MA Psychology

Focusing on Organisation. Transformation Processes in Work, Society and Environment

This multidisciplinary MA Psychology program with an organisational focus aims to foster a reflective socio-critical stance in its students. You will explore subjects revolving around transformation processes in the context of organisational psychology, environmental psychology, health psychology and related areas.

Changes within the work environment are unfolding in a society, in which the significance of progress and growth must be rethought, especially considering current complex global challenges such as climate change and digitalisation.

Course of Studies

Psychologists maintain decisive roles within numerous professional fields by providing support to individuals and organisations that are coping with transitions and challenges of today’s society. Social change raises the question of the level of significance different organisations have and should have in contemporary society.

This is accompanied by new forms of interpersonal relationships and dynamics between man and machine, in addition to the challenges associated with sustainable business strategies. “Work, Society, Environment” are therefore not merely buzzwords put together in a title; more than that, they can be understood as highly intertwined concepts that systematically focus on the dynamics in animate and inanimate relationships. In the process of understanding and guiding such changing environments, psychodynamic approaches are of central importance.

Key Data

For questions about the organisation of the studies
Susanne Kott
Stromstr. 3b - Room 0.39
Tel.: +49 30 300 117-541

 

Office Hours:
In-Person
Thu 10:00 - 12:00
Telephone
Mo 13:30 - 15:00

 

Individual appointments are also possible.


Questions about application and admission
Marius Digel
Tel.: +49 30 300 117-543
Victoria Shefer
Tel.: +49 30 300 117-547
Stromstr. 3b - Room 0.40/0.39

Degree Master of Arts
Study Area Psychology
ECTS 120 credits
MA Program Duration Four semesters (two years)
MA Program Start Winter semester, compulsory Welcome Week in October
Academic Admission Requirement Bachelor’s degree in psychology or economics and related fields, accepted by uni-assist
Course Language English
Language Requirements English language proficiency certificate (C1 or TOEFL iBT 95 or IELTS 7 or Cambridge Certificate CAE)
MA Program Focus Work and organisational psychology, social psychology, environmental psychology, theoretical psychology, and research methods
Study Abroad Units Optional
Tuition €6,500 per semester, €1,130 per month, or €24,800 for 4 semesters if paid in advance
Internship Mandatory work placement of 330 working hours)
Study Places per Semester 30
Address IPU Berlin
  Stromstr. 1
  D-10555 Berlin
  Germany

Information

All degree programs offered at the IPU Berlin are both research-based and application-oriented and designed to help students develop independent, socially reflective, and solution-oriented professional abilities.

The teaching itself is also varied: In addition to lectures and lecture-oriented seminars, students participate in workshops, which provide the space for reflection on their own experiences. These insights are then used for learning and research practice.

The MA Psychology focusing on Organisation consists of 120 ECTS credits, which you can earn during four full-time study semesters. The ECTS credits are divided evenly across three semesters, with the master thesis to be written during the final (fourth) one.

The program is divided into five overarching areas of study

  1. Reflective Psychology and Theoretical Psychology
  2. Work, Organisational, and Business Psychology
  3. Health and Environmental Psychology
  4. Social and Cultural Psychology
  5. Research Methods


The content is spread across the following 12 modules

  1. Psychology as a Critical Social Science (6 ECTS)
  2. Current Insights from Work and Organisational Psychology (6 ECTS)
  3. Person an Organisation (9 ECTS)
  4. Environment and Society at the Intersection of Demand and Reality (9 ECTS)
  5. Work, Health, and Prevention (6 ECTS)
  6. Counseling (9 ECTS)
  7. Research Methods (6 ECTS)
  8. Research and Project Workshop (8 ECTS)
  9. Strategic communication (6 ECTS)
  10. Electives (15 ECTS)
  11. Master’s Thesis (30 ECTS)
  12. Practical Internship (15 ECTS)

Who Can Apply?
This MA Psychology program is targeted at bachelor graduates in psychology or economics and related fields who wish to pursue a career within the field of organisational psychology while implementing a psychodynamic perspective. Whether it be NGOs, governmental agencies, environmental organisations or other directions, this MA program will excellently prepare you for a diverse professional life and career.

