Applied psychology studies

Do you want to understand the behavior and experience of people, but want to apply this knowledge in practical situations? Do you not only want to get to know the state of research, but want to develop specific fields of application? Then choose the Applied Psychology course! With us you will learn everything about course content, requirements and course as well as career opportunities and salary prospects!

In today’s society, the demands on each individual are becoming increasingly complex and difficult. Many people are unable to cope with this external pressure and so psychological disorders arise from stress and strain. Talking about mental illness is no longer a taboo. Burnout or anxiety disorders are known to many people.

Psychological aspects also play an increasingly important role in pedagogy or sociology. Developments are questioned and influenced by personality analyzes. In business, advertising or the media, the advantages of psychological actions also have a significant impact and are used for employee selection or customer acquisition. The subject of psychology is therefore omnipresent in our everyday life and in the professional world.

Appropriate psychological skills are in greater demand than ever in various industries. Whether in health care, law or business – with an applied psychology degree you will find accommodation in every area. You combine psychological foundations and scientifically sound specialist knowledge with specific fields of application. After completing your degree, you can put your psychological knowledge directly into practice and work in a specific field (e.g. business, media or health).

In the following you will find out everything you need to know about the course content, requirements, duration and course and we will provide you with an insight into the career prospects and your salary opportunities.

All information about applied psychology studies

Course contents

Applied psychology studies combines the classic psychological basic subjects (General psychology, personality psychology, social psychology) and the typical methodology (Psychological methodology, evaluation, diagnostics) with special application subjects. You will receive extensive training both on a psychological level and in the application-oriented spectrum.

Depending on the university, the application-oriented priorities have already been defined. There are universities that specialize in applied psychology in the areas of industrial and organizational psychology or business psychology. At other universities, the fields of application are from health psychology or sports psychology.

If you already have a specific application in mind before you start your studies, always ask the university whether there is any focus on applied psychology studies.

In general, Applied Psychology combines psychological foundations with fields of application. For this reason, you may encounter the following course content:

And depending on the university, these fields of application:

Work and organizational psychology
Business Psychology
Health Psychology
Sports Psychology
Clinical psychology and psychotherapy
Marketing and consumer psychology
educational Psychology

A little hint: Always make sure that the course is recognized by the Professional Association of German Psychologists. This enables you to qualify as a therapist later.

Special features in the master:

The master’s degree in Applied Psychology is usually very research-oriented and is based on the application of empirical-scientific methodology. You go deeper into the topic. Again, you have an application-oriented focus on which to study.

Suitable universities for applied psychology

Bachelor full time & dual

master & MBA full time & dual

universities

Non-academic advanced training in applied psychology

providers

requirements

If you choose to study academically, there are always various formal requirements that you have to meet in order to be admitted to the course by the respective university. On the one hand, a distinction is made between the criteria of state universities and private colleges and, on the other hand, between bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

Bachelor

For a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Psychology you definitely have to have a university entrance qualification, this means:

General university entrance qualification (Abitur) or
Subject-specific higher education entrance qualification or technical college entrance qualification or
Equally recognized foreign school leaving certificate or
Professional qualification (study without Abitur)

Depending on the university, there is also a Studies without a high school diploma possible in the field of applied psychology. To do this, however, you must have certain professional qualifications or qualifications. You can always find out exactly what these are and whether studying without a high school diploma is also an option at the university of your choice on the providers’ websites.

Depending on the university, the following conditions may apply:

Vorpraktikum

Some universities expect an internship in the healthcare sector to last at least one month.

fitness test

At some universities, you have to take an aptitude test in advance of your application.

Own procedure

Private universities have their own selection process with a letter of motivation and a selection interview.

master

First university degree (Bachelor or an equivalent recognized degree with at least 180 ECTS points) in psychology or a course with a psychological science focus
Minimum grade of the first degree from "Good" or better
successful participation in aptitude test

personal requirements

It is an advantage for every course of study if you have some personal requirements. These help you to master your studies better and to complete them successfully. In the field of psychology, it is primarily about social skills in dealing with strangers. The following characteristics are therefore very helpful in the Applied Psychology course:

empathy
empathy
load-bearing capacity
communication skills
Analytical skills
Mathematical understanding
Enjoy working with people
Solution-oriented mindset
Social skills

Duration and course

Bachelor

duration: 6 to 7 semesters of standard study time
Graduation: Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.)
Focus: mostly in the field of application subjects individually selectable during the course of the course
Internship: mostly yes, depending on the university
Semester Abroad: often, depending on the university

master

duration: 4 semesters of regular study time
Graduation: Master of Science (M.Sc.)
Focus: mostly in the field of application subjects individually selectable during the course of the course
Internship: mostly yes, depending on the university
Semester Abroad: often, depending on the university

study forms

At most universities that offer an Applied Psychology degree, the Degree as a full-time model designed. This means that you go to college during the day and have free time in the evening and at the weekend. You can then use it for a student side job, your family or your hobby.

However, there are also some universities that consider the course Part-time studies have on offer. This type of study is particularly suitable for prospective students who are already in the middle of their professional lives, but who want to further qualify psychologically and with an academic degree.

You have the following two options to choose from:

The course and duration of the part-time course can always differ slightly.

Did you know that .

… you tend to vote for the first term on a list? Most people remember the first words (primacy effect) and the last words (recency effect) best, but hardly any in the middle.

… there is a so-called watch gene that differentiates early risers and late risers "programmed"? It is genetically determined whether we are more active during the day or at night.

… an adult brain weighs on average between 1,200 and 1,400 grams?

Career after studying applied psychology

An academic degree in Applied Psychology will prepare you very well in psychology. Depending on the university, you can start a career as a psychotherapist with a master’s degree and the appropriate postgraduate psychology training or look around in an application-oriented manner.

Here, however, you usually choose a specific professional direction by choosing a focus in your studies. For example, some universities have sports psychology as an application-oriented specialization, so you will very likely also work as a sports psychologist after your studies. Of course, this application-oriented focus is not so binding that you could not change your direction again after graduation. You are equipped with a wide range of psychological expertise and can implement this in an application-oriented manner, there are many doors open to you.

Are accordingly diverse the fields of work and application, you can go to:

Psychological counseling
organizational consulting
Development of work processes and good working conditions
Psychological diagnostics
Personnel selection and advice
coaching
market research
Advertising and marketing

You can in the following industries work:

Health care (clinics, medical practices)
Educational, youth and family counseling
Management consultancy
consultancy
human Resource management
Coaching and training
Market and opinion research

salary

Unfortunately, it is difficult to make binding statements on the subject of salary, because with a degree in Applied Psychology, there are numerous paths open to you after your studies, all of which allow a different income. Therefore, there is no concrete salary with which you can definitely plan in advance.

There are also several factors that affect your salary. This primarily includes the industry in which you work. Especially in the field of applied psychology, there are many fields of work open to you, so the salary can vary accordingly. In the human resources department of a company in the private sector, payments are usually better than in a health institution. In addition to the industry, the size of the company or your employer also play a role and your degree. You can expect a higher starting salary with a master than with a bachelor’s degree.

As a rule, as a graduate of applied psychology, you can work with a Starting salary between 2,300 and 3,500 euros gross per month expected. However, note: The salary can vary from employer to employer and is determined individually by the respective company. You can find out more about specific salaries in a personal interview.

In our large salary section, we still tried to research some salary examples for you. These give you at least an insight into income in psychology.

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