Are you ready for the many challenges of studying behaviour, awareness and the brain? Then this study will suit you, for psychology pervades all forms of human activity.
As a psychologist you deal with human behaviour and development in many fields, including psychological treatment, education, work place, sports, environment, traffic, health, media, and more. In clinical professions, for example, you are concerned with the treatment of people with emotional or behavioural disorders or supporting patients with neurological deficits. Developmental issues are central to clinical work as well, since origins of maladaptive behaviour often lie in early childhood.
In our bachelor programme:
In English-language Bachelor of Psychology all courses are taught in English. If you have sufficient proficiency in Dutch, it is also possible to take elective courses that are offered exclusively in Dutch. In the Dutch-language Bachelor Psychologie all mandatory courses are taught in Dutch. The elective courses in the third year can be taught in either Dutch or English.
You can take the Bachelor of Psychology also in Dutch. The content of both programmes is the same. However, there may be slight differences in the elective courses offered.
The first year courses will introduce you to
The teaching of skills takes place in small groups under the guidance of a teacher/mentor and focuses on:
Semesters | ||||
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CoursesCourse Catalog > | 1a | 1b | 2a | 2b |
Developmental psychology | ||||
Introduction to psychological theories and research methods | ||||
Statistics I A | ||||
Academic skills | ||||
A practical introduction to research methods | ||||
Biopsychology | ||||
Personality and individual differences | ||||
Statistics I B | ||||
Social and cross-cultural psychology | ||||
Dialogue and group skills | ||||
Cognitive psychology | ||||
History of psychology |
The classes are subdivided in various professional areas of psychologists:
Statistics, test theory, and research methodology are taught and in a practical form. You will be taught in small groups how to set up, describe, analyse and present a simple research project. Administering tests and the handling of diagnostics are highlighted during the practicals on professional skills.
Semesters | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
CoursesCourse Catalog > | 1a | 1b | 2a | 2b |
Clinical psychology | ||||
Testtheory | ||||
Communication and diagnostic skills | ||||
Statistics II | ||||
Clinical neuropsychology | ||||
Psychology in the workplace | ||||
Application of psychological theories in practice | ||||
Research methods: theory and ethics | ||||
Research practicum | ||||
Statistics III | ||||
Working with Psychology | ||||
Theory of Science |
The first two years are the same for everyone and they have a broad orientation. You can now compose your courses to prepare optimally for on of the specializations of our master programmes. You can choose from many other courses within the field of psychology or from a different context, even at foreign universities.
Important in this year is the bachelor thesis: an academic report about your own research project executed in a small group and supervised by a staff member. During the writing of the thesis you can combine the knowledge that you have gained during your studies with statistical, diagnostic and methodological skills.
Semesters | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
CoursesCourse Catalog > | 1a | 1b | 2a | 2b |
Cognitive Psychology | ||||
Controversies in Psychology | ||||
Deception in clinical settings | ||||
Experimental skills | ||||
Group dynamics | ||||
Introduction to Clinical Neuropsychology | ||||
Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods | ||||
Psychopatholog symp. classif. and diagn. | ||||
Sport and performance psychology | ||||
The social psychology of communication | ||||
Traffic psychology and sustained mobility | ||||
Well-being at work | ||||
Teaching skills | ||||
Bachelorthese | ||||
Independent Societal Project | ||||
Literature study | ||||
Teaching and Mentoring in Psychology | ||||
Consumer and economic psychology | ||||
Human error | ||||
Interventions in individual development | ||||
Introduction to cognitive behavioural therapies | ||||
Mass psychology | ||||
Neuropsychology of Ageing and Dementia | ||||
Organizational development and change | ||||
Perception | ||||
Philosophy of Psychology | ||||
Social influence | ||||
Statistical solutions to research problems in psychology | ||||
Understanding Psychopathology | ||||
Capita Selecta Forensic Psychology | ||||
Clinical Neuropsychology | ||||
Cognition and Attention | ||||
Cognitive behavioural processes across disorders: A transdiagnostic approach | ||||
Conflict management | ||||
Intergroup relations | ||||
Programming for psychologists | ||||
School Neuropsychology: Mind, Brain & Education | ||||
Social cognition and affect | ||||
Dynamic skills in groups | ||||
Brain, Consciousness and Society | ||||
Capita Selecta Human Sexology | ||||
Cognitive neuroscience | ||||
Developmental Neuropsychology | ||||
Diagnosis and assessment | ||||
Interpersonal relations | ||||
Personnel Psychology |
Programme options |
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University of Groningen Honours College (track) The Honours College gives talented, motivated students the opportunity to challenge themselves even more by offering an extra programme. For the Bachelor programme 30 ECTS extra. The programme is followed in addition to the regular Bachelor's degree programme. |
The programme offers the possibility to do a minor at a foreign university.
