Psychology - Similar courses & alternatives in vocational training

Psychology is still one of the most popular subjects. The number clausus hurdle is correspondingly high - the average selection limit is 1,7. The almost completely completed conversion of diploma courses to bachelor’s degrees has not changed anything.

Varied career opportunities

Although the places of study are now generally awarded by the universities themselves rather than by the ZVS (today: hochschulstart.de), as in the past, the entry barrier still remains very high.

In addition to the professional interest in psychology, the wide range of career opportunities are one of the reasons for the unbroken interest in the subject. Traditionally, many first-year students have work as a psychological psychotherapist with a couch and health insurance approval in the Eye.

However, this not only requires a completed full degree in psychology, usually a Master of Science: The graduates must also have a nationwide degree Further Training complete at a state-recognized training institution or university that lasts three or - part-time - at least five years.

Special courses

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Nevertheless, many high school graduates put up with a number of waiting semesters or try a lateral entry from a neighboring subject, such as psychology studieren to be able to But is there a third possibility?

For a number of years, universities and technical colleges have increasingly offered specialized courses in which certain areas of psychology are combined with related disciplines such as social affairs, Health, pedagogy or Economy be combined.

The result are degree programs that, although not fully-fledged psychologyVocational Training and therefore do not enable them to work as therapists, for example, but the students are much more targeted towards a specific one Job prepare. In addition, these small disciplines are often not mass subjects, which makes the study conditions far more pleasant.

Psychological special subjects at a glance

So, can such courses Alternatives to study psychology? Do they even offer the opportunity to study the desired subject without the annoying numerus clausus hurdle? And does that still open up the path to becoming a psychotherapist?

Business education and knowledge psychology

A clear and decisive”No” comes to it from Dr. Lynn Huestegge. Huestegge has to know: he studied psychology himself and today he is a specialist study consultant for the psychological part of the degree course in Business Education and Knowledge Psychology (BPWP) at the RWTH Aachen University (RWTH Aachen).

“In contrast to classical psychology, which concludes with a Bachelor of Science, BPWP is one of two subjects with the Objective Bachelor of Arts studies – e.g. in Combination with communication, social or economic sciences. BPWP students even have someCourses in common with psychology students. Since BPWP originally emerged from the field of business education, the subject consists only partly of psychology. Psychology accounts for only 25 percent of the entire bachelor’s degree.”

Huestegge explains some important differences between classical psychology and the special course of study in business education and knowledge psychology. There are also major differences in terms of content: in the major in business education, students get to know the prerequisites, processes and results of qualification and design processes in companies and organizations through which Employees be qualified for new requirements.

The psychology of knowledge is a field of cognitive psychology and deals with the learning processes: Here the students learn how acquisition, coding, organization, storage, retrieval and application of Background functions. The degree in industrial education and knowledge psychology prepares you for the professional field of extracurricular education and training. BPWP thus conveys the core competencies for operational training and further education strategies, for personnel and organizational development, for qualification concepts, for knowledge management or for the Consulting in case of problems and conflicts.

“Our graduates cannot work as therapists afterwards. But if you're in Companys a training measure to organize should, they can recognize which further training benefits which employee because they have experienced during their studies how knowledge is acquired, stored in their memory and used Tasks and Problems applied in practice."

Student Advisor Huestegge makes another difference to the classic psychology degree clear.

Good prospects

With potential employers such as further education providers, research institutions or management consultancies, the special course is at least as popular as traditional psychology. This also explains the great demand for one of the 25 study places allocated each semester. Finally, Huestegge makes the problem clear again.

“We have a numerus clausus of around 1,8, which is comparable to the NC on the Bachelor of Science course. Therefore, BPWP is also not a good place to fall for students who do not have a degree in psychology study place receive. A later change is possible, but difficult, since there must always be a place on the course and study achievements are only partially recognised. On the other hand, it is far easier to follow up with a master’s degree in education and knowledge management.”

Teaching, learning and training psychology

At the University of Erfurt, the course in teaching, learning and training psychology is by no means an alternative to traditional psychology courses. Rather, the course deals with the description, explanation, prediction and change of teaching and learning processes and their individual, social, cultural and economic framework. The study program is based on the findings and research methods of general psychology, differential psychology, developmental, social and organizational psychology. In addition, concepts Methods and findings of instructional psychology, pedagogical-psychological diagnostics, educational psychology and business psychology.