How To Apply
Candidates wishing to enroll in the MA Psychology focusing on Organisation can apply online via uni-assist, which is a non-profit organisation that evaluates international school and university certificates on behalf of German universities. They examine if the submitted school/university certificates are equivalent to German school/university degrees, i.e. whether they qualify in principle for admission to university studies in Germany.

Please visit our applications page for up to date information and deadlines.

We recommend that applicants from non-EU countries apply early, so that you have enough time to apply for your visa, to find an accommodation, etc.

uni-assist requires you to pay a processing fee (€75), which must be paid completely in advance. Otherwise your application can neither be processed nor forwarded to us. If your application is not complete, uni-assist will inform you and may request missing documents.

You must submit all certificates as officially authenticated copies in the original language and, if the original documents are not in German or English, in a certified translation.
 

Application Requirements and Selection CriteriaRequired Documents
 Curriculum vita in a tabular format with a photo
Higher education entrance qualificationUniversity Entrance Certificate / Secondary School Leaving Certificate
Ideally a bachelor degree in psychology (Bachelor of Science)
 
  • If you were awarded a degree in psychology without modules in psychoanalysis, the IPU grants you conditional admission and expects you to attend a compulsory "Bridging Course" (at additional costs) prior to the start of the program


A bachelor degree in social sciences, economics, etc.
 
  • In order to be eligible for the master's program, you must have a bachelor's degree as well as at least 40 credits from areas that correspond to the MA Psychology - Work, Society and Environment program. Out of these, at least 16 credits must be from the area of psychology, such as social psychology, methods, and psychoanalysis.
 
  • If you have not yet completed your degree within the application period, you can still apply. In this case, you have to ensure that you are awarded your degree by the enrolment date.
 
Degree certificate and final transcript of records


















Current transcript of records as proof that you are due to graduate soon. The degree certificate has to be submitted by the end of December 2022 at the latest.
Fluency in English / level C1 as per the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages – CERF)English language proficiency certificate
(C1 or TOEFL iBT 95 or IELTS 7.0 or Cambridge Certificate CAE)
The certificate can be submitted up to the date of enrolment at the IPU.
Interests in the areas of work psychology, organisational psychology, business psychology, ecological psychology, in addition to personal suitabilityMotivation letter (maximum one page)
If you are unsure whether you meet the requirements, send us your CV and the relevant documents and we will check your eligibility beforehand.

Knowledge of German language is not an admission requirement. However, we strongly encourage international participants to start taking German-language courses prior to the commencement of the program.

The IPU chooses its students itself. Using our individualized selection process as the basis, we ensure that our students are suitable for us – and we for them. In doing so, we do not regard the secondary school results (A level equivalents) as the primary criterion for a successful course of studies.

All applicants who apply online and fulfil the formal requirements are invited to either a personal selection interview or – if they do not live in Germany – to an interview by telephone or video conference. The interview takes approximately 30 minutes. It does not include any academic questions on psychology or psychoanalysis, and instead focuses on your personality and interests, your motivation for choosing this course and future profession, as well as your prior experience or social commitment as the case may be. The details of the interview are recorded and result in a recommendation to the university management to accept or reject the applicant. University management then decides on the applicant's admission, while taking into consideration the various documents submitted and the impression gained at the selection interview. We inform the applicants in writing of our decision as quickly as possible.

Should your (conditional) admission be granted, you will receive an email and a "letter of acceptance". If your acceptance is conditional – i.e. you have not yet been awarded your Bachelor degree, still have to pass the TOEFL test, or should attend one or more bridging courses – you must submit the missing documents as soon as possible, but no later than by the start of the study course. Please keep in mind that almost all extracurricular offers at the IPU Berlin are provided in German and that sufficient German language skills will strongly ease your everyday life in Berlin. All applicants of MA Psychology study courses are thus strongly encouraged to start learning German before arriving.

After the selection interview, we issue a (conditional) admission notification and a "letter of acceptance". If you wish to accept our offer to enroll, we request you to sign and return the "letter of acceptance" and pay the deposit (€500) within two weeks. After that you will receive a study contract, which must be signed and returned within an additional two weeks. The first study fee instalment (including the student union fee) is due on September 1st.

