Psychology

The single-subject Bachelor’s degree programme in Psychology without specialization provides general knowledge of theories and approaches in the fields of modern psychology, as well as basic knowledge from complementary and interdisciplinary branches. The main objective of the Bachelor’s degree programme in Psychology is to acquaint students with a variety of fundamental (theoretical) and applied, general and specialized branches of psychology, as well as with essential psychological theories and methodology. By the end of the studies, students will acquire basic knowledge and skills in different areas of psychology, including applied areas. Apart from this, the programme involves courses and activities aimed at promoting personal development, development of communication skills, introspection, and providing social support and psychological help to clients.

Another objective of the study programme is to provide students with an overview of psychological topics and issues in related social sciences and other branches (philosophy, child and adult education, sociology, social anthropology, political science, human ecology, etc.) to expand their general knowledge base. The Bachelor’s degree programme of Psychology is designed as theory-focused and broad in scope to enable subsequent studies in more specialized, both psychological and non-psychological, Master’s degree programmes.

Thus, apart from providing a basic qualification for employment in certain non-professional (non-psychological) areas, the Bachelor’s degree programme in Psychology is primarily designed to cover fundamental psychological courses that will allow students to continue their studies in two-year Master’s degree programmes (especially in psychology, but also in related fields such as sociology, andragogy, social work, etc.). Bachelor studies of Psychology do NOT by themselves provide necessary qualifications for working in psychological professions, nor do they ensure competences needed for independent and unsupervised psychological practice. In other words, students graduating from the Bachelor’s degree programme of Psychology are not yet qualified to work as psychologists.

Bachelor studies in psychology require from students to constantly develop and demonstrate understanding of various aspects of individual and social functioning, analytical and critical thinking, strong academic, social and communication skills, as well as personal maturity. It places strong emphasis on the ability to integrate different approaches and pieces of information from various areas.

In the process of competence acquisition leading to the profession of a qualified psychologist, Bachelor studies represent the first, i.e. lowest, stage. Students are expected to master the essential theoretical basics of psychology as well as practical skills needed for professions available to the holders of a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology.

After successfully completing his/her studies the graduate is able to:

• Demonstrate knowledge, methodological skills and other basic skills from fundamental (theoretical) and applied, general and specialized fields of psychology;
• Demonstrate basic knowledge of methods and approaches necessary for integrating psychological knowledge with other fields of social science, and display an acquaintance with various applications of psychology;
• Independently develop and communicate original ideas in writing, interpret and make use of scientific findings, and work with scientific literary sources;
• Demonstrate knowledge and skills acquired in more general theoretical and methodological courses of philosophy, scientific methodology, statistics, etc., as well as areas of natural and social science closely related to psychology;
• Demonstrate proficiency in at least one foreign language (English, German, French, Russian, or Spanish) by passing a language exam at the B2 level, and use academic sources in a foreign language in one’s Bachelor’s thesis
• To apply the principles of ethics in psychology.

The occupational profile of Bachelors of Psychology is derived from their readiness to perform tasks related to basic psychological and social care as workers in social services or non-profit and humanitarian organizations, as assistants of workers in executive and managerial positions, public offices, prisons and the army, public relations, advertising agencies, etc. Graduates of the Bachelor’s degree programme in Psychology have knowledge of general and social psychology required in various areas that involve working with people. They can use knowledge gained throughout their studies in activities directed in social rehabilitation programmes. Next, they can contribute to special educational programmes and use their Bachelor level knowledge to promote social and communication skills and/or prosocial behaviour in people who deal with clients on everyday basis. It is assumed that Bachelors of Psychology will develop their specific professional orientation through further education, depending on the career of interest. A Bachelor’s degree in Psychology does NOT qualify the holder to work as a psychologist in any area of psychological practice.

Practical skills and experience can be developed in two practical courses in two different placements (Practice in the Social Care I and Practice in the Social Care II).

Practice in the Social Care I, with duration of 5 days (40 hours), is a compulsory practical course (for three credits) with recommended completion in Semester 2. Students can arrange placements by themselves (e.g. in their home towns) at various types of facilities providing social care (nursing homes, old people’s homes, hospices, charity organizations, youth detention centres, children’s homes, etc.). The placement must be completed outside regular classes (e.g. during the exam period, on holidays, weekends, free days, or in periods between lessons), i.e. it should not overlap with the student’s timetable.

The placement provides contact with various aspects of social work related to coping with difficult social situations depending on the client’s social functioning in these situations. The objective is to see how such facilities and services operate, provide help and assistance where needed, and get acquainted with some of the darker sides of human life. By the end of the placement, students will adopt some of the appropriate ways of dealing with clients of that institution and will be able to use the new experience and knowledge in later work with similar clients.

Later on in the course of the studies, students can selectively enrol on Practice in the Social Care II with similar duration for another three credits. The placement takes place in a different facility so that the students can obtain different types of experience. All other course requirements are the same as for Practice in the Social Care I.

The Bachelor’s State Exam consists of two parts that are graded separately: a defence of a Bachelor’s Thesis and an oral examination.

In the Bachelor’s Thesis, the students demonstrate their ability to formulate theoretical and/or research questions, read critically and work with scientific sources, infer logical arguments and hypotheses and formulate them clearly and accurately, conduct basic scientific research independently, and report research findings in a written form following the principles and standards of academic writing.

Students work on their theses independently, consulting their progress with their thesis supervisors when necessary.

The Bachelor’s Thesis presents a theoretical or en empirical research study within a minimum of 70,000 characters.

The criteria evaluated during the thesis defence include the quality of understanding of the main topic, the student’s ability to respond to the questions of the examinees, and the overall quality of the student’s oral presentation.

The oral part of the Bachelor’s State Exam involves the following subjects:

- General psychological sciences (general psychology and personality psychology)

- Methodology of psychology

- Developmental psychology

- Social psychology

- Psychopathology

Rather than merely demonstrating general knowledge of basic concepts in the above areas of psychology, students at the State Exam are expected to demonstrate an ability to integrate information from different psychological disciplines that are included in the State Exam.

In order to pass the Bachelor’s State Exam, all of its parts must be completed with a passing grade.

Graduates of the Bachelor’s degree programme in Psychology can continue their studies – after fulfilling all admission requirements – in a Master’s degree programme of Psychology or in other Master’s degree programmes in the fields of psychological or social care or other related Master’s degree programmes (social work, sociology, child or adult education, special education, social education, etc.).