Even statistics that require mathematical foundations, and research methods are an integral part of the study. Research foci at the University of Erfurt are decision research, giftedness research and career choice research. For example, students learn how career choice decisions work and how they can later help students make their career choices. However, what is completely lacking in study is any form of clinical and biological psychology, such as the study advisor Dr. Silvia Andrée explains:

“Our course was integrated into the university's faculty of education right from the start. In addition, the Bachelor of Arts degree can only be a major subject combined with a minor such as B. Social sciences, educational sciences or economics - or as a minor. In the main subject, we only award 84 credit points. Compared to studying psychology for a Bachelor of Science with 120 to 150 credit points, that's just a lot less. This means that our students cannot work as resident therapists afterwards because we do not offer a full psychology degree. ”

Future occupational fields

However, the graduates have many other career options: for example, the psychological development diagnostics and early support of infants in appropriate care facilities, or the school psychological diagnostics for talent issues, partial performance disorders and school achievement problems. They can also work in vocational and occupational further education or adult education, for example by designing and evaluating training measures. However, some graduates are drawn to rather untypical professions such as advertising. Another area of ​​application is human resources, such as Dr. Silvia Andrée clarifies:

“Using diagnostic methods, our graduates can later check in companies whether a Candidate suitable for a position or not. You then design the selection or conduct job interviews with psychological expertise.”

Since only 42 places for the main subject and 31 for the minor subject are awarded in the program per semester, there is also an internal numerus clausus of average 1,9. 80 percent of the study places are awarded after the graduation grade point average, 20 percent after waiting semesters. So if you are interested in a psychological subject, you should think twice about choosing teaching, learning and training psychology or rather for a Bachelor of Science in Psychology in view of the high entry barriers - because a later change is extremely difficult. As study advisor Andrée explains:

“Because we only offer traditional psychology with restrictions, those who want to change have to enroll at another university. There they may be credited for part of their academic achievements, but in any case they will be downgraded and verlieren thereby time. With the switch to bachelor's and master's courses, such changes of subject are becoming increasingly difficult. A master’s degree can usually be added without any problems – an option that most of our students also take advantage of.”

Psychology at the University of Applied Sciences

Not only universities, but also numerous technical colleges offer psychological special courses. One example is the H:G University for Health and Sport in Berlin, where students can earn a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Mental Health. In contrast to the Bachelor of Arts, in which psychology is only one of at least two subjects, the Bachelor of Science is a complete seven-semester course in psychology, with the first to fourth semesters teaching the basics of the subject and the fifth semester practical semester, and in the sixth and seventh semester the focus is on health sciences. To the Preparation A practical semester serves to prepare students for their job, in which they try out what they have learned so far and gain their first professional experience.

There is no numerus clausus at the H: G, however, prospective students must show in selection interviews that they are suitable for the subject. Students also have to pay 365 Euro per month for tuition because it is a private university. In addition, once enrollment 250 Euro are payable and there are 290 Euro examination fee for the Bachelor examination. However, students receive optimal care in small learning groups and courses of a maximum of 30 persons, because the university shares higher education with study groups and can hire additional teaching staff.

Wide range of subjects and job opportunities

The contents of the course are correspondingly comprehensive: Among other things, general and biological psychology, developmental psychology, personality psychology and social psychology are also part of the course Curriculum Vitae. The health science focus of the course is covered in the later semesters by modules from the fields of clinical psychology and health psychology. A master's degree in psychology and mental health is also possible. Here, students can choose between the main areas of behavioral therapy, neuropsychology and gerontopsychology and deepen their knowledge accordingly.

“In developmental psychology, among other things, the development of the People from birth to high Age in the foreground. The question is what factors human development depends on in the various stages of development. Social psychology deals with experience and Behavior of people in their interpersonal environment: how do people influence other people, how does belonging to a group affect social behavior, what conflicts and intervention options are available?"

explained Dr. Rainer Haarbusch, Chancellor of the H:G University for Health and Sport, the differences between the psychological disciplines. This offer then also results in many career opportunities: for example as a consultant in the health sector, in companies or in training and further education institutions - but also in areas such as Marketing and public relations, as Haarbusch explains:

“For example, our graduates can work in HIV counseling in health authorities, in rehabilitation facilities or in company health care. Anyone who specializes in gerontopsychology in the master's degree deals with age-appropriate living and can develop concepts for the design of old people's homes and senior-friendly mobility options for municipalities. For example, our graduates also provide scientific support for projects for surewho are helping to change public awareness of mental illness.”

All in all, H:G graduates find employment opportunities in all areas of health promotion Prävention and intervention, where Haarbusch believes there is an increasing demand for academically trained professionals. When it comes to therapy, on the other hand, psychotherapists are in demand. However, it has not yet been finally clarified whether further training as a psychological psychotherapist is possible for H:G graduates. H:G is currently examining this together with the responsible professional societies. This can also be difficult for graduates who complete the course at the H:G with a Bachelor of Science and want to switch to another state university for the Master’s: Because the degrees at the H:G are on an equal footing with the state degrees Universities and the bachelor's degree are theoretically recognized at every university, but in practice the admission of a graduate always depends on the number of study places that are awarded for a master's degree, as Chancellor Haarbusch explains:

“It is more likely that Bachelor graduates from state universities who do not get a place in the Master’s courses will switch to us. In contrast to state universities, we are likely to be able to give all of our Bachelor graduates access to the Master’s course that meet the qualification requirements. ”

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