You must be enrolled at IPU before the program starts. Certified copies of your qualifications are not required if you have already included them with your uni-assist application. However, there are several documents that you must submit personally to the student office:

  • Valid passport / identification card
  • Proof of health insurance
  • Signed study contract, if not already forwarded by post
  • Payment receipts for deposit and first installment fee and the student union fee


International students also have to submit:

  • Valid student visa / residence permit


In case of a conditional admission you have to submit:

  • Proof of English proficiency
  • Certified copy of your degree certificate (alternatively you can bring the original and we certify the copies ourselves) and certified translations where necessary


Please pay special attention to your health insurance as it is illegal to be enrolled as a student without health insurance in Germany. Non-EU/EEA citizens also need to provide a proof of health insurance that is considered equivalent to the German statutory health insurance when applying for a residence permit.

Once enrolled, you will receive a registration certificate and a student ID card, which allows you to enter the IPU campus and use the public transport system in Berlin.

International students need their IPU registration certificate in order to apply for a residence permit.

As a graduate of this MA program, you will be equipped with theoretical and practical skills that provide essential competencies for developing sustainable solutions by reflecting on social dynamics and change processes. Moreover, the integration of knowledge acquisition and independent reflection offered by this MA program fosters strengthened systemic competences in recognizing and assuming responsibility, which accommodate the ability to make independent decisions in leadership positions.

The program encourages the development of your communication skills through the practice of scholastic discussion and maintenance of a reflective stance. The didactics of the degree program are primarily oriented towards interactive forms of teaching and learning. From the first semester onwards, you will learn how to independently research academic questions, how to present and discuss them and how to deal constructively with criticism. These communication skills will enable you to obtain competences associated with professional leadership positions. Moreover, particular emphasis is placed on the development of a reflective attitude within interdisciplinary and international dialogues, which serves the ultimate aim of promoting a professional identity and the formation of an associated interculturally significant ethical attitude.

Tuition 
In order to pay the fees, you can choose between three different payment options:
•    Payment on a monthly basis: € 1,130
•    Payment on a semester basis: € 6,500
•    Complete payment of study fees in advance: € 24,800

For students who completed the BSc Psychologie at the IPU: €5,950 per semester, €1,030 per month, or €22,700 for 4 semesters if paid in advance

Students with no/limited previous knowledge of clinical psychology, psychoanalysis, or research methods are required to attend up to three preparatory courses (€ 450 for one course, € 700 for two courses, € 900 for all three courses).

Semester Fee
Additionally, a semester fee is charged for all full-time students, which allows them to utilize the services provided by the Studierendenwerk (Student Union), which is in charge of the university canteens and student housing, and the IPU Berlin student council (student representatives of the university). Please refer to the current fee schedule here under „General“ for the exact amount and the fees included. Please note that the fee may change per semester.

Costs of Living
Students should expect to need € 800 to € 900 per month to cover all their costs of living (rent, insurance, personal expenses, etc.)

Financing Options
There are various financing options, such as scholarships, stipends, student or study loans, student grants and study support, available at the IPU Berlin, in addition to financial support under the German Professional Education Support Act (BaföG), as well as student jobs and other options to finance studying.

DAAD Scholarship Database
IPU Berlin overview of financing options

Furthermore, students may apply for the Deutschlandstipendium (Germany Scholarship). The Deutschlandstipendium provides financial support to high-achieving and engaged students from all over the world who are enrolled at the IPU Berlin. Students from abroad can apply from their second semester onwards. Based on the principle of a public-private partnership, businesses, foundations or private individuals sponsor young talent through a pledge of € 150 per month. The German Federal Government then matches this amount with another € 150. The intention of the Deutschlandstipendium is to support talented and dedicated students, especially those who have demonstrated great potential in terms of their commitment and career to date, as well as those who will gain or have already gained outstanding achievements in their studies or profession, while taking social, family and personal circumstances into consideration.

Starting in the winter semester 2024/25, IPU Berlin will offer German language courses, including psychology-specific materials, as part of the DAAD and BMBF campus initiative to promote international specialists. These courses will help students achieve B2 level proficiency in the winter semester and C1 level proficiency in the summer semester, based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

The courses aim to equip students who wish to study psychology in Germany, or are already doing so, with the necessary language skills for clinical psychology and psychotherapy programs. Early integration of technical language elements ensures a solid foundation for academic success.

Find out more and register here.

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