Psychology - Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience - Maastricht ...

Psychology
Psychology is about everything people do, feel and think. Psychologists want to understand, explain, predict
and, if necessary, change how people think and what they do. Some try to understand how children are able to
learn a language through play, while others attempt to explain the connection between the activity of a neurotransmitter
in the brain and depression. Psychologists also develop methods to change people’s ideas or behaviour.
They help people to break bad habits, like smoking or not listening properly to other people. They also help
people to overcome their fears and stop seeing everything that happens as a threat, for example attributing
every sound in the night to a burglar or every twinge in their bodies to being a symptom of a deadly disease.
You can see from these examples that psychology is an enormously broad field. Think of anything you like and
psychologists will have studied it.
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What is Psychology?
Psychologists try to get a grip on human behaviour by
formulating theories and then testing them through
research. Because our behaviour is driven by a whole range
of factors, there are also many different theories. For
instance, take the fact that working women spend much
more time doing housework than working men. Psychologists
who are primarily concerned with how the genetic
differences between men and women may cause them to
think and act differently will have different ideas on this
than psychologists who focus on the cultural reasons for
what men and women do. Both groups will have very
different ideas based on their own theories about whether
or not the unequal division of tasks in the home can become
more balanced.
You can do anything with psychology!
“What I find so interesting about cognitive psychology is that you find out which
developments have led to a theory. Then you realise that nothing is set in stone;
everything is open. It’s the same once you’ve graduated; there are plenty of career
opportunities. I’m most interested in how people function in relation to their
environment. People are often manipulated, by advertisements for example, but they
often don’t realise it.
If you come to Maastricht to study psychology, you’ll get an
introduction to all these different approaches. The distinction
between this and other psychology programmes is
that, the further on you get in your programme, there will
be more emphasis on two important approaches, namely
cognitive psychology and biological psychology.
Cognitive psychology
It wasn’t difficult for me to choose UM. The psychology programme has a very good
reputation and it’s progressive. The lecturers are enthusiastic and that comes across in
their teaching. The atmosphere is great. I think the best aspect of this programme is that
you meet people who are using psychology in their daily work. Their expertise helps to
prepare you well for the future.”
Bram Amendt, the Netherlands
Third-year Psychology student, specialising in Cognitive Psychology
One of the central premises in cognitive psychology is that
our behaviour is not so much caused by the events that
happen around us, but by our interpretation of them. It’s not
the creaking branch in the dark forest that causes the lonely
walker to run away in fear, but rather his or her interpretation
of the sound. Inexperienced and anxious people will be
quicker to attribute the sound to something frightening.
People who are used to the noises of a forest will interpret
the sound in another way, which will cause them to react
differently. In other words, between the external impact
(the stimulus) and our reaction to it (the response), many
different - often unconscious - mental processes take place.
These are called cognitive processes.
Biological psychology
Biological psychology assumes that everything we
consciously or unconsciously perceive, do and think is due
to patterns of activity in the brain. If you consider that our
brains contain more neurons than there are stars in the sky,
it’s clear why the human brain is considered to be the most
complex structure in the world. Various techniques,
including the latest ‘brain-imaging’ techniques, make it
possible to look inside the living brain and measure where
activity occurs when you undertake a particular action or
have a certain thought. Such techniques can also measure
the effect of the use of psychoactive drugs that can change
the way we think, act and perceive. Examples of these are
tranquillisers that slow down the working of the central
nervous system or stimulants like amphetamines and
caffeine, which activate the central nervous system.
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The study programme
Behind the scenes in South Africa
“During my study I became more and more interested in subjects like consumer
behaviour, human resource management and marketing. When it turned out that these
subjects were being taught at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, it didn’t take me
long to make up my mind. In South Africa, some other students and I did research into
decision factors in consumer behaviour and I also studied some interesting marketing
and human resources cases. I lived in a house with twelve international students for
seven months. I worked hard, but there was still time to get a taste of life in South Africa.
During the study abroad, you learn how to collaborate with people from different
cultures and you see different ways of life. The knowledge and all the practical experience
I’ve gained will certainly help me in the future. After all, experience abroad always looks
good on your CV.”
Christianne Leenhouts, the Netherlands
Third-year Psychology student, specialising in Biological Psychology
The bachelor’s programme, taught in Dutch, lasts three
years. The first two years of the programme offer an
introduction to various topics and themes in psychology.
You will explore questions such as: Why do some people
obey authority so easily? Why do teenagers take up smoking
even though they know that smoking is bad for their health?
