Career prospects
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Psychology
Within this Master’s programme you can choose between 11 tracks. Read more about the different tracks of the Master’s in Psychology.
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Health Care Psychology
This Master's degree in Health Care is for you if you want to specialise in clinical psychology at the UvA. If you're considering further studies like the post-master's degree in GZ psychology (health care psychologist) or other post master programmes such as the post-master's degree in psychotherapy, this programme is a great fit. It offers 4 different tracks to choose from.
Please note: The 4 Master tracks in healthcare psychology are only offered in Dutch. In the Netherlands, post-graduate training is required to become a registered health care psychologist ‘Gezondheidszorgpsycholoog’ or registered Clinical Psychologist ‘Klinisch Psycholoog’. These post-graduate programmes are also only offered in Dutch. At other Dutch universities English taught clinical master programmes are offered.
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Research Master Psychology
In the Psychology Research Master’s , you dive even deeper into the psychological topics that interest you most. You learn to think critically and scientifically, developing the knowledge and skills needed to conduct high-quality psychological research. This two-years master’s programme is taught in English.
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Other UvA Master's programmes
Would you like to pursue another master's degree (within or outside the UvA) after your bachelor's in Psychology? Ensure that your bachelor's degree meets the admission requirements of that programme. Some master's programmes you can start immediately, while others may require:
- Completing a pre-master’s programme first
- Having a specific bachelor's degree for admission
Where do psychologists work?
With a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, you can enter the labour market. However, many positions often require a completed master's degree.
If you have a degree in Psychology, you can pursue many different roles across a wide range of sectors.
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Organisational advice/ consultancy
- Consultant
- Organisational adviser
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Research
- Researcher at a university
- Researcher at various other research institutes, such as NIPO, TNO, the Kohnstamm Institute, Helen Dowling Institute, Rathenau Institute, Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research (Nivel), Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement (NSCR), etc.
- Researcher in the private sector, for example at an advertising agency, a market research firm, Philips, Unilever, etc.
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Training and coaching
- Trainer at training institutes such as De Baak, Schouten & Nelissen, etc., in areas such as personal effectiveness, leadership, performance appraisals, etc.
- Social skills trainer
- Team-building trainer
- Coach
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Mental health care
- Practitioner (therapist) in outpatient or inpatient care, working individually or with groups: children, adolescents, adults, older people, individuals with acquired brain injury, addiction care, etc.
- Psychodiagnostician
- Mental health practitioner in general practice (e.g. GP practice nurse for mental health)
- Clinical psychologist in a hospital
- Researcher
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Education
- Educational psychologist
- Dyslexia specialist
- Performance anxiety coach
- Social skills trainer
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Marketing / advertising
- Marketing specialist
- Strategist
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Corporate sector
- Occupational psychologist (recruitment and selection)
- Coach
- Consultant
- Researcher
- Trainer
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Government (national, local, etc.)
- Policy officer / policy adviser
- Researcher
- Occupational psychologist (recruitment and selection)
- Consultant
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Do you always become a psychologist, or can you work in business?
Are you thinking of a psychologist as a therapist? Then no.
First of all, to become a therapist, you must choose a clinical specialisation within the bachelor’s programme. Then, you must do a specific master’s programme in the clinical field. At UvA, that’s our master’s programme in Health Care Psychology (taught in Dutch). After a clinical master’s, you must do a two-years post-master’s programme to be allowed to work independently as a therapist in the Netherlands (also only Dutch taught).
Second, many graduates work in other areas, such as HR, policy, education, communication, research, coaching, marketing, or data. The bachelor’s degree gives you a broad foundation. Do you want to work in business after your bachelor’s programme in Psychology? That is possible, but depends on the kind of career you want in business. Do you want to be a recruiter? Then the specialisation Work & Organisational Psychology within the bachelor and a master’s in that subfield would be a good choice. Do you want to be data-analist? Then specialising in Behavioural Data Science within our master’s in Psychology would suit you. There are so many jobs in business, it’s impossible to tell for all of Psychology is the best suited bachelor.
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How do I become a psychologist, and which track suits clinical work?
Are you thinking of a psychologist as a therapist? Please note most psychology students do not become therapist. After your bachelor’s degree, you will not be a therapist. If you want to work as a psychologist in a clinical setting in the Netherlands, you will need to do a clinical specialisation in your bachelor’s. Then, you will need a specific master’s programme in the clinical field. At UvA, that’s our master’s programme in Health Care Psychology (taught in Dutch). After a clinical master’s, you must do a two-years post-master’s programme to be allowed to work independently as a therapist in the Netherlands (also only Dutch taught).
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Which Bachelor's specialisation suits students who want to do research?
Psychological Methods and Brain & Cognition are a good match if you want to do a research Master’s or work in academia.