Prospectus

nl en

Psychology (research): Clinical and Health Psychology

Description

Students who choose to take the Research Master’s track Clinical and Health Psychology acquire in-depth knowledge of a broad range of theories and research domains in this area.

Objectives

The major aim is to provide students with a theoretical background for clinical and health psychology research, assessment and interventions. This includes the acquisition of knowledge relevant to the assessment and treatment of psychopathology, as well as to health promotion and disease prevention and the self-management of chronic diseases. This track is the ideal start for a PhD programme in clinical and health psychology.Read more on the Research Master’s Programme – Clinical and Health Psychology.

Curriculum

General coursework

Eight obligatory general courses (40 EC) are taken by students of all four tracks. These courses cover the research skills needed in the empirical cycle. Students learn how to design an empirical study, how to collect data, how to analyse data with advanced statistical techniques, and how to report and present their findings.

Track coursework

The obligatory coursework consists of four advanced-level theoretical courses which will provide a theoretical background for clinical psychology and health psychology research, assessment and interventions.

Electives

Students can further specialize in their area of interest by choosing 20 EC from a wide range of relevant courses offered in the other three tracks of the Research Master’s program and/or from courses offered in the one-year MSc in Psychology. Research master students have access to all extensive courses offered in the one-year MSc program, and to intensive courses on the condition that there are places available for additional students. Students who wish to take electives outside the Institute of Psychology (or outside Leiden University) are required to ask approval from the Board of Examiners of the Institute of Psychology. Students are responsible for verifying whether an elective course fits into their schedule of obligatory coursework.

Internship and master thesis

In their second year, students acquire hands-on research experience. In their Research Internship (20 EC), they become acquainted with various research designs and/or methods of data collection and analysis. In addition, they carry out a relatively independent project to gain experience with all phases of empirical research in psychology, including the writing of a Master Thesis (20 EC) in the form of a research article. Students are encouraged to conduct the research for their Research Internship and/or Master Thesis at a research institute abroad.

Registration

At the very start of your study programme, all master’s students enrol for all courses for the first semester at the Master’s introduction and course enrolment day. At this day the attendance of first year master’s students in Psychology is required if they start with a master’s programme.
Master’s course registration

First year

Course EC Semester 1 Semester 2

Compulsory coursework

Scientific Writing 5
Designing an Empirical Study 5
Experimentation I: Programming Psychological Experiments 5
Experimentation II: Neuroscientific Research Methods 5
Applied Multivariate Data Analysis (A and B) - Mini-Courses in Statistics 10

Track-specific compulsory coursework

Research Topics in Health Promotion 5
Evaluating Interventions in Patients with Chronic Disease 5
Advanced Topics in Experimental Clinical Psychology 5
Biological Underpinnings of Psychopathology 5

Relevant track-specific electives

Overview of all electives from the 1-year-MSc programme in Psychology

e-Health Interventions in Mental Health Care 5
Health Psychology in Practice 5
Innovations in eHealth Care 5
Transdiagnostic Approach of Eating Disorders 5

General elective

Research Apprenticeship Psychology 5

Second year

Course EC Semester 1 Semester 2

Compulsory coursework

Master Thesis in Researchmaster Psychology 20
Responsible Research in Practice 5
Presenting Your Research 5
Research Internship Psychology (RMSc) 20

More info

Additional information

Contact

Mentor

Dr. Bart Verkuil

Student representative

Find your student representative in the overview of programme committee members: Student representative

Post-master vocational training

If students wish, they can combine the Research Master’s track Clinical and Health Psychology with the programme of the one-year MSc specialisation Clinical Psychology or the one-year MSc specialisation Health Psychology, in order to qualify for post-master vocational training in the field of mental health care. Successful completion of this extended programme results in one master diploma (RM) with additional certificates to prove that the student meets the requirements for post-master vocational training for ‘Psychotherapeut’ or ‘Gezondheidszorgpsycholoog’. For more information please contact Dr. Bart Verkuil