Faculty of Arts of Comenius University > Application and Admissions > Bachelor Degree Studies > Psychology

Psychology

What forms of study our department offers

The study of Psychology is designed as a single-disciplinary Bachelor’s and Master’s degree of three and/or two years, respectively (full-time form of study). In addition, the department currently offers the possibility of doctoral study in Clinical Psychology and also provides rigorous procedures. Graduates of Master’s degree study also have the opportunity to apply for specialisation studies in the field of Clinical Psychology, which is a prerequisite for practising profession of “psychologist” regulated by law.

 

STUDY CONTENT AND CHARACTERISTICS

What you will learn during your study

The Bachelor’s degree in Psychology is an entry into the interesting field of learning about the human psyche, understanding human behaviour in normal everyday situations, as well as in situations of conflict, personal and social crises and in altered states due to illness. During your study, you will be introduced to the basic sciences of psychology, which will provide you with knowledge of the processes of perception, remembering and reasoning; you will gain insight into the changes that take place within development from birth to old age, deal with understanding the relationships between the individual and society, the sleeping patterns of the individual within different social groups and cultures, as well as behaviour in the workplace. Are you interested in the answer to the question of why a person behaves in a certain way and whether a person’s personality changes under the influence of life situations? The study of Psychology will also provide you with answers to these questions.

During your study, you will have the opportunity to learn how to argue on the basis of scientifically proven knowledge, to critically approach the information provided, to be able to distinguish serious scientific texts from plagiarism and proven theories from theories with no scientific basis. As part of your Bachelor’s thesis, you will learn to formulate your own research questions and hypotheses and to conduct your own research.

As part of the study, we emphasise the knowledge of foreign languages and the need to study the professional literature, primarily in English. This will enable you to follow lectures by foreign experts and use prestigious foreign scientific databases. You will also have the opportunity to spend part of your study abroad withing Erasmus exchange programmes.

Once you have completed your Bachelor’s degree, you can decide whether you want to further deepen your knowledge and practical skills and go on to a Master’s degree, which will make you a real psychologist. At the Master’s degree level, students have more freedom to choose courses in counselling psychology, occupational psychology, school psychology, clinical psychology and psychotherapy. At the same time, upper-year students also deepen their scientific research skills.

Links to practice

Contact with psychological practice is an integral part of the study of Psychology. It is realised both in the form of compulsory internships for students at selected psychological workplaces, as well as through the participation of practitioners in the teaching of some subjects.

 

BASIC STUDY PREREQUISITES AND REQUIREMENTS

Is studying psychology suitable for you?

The study of Psychology is quite broad and draws on knowledge from both the natural sciences (biology, neuroscience, mathematics) and the humanities (philosophy, sociology). Psychology is based on scientifically validated knowledge, not on esoteric and other non-scientific ideas explaining human behaviour. In order to make sure your choice of study is correct, try answering the following questions:

  • Are you interested in scientifically validated research on human behaviour? Do you find the discussions of scientists and people working in the social sciences appealing?
  • Are you good at expressing your ideas verbally? Do you have no problem presenting your views and opinions?
  • Can you articulate your ideas clearly in writing?
  • Do you like to engage in discussions on various current topics?
  • Can you read and communicate in a foreign language?
  • Are you intimidated by mathematical statistics?

Science and Research in the Department

The Department of Psychology is a dynamic department with a strong focus on interdisciplinary scientific research. The department is involved in various attractive SRDA, VEGA and other projects, with a special focus on clinical psychology, biopsychology, occupational psychology and school psychology. The department has high quality instrumentation and has built a psychophysiology laboratory and a laboratory of limited external stimulation. Together with the Psychiatric Clinic of the Faculty of Medicine of the Comenius University, we cooperate in the Centre for Research on Psychiatric Disorders of the Comenius University. The results of scientific research are presented in high quality scientific journals, at conferences and popularisation events.

 

GRADUATES’ EMPLOYMENT

Students who choose not to pursue a Master’s degree in psychology find employment in practice where a first-degree university education is required and where the psychological knowledge and competencies acquired can be used. These are, for example, in the social and charitable field, where graduates can employ themselves in work with various socially disadvantaged groups, in the field of public and state administration, or in education and upbringing.  They can find a wide range of employment in the economic field, e.g. in various management and human resources development positions. Bachelor’s degree graduates cannot be employed in the occupation as a “Psychologist”.

Students who complete a Master’s degree acquire a comprehensive set of knowledge and skills that enable them to be widely employed as psychologists in various professional psychological fields (e.g. school, counselling, clinical or occupational psychologist).

 

ENTRANCE EXAMINATION REQUIREMENTS

General aptitude test as part of the National Comparative Exam provided by www.scio.cz, s. r. o. 

Literature

Košč, M. (2009). Základy psychológie (Fundamentals of Psychology). SPN – Mladé letá.
Gajdošová, E. et al. (2009). Prehľad psychológie: Výber psychologických disciplín (An Overview of Psychology: A Selection of Psychological Disciplines.). Príroda.
Kern, H., Mehl, Ch., Nolz, H. & Peter, M. (2015). Přehled psychologie (An Overview of Psychology). Portal.