There are additional requirements for students with a hbo-propedeuse. For more informatie see https://www.rug.nl/gmw/hbo-propedeuse
Specific requirements | More information |
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previous education |
Applicants transferring from a Psychology bachelor's program from another Dutch university, follow the same application and enrollment steps as other candidates, including selection. After full enrollment, you can request exemptions through the Examination Board. Note: Apply by 15 January 2025, via Studielink as a first-year student. |
knowledge minimum |
All Dutch students are obliged to have mathematics in their secondary education. This is essential for several topics, and most evident for Statistics, which occupies a large place in the Bachelor's degree. |
other admission requirements |
Selection procedure
|
This programme has a numerus fixus with a maximum of 600 attendees a year.
Type of student | Deadline | Start course |
---|---|---|
Dutch students | 15 January 2025 | 01 September 2025 |
EU/EEA students | 15 January 2025 | 01 September 2025 |
non-EU/EEA students | 15 January 2025 | 01 September 2025 |
Specific requirements | More information |
---|---|
previous education |
If you hold an EU secondary school diploma comparable to a Dutch vwo-diploma you are admissible. You can find out what the entry requirements are here: https://www.rug.nl/education/application-enrolment-tuition-fees/admission/procedures/non-dutch-qualification/bachelor-non-dutch-qualification A rule-of-thumb for students holding an EU-diploma (no rights may be derived from this): If your diploma gives admittance to academic universities in the country of origin of your diploma, then it also gives admittance to universities in the Netherlands. |
knowledge minimum |
All Dutch students are obliged to have mathematics in their secondary education. This is essential for several topics, and most evident for Statistics, which occupies a large place in the Bachelor's degree. It is strongly recommended that you have taken mathematics throughout your high school career. |
language test |
Non-native English speakers must provide evidence of satisfactory results for one of the standard tests. For an overview, please see https://www.rug.nl/gmw/bachelors/psychology/bachelor-psychology-english |
other admission requirements |
Selection procedure
|
This programme has a numerus fixus with a maximum of 600 attendees a year.
Type of student | Deadline | Start course |
---|---|---|
Dutch students | 15 January 2025 | 01 September 2025 |
EU/EEA students | 15 January 2025 | 01 September 2025 |
non-EU/EEA students | 15 January 2025 | 01 September 2025 |
Nationality | Year | Fee | Programme form |
---|---|---|---|
EU/EEA | 2024-2025 | € 2530 | full-time |
non-EU/EEA | 2024-2025 | € 13100 | full-time |
Practical information for:
With the Bachelor's degree in Psychology, you are well prepared
for a subsequent study in Psychology. Have you already thought
about a specific master? Then take a good look at the (additional)
requirements. For some tracks of our own Master's in Psychology additional conditions
may apply on top of the Bachelor's degree in Psychology. At the
bottom of this page, you find other master's programmes that are in
line with the Bachelor's degree in Psychology.
NB In the course of time the offer of
masters/tracks may change. At the moment there are only a limited
number of places in the Master's programme in Psychology.
Career services BSS
Where do you want to work after your studies? You can contact