What is addiction? Why is it that as people get older they
suffer from memory loss? Are the brains of schizophrenics
‘different’, and is intelligence innate? Apart from courses on
the important psychological themes, there are also courses
where you’ll learn about the methods and techniques of
psychological research.
As well as an introduction to psychology and psychological
research methods, training is also given in a number of
important academic and professional skills. These include
teaching you how to write an article, how to give a verbal
presentation or a lecture, and how to use various discussion
techniques. Attention is also given to programming, putting
together a portfolio and keeping it up to date, and concep -
tualising and carrying out psychological tests. You’ll also
learn how to apply the skills you’ve acquired to set up and
perform research.
At the end of the second year of the programme, you will
choose one of the two bachelor’s specialisations: Biological
Psychology or Cognitive Psychology. There is a fixed
programme for each of these specialisations at the beginning
of the third year. After that, you’ll largely be putting
together your own programme by choosing electives and
writing your bachelor’s thesis. The electives can be taken in
the Faculty of Psychology, at other faculties at Maastricht
University, at other universities in the Netherlands, or
abroad. This lets you match your own programme to your
own interests. To finish the bachelor’s programme, every
student has to write a bachelor’s thesis. This individual
end product enables you to show that you are capable of
applying the knowledge and skills you’ve acquired.
Research-minded
The study programme in Maastricht focuses attention on research
right from the start. As you progress through the study, the teaching
increasingly links up with the lecturers’ own research. This means
you can be sure of having the most up-to-date information,
interested lecturers and constant training for academic research.
Just as in the study programme, where biological psychology and
cognitive psychology form the basis for both the bachelor’s and
master’s specialisations, the research programme has the same two
central specialisations. This means that teaching and research are
fully integrated.
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Honours Programme
The Faculty of Psychology’s Honours Programme is an extra
educational programme for excellent students who want to broaden
and deepen their substantive knowledge and insight. The programme
starts in the second year of the programme and lasts for a
year. Bachelor’s students who pass all their first-year subjects and
who are among the twenty best students in their year (average score
including all of the first-year subjects) will be invited to join the
Honours Programme.
After the bachelor’s
Master’s programmes
After you have obtained your bachelor’s degree you can start
a one-year, English-language master’s programme, leading
to a Master of Science in Psychology (MSc). The Psychology
Faculty at Maastricht University offers two specialisations in
the one-year master’s programme: Applied Cognitive
Psychology and Biological Psychology. Both specialisations
have three tracks from which students choose one. About
half of each track consists of theoretical courses and the
other half involves a research internship and writing a
master’s thesis.
The Applied Cognitive Psychology specialisation includes
the following tracks:
• Experimental Health Psychology
• Psychology and Law
• Work and Organisational Psychology
The Biological Psychology specialisation includes the
following tracks:
• Neuropsychology
• Developmental Psychology
• Cognitive Neuroscience
In addition to the one-year master’s programme, there is
also a two-year research master’s in Biopsychology and
Psychopathology. This programme has been specially
developed for excellent students who want to pursue a
career in research. Admission to this programme is limited
and is by selection.
All of the master’s programmes offer further specialisation
that builds on from the third year of the bachelor’s programme.
The content of the tracks is described in detail in
the masters’ brochure.
Please visit www.unimaas.nl/masters for a complete list of
the master’s programmes at UM.
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Efficient programme with a good atmosphere
“Psychology in Maastricht is the ideal study for me. There’s a pleasant atmosphere in the
faculty, the three-year bachelor’s programme is efficient, and the master’s programme
offers a wide range of specialisations. The lecturers are knowledgeable and enthusiastic,
and my fellow students are motivated. There’s always someone, a lecturer or tutor, you
can go to with questions, which is reassuring. The specialisation that interests me most is
Biological Psychology and especially Neuropsychology. Studying the workings of the
mind is a challenge. But I’m also interested in legal and forensic psychology, a subject
within the cognitive psychology specialisation. The rest of this year should help me to
decide which specialisation to choose.”
Johanna Hauke, Germany
Second-year Psychology student
Career opportunities
Psychology graduates become involved in a variety of
activities in many different work situations. You might
become a student advisor, manager, practitioner or
researcher, working in such places as universities, hospitals,
businesses and government bodies. You could also set up
your own practice. Psychologists can be found all over the
place: working with the elderly or with young people, in
courts of law, sports organisations, or at the workplace.
A distinction is often made between psychologists who
mainly want to ‘know’ and psychologists who mainly want
to ‘help’. The first group mostly conducts fundamental
academic research at universities or other organisations.
