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Master degree program, 2 years - 120 ects (studiepoeng)
1. Program organizer
The Department of Psychology (IPS), Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Tromsø.
2. Language of instruction
Norwegian
3. Application deadline: 15. April
4. Programme description
The goal of this two-year program is to help students develop a deeper understanding of psychology as a science while developing skills in critical thinking, research methods, individual and group work, and professional writing and presentations. Together with a supervisor, each student develops a research plan and tailors their selection of courses to support it. Research is possible in areas such as:
Biological psychology
Cognitive psychology
Developmental psychology
Social psychology
Research plans are designed in accordance with the available resources at the university at any given time, and the course work can be cross-disciplinary.
The language of instruction for each course will be specified in each course description.
5. Qualifications
The goal of the MA degree is to develop research skills in psychological science. For students with a BA degree in psychology or with a clinical psychology degree, the MA allows a deep focus on a particular problem of the student’s choosing. Research skills developed in the MA program can serve as entrance to doctoral studies, or as a source of expertise within their career. For students with a BA degree in other fields, the MA serves as the transition to psychology as a science. We welcome students from other fields because such cross-disciplinary training often is most effective in advancing psychological science (more clarification below). For example, B.F. Skinner’s BA was in English literature; Clark Hull’s BA was in mining engineering; Herbert Simon’s BA was in economics; Jean Piaget’s BA was in biology; Carl Rogers’ BA was in agricultural science; and Albert Ellis’s BA was in business administration. The MA degree also complements work in other fields such as linguistics, medicine, sociology and more.
6. Qualification awarded
Master of Philosophy in Psychology
7. Admission requirements
In order to be accepted into the masters program in psychology, students must have completed a bachelor’s degree or the equivalent (e.g., a Norwegian cand. mag. degree worth 180 ECTS credits) in psychology, biology, linguistics, education, sociology, computer science or other relevant fields (national or international). Prior to applying, applicants with majors from other fields than psychology must also have completed at least 60 ECTS credits in psychology, methods and statistics.
A minimum of 50 ECTS credits must from course work in psychology. A minimum of 10 ECTS credits must be from course work in statistics and methods.
To be accepted, applicants must meet the following minimum requirements:
1) the average grade for all graded courses in the bachelor degree program must be at least C (or equivalent)
2) The grade for each course in psychology (10 credits of methods and 50 credits of psychology content areas) must be a minimum of C (or equivalent)
Applicants will be ranked based on their average grade in their bachelor degree major. Other rules for ranking applicants can be found in the “Forskrift for opptak til studier ved Universitetet i Tromsø” (University of Tromsø Admissions Policy).
For more information about how one’s English proficiency must be documented in order to qualify for admissions, see:
http://www.adm.uit.no/studie/foreign/english/Basic.htm#English%20Proficiency
The program admits 10 students per year. Admissions decisions are made in the spring, and studies begin in the fall semester.
8. Program organization
The two-year progression consists of two required courses (20 ECTS credits), four or more electives (for the equivalent of 40 ECTS credit) and a thesis (60 ECTS credits of work divided over three semesters).
8.1 Required Courses
Proseminar (10 credits).
This course is designed to introduce the students to the supervisors and possible projects that they can pursue in the program. Faculty will present current projects and illustrate them with the research designs and methods used by psychologists. By the end of the course, students select their supervisor and meet to plan and contract their course of study for the remaining semesters. By the end of the term a contract regarding supervision is to be handed in.
Methods and Statistics (10 credits).
Students select course work based on their prior background and anticipated needs for their thesis.
Thesis (60 credits).
The thesis is an independent project devoted to researching and communicating original contributions to the field (e.g., empirical or applied research or a theoretical study). The work to be completed in each semester of the thesis writing is divided accordingly. The final project should be prepared to the length (max 75 pages), format, and style of a specifically targeted psychological journal (e.g., Journal of Personality and Social Psychology or Psychological Review).
Second semester (10 credits):
By the end of the semester, the student must submit a working title, a bibliography and the first draft of the introduction. The student is required to receive supervision during this process. Ten hours of supervision are allotted for this course. The work is evaluated by the supervisor as pass/fail.
Third semester (20 credits):
For empirical projects, the student will collect data and write a draft of the methods and result section of the thesis by the end of the semester. This may involve becoming familiar with software and techniques that are specific to the area of study (e.g., experimental editor software, like E-Prime, or use of psychophysiological techniques like EMG or pupillometry). For theoretical projects, the required tasks are determined at the beginning of the semester by the supervisor in collaboration with the student. All students are required to receive supervision during this process. Twenty hours of supervision are allotted for this course. The work is evaluated by the supervisor as pass/fail.
Fourth semester (30 credits):
The thesis is completed and turned in by the designated due date. The student is required to receive supervision during this process. Thirty hours of supervision are allotted for this course. The work and a public oral exam about its contents will be graded (A-F) by an exam committee.
8.2 Elective Courses
Students may take a total of 40 ECTS credits in elective courses throughout the program. A minimum of 20 of those credits must be taken within the Department of Psychology. All electives must be approved by the student and the supervisor prior to taking each course.
The following are examples of 10 ECTS credit courses offered within the Department of Psychology. Note that not all courses will always be offered. More information about when they are offered is available from the department.
Course
Adolescent and Adult Development
Behavioral Endocrinology
Cognitive Neuroscience of Attention
Cognitive Neuroscience of Vision
Cognitive Science and Neuroscience of Consciousness
Comparative Cultural Psychology
Consumer Psychology
Statistics I (also a part of the professional studies program)
Health Psychology
Statistics II (also a part of the professional studies program)
Psychology of Language
Qualitative Methods (also a part of the professional studies program)
Quantitative Methods (also a part of the professional studies program)
Social Psychology
Students may apply to take electives offered by other departments. Electives must be approved by the supervisor and require permission from the host department to enroll.
9. Student exchange
Students will normally be expected to carry out their studies in Tromsø and to participate in the courses offered at the University of Tromsø. By application, a student may receive approval for spending up to one year abroad.
10. Learning approaches and assessment
Teaching is carried out in the form of lectures, seminars, tutorials and lab activities with continuous evaluation.
The Master’s thesis will be assigned a grade (from A to F); the coursework will be graded on the same scale unless otherwise specified as pass/fail.
11. Degree plan
The normal progression of studies will be as follows:
| Sem. |
10 credits |
10 credits |
10 credits |
| 1. |
Proseminar |
Methods and Statistics |
Elective |
| 2. |
Thesis |
Elective |
Elective |
| 3. |
Thesis |
Thesis |
Elective |
| 4. |
Thesis |
Thesis |
Thesis |
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