Career Perspective

Career orientation

Career preparation in bachelor Psychology

In addition to offering you a solid university education, Leiden University aims to prepare you as well as possible for the labour market, and in doing so contribute to the development of your employability. In this way, it will become easier for you to make the transition to the labour market, to remain employable in a dynamic labour market, in a (career) job that suits your own personal values, preferences and development.

'Employability' consists of the following aspects that you will develop within your study programme, among others:

  1. Discipline-specific knowledge and skills
    Knowledge and skills specific to your study programme.

  2. Transferable skills
    These are skills that are relevant to every student and that you can use in all kinds of jobs irrespective of your study programme, for example: researching, analysing, project-based working, generating solutions, digital skills, collaborating, oral communication, written communication, presenting, societal awareness, independent learning, resilience.

But also think of job application skills: preparing a CV, formulating a cover letter, compiling a LinkedIn profile, networking, practising job interviews, preparing and holding a pitch.

  1. Self-reflection
    This involves reflecting on your own (study) career (choices), reflecting on your own profile and your personal and professional development. Gaining insight into, among other things, your competences and personality, your (work) values and motives. what can you do with your knowledge and skills on the labour market?
    Who are you, what can you do well, what do you find interesting, what suits you, what do you find important, what do you want to do?

  2. Practical experience
    Gaining practical experience through practical and social internships and work placements, external research internships and projects, practical assignments, which are integrated into an elective, minor or graduation assignment, business challenges etc.

  3. Labour market orientation
    Gaining insight into the labour market, fields of work, jobs and career paths through, for example, guest speakers from the work field, alumni presentations and experiences, career events within the study programme, the use of the alumni mentor network, interviewing people from the work field, and shadowing/visiting companies in the context of a particular subject.

Employability in bachelor Psychology

In your programme, you will also find these employability elements.

Subject-specific and transferable skills
These skills are addressed in the various courses of the programme. Check the specific course descriptions in the study guide to see which skills are involved.

Examples of subjects that pay attention to the other employability elements are:

Self-reflection

  • Academic Skills tutorial (Ba 1)

  • Interpersonal Professional skills (IPS) (Ba 2)

  • Perspectives on Career Planning (POCP) (Ba 2)

Practical experience

  • Perspectives on Career Planning (POCP) (Ba 2) (social internship, practical assignment/case

  • Several mandatory courses and electives involve practical and practice-based assignments.

Labour market orientation

  • Perspectives on Career Planning (POCP) (Ba 2) (a.o. interviewing professionals, alumni presentations, guest speakers from the work field)

  • All specialisation courses (Ba 2/3)

  • Bachelor project Psychologie (Ba 3)

Activities to prepare for the labour market outside the curriculum

Every year, various activities take place, within, alongside and outside of your study programme, which contribute to your preparation for the labour market, especially where it concerns orientation towards the work field/the labour market, (career) skills and self-reflection. These may be information meetings on decision moments within your programme, but also career workshops and events organised by your own programme, the faculty Career Service or your study association.

For example:

  • Workshops and (faculty) career events organised by the (faculty) Career Services

  • Information session about choices, (optional) subjects, minors, honours education, study abroad, internships

  • Information session about the choice of a master's degree

  • Workshops and career events of study association Labyrint and SPS NIP

  • Faculty Career Orientation Days (FLO)

Career Service, LU Career Zone and career workshops calendar

Faculty Career Service
The Career Service of your faculty offers information and advice on study (re)orientation and master's choice, (study) career planning, orientation on the labour market and job applications.

Leiden University Career Zone Leiden University Career Zone is the website for students and alumni of Leiden University to support their (study) career. You can find advice, information, (career) tests and tools in the area of (study) career planning, career possibilities with your study, job market orientation, job applications, the Alumni Mentor network, job portal, workshops and events and career services.

Workshops and events
On the course calendar you will find an overview of career and application workshops, organised by the Career services.