They might study the way in which neuro-transmitters
transfer stimuli in the brain or they might conduct research
into the possible relationship between personality traits
(e.g. extraversion, conscientiousness) and the success rate at
school, at work or in sports. The answers to their questions
lead to a greater understanding of how people function,
even though the usefulness of this knowledge in practical
situations is not always immediately visible. Knowledge
gained from research into a minuscule area of the brain, for
example, may only later turn out to lead to the development
of a new medicine to prevent dementia.
Psychologists who prefer to ‘help’ rather than to ‘know’
focus on usefulness in practice. They are keen to apply the
knowledge gained during their studies to solving the
problems of individuals, groups and/or organisations. This
might involve creating and implementing examinations
(such as national school exams), giving memory training
courses for the elderly, treating people with eating disorders,
training managers to become leaders, making informative
campaigns to encourage the use of condoms, etc.
The descriptions above apply to students who have
completed the Master of Science in Psychology. We advise
everyone who completes the three-year bachelor’s programme
to go on to take the master’s programme at
Maastricht University. You can find more information about
career prospects for graduates in Biological and Cognitive
Psychology in the master’s brochure.
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International relations
About thirty per cent of psychology students take part of their
programme abroad, usually their electives. Many foreign students
also come to study in Maastricht. Some courses offer tutorial groups
in English especially for these ‘exchange students’.
The Faculty of Psychology has agreements with a number of foreign
universities to facilitate student exchanges. These include
universities in Belgium, Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy, Norway,
Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. Outside Europe,
exchange agreements have been made with universities in Australia,
Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Indonesia, Mexico, the United States and
South Africa.
Mathematics
Students who want to study psychology at Maastricht University
must have sufficient prior knowledge of mathematics. Students
with a maths deficiency can take a summer or evening course.
Contact the Faculty of Psychology’s PR & Information department
for information about mathematics courses and exams.
Numerus fixus
All psychology programmes in the Netherlands, including the
programme in Maastricht, have asked for a numerus fixus, or a
maximum number of students, for the 2006-2007 academic year
The numerus fixus has not been requested because of a fear that
there will be too few places available in each programme, but is
intended to more evenly distribute those interested in psychology
over the various programmes. Since all of the programmes have set a
high upper limit, the expectation is that everyone who applies in
good time will be given a place of their choice.
Admissions
Dutch diploma
• Final VWO diploma, ‘new style’; all profiles.
• Final VWO diploma, ‘old style’ (gymnasium or atheneum); with maths A or B.
• Bachelor’s degree or HBO propedeuse; it is advisable to do an extra mathematics
course before you start the bachelor’s programme.
Belgian diploma
• Secondary school diploma; i.e. ASO, KSO, TSO or BSO (BSO only if the seventh
year has been taken as ‘doorstroming’).
• A different Flemish diploma of at least a similar level; a relevant HOBU course
you have completed or for which you have unconditionally moved up to the
second year.
German diploma
• Zeugnis der Allgemeinen Hochschulreife (Abitur), plus a certificate for level II
of the NT2 exam (‘Nederlands als tweede taal’ national Dutch exam) or an ITN
certificate (‘Interuniversitair Toelatingsexamen Nederlands’ university
admissions exam).
You can find more information about NT2 or ITN on our website:
www.psychology.unimaas.nl
Other Non-Dutch diplomas
• Colloquium doctum, admissions exam for people age 21 or over (see
www.psychology.unimaas.nl for more information).
• Prospective students whose native language is not Dutch must have a
certificate for level II of the NT2 exam (‘Nederlands als tweede taal’ national
Dutch exam) or an ITN certificate (‘Interuniversitair Toelatingsexamen
Nederlands’ university admissions exam).
• More details for prospective students with diplomas other than those
described above can be found by visiting www.unimaas.nl > Prospective
bachelor’s students > Admissions.
At the time this brochure went to press, it was not yet clear whether
a numerus fixus would apply to the 2007-2008 academic year.
As soon as a decision has been made, it will be published at
www.psychology.unimaas.nl
You can find more information on exemptions at www.psychology.unimaas.nl
Application and registration
Information about the application and admissions procedures can be found on
pages 82-83 of this brochure and on www.unimaas.nl > Prospective bachelor’s
students > Admissions.
Contact information
PR & Information
Faculty of Psychology
Maastricht University
P.O. Box 616
6200 MD Maastricht
The Netherlands
Phone: +31 43 388 2209 / 1871
E-mail: bachelorinfo@psychology.unimaas.nl
Internet: www.psychology.unimaas.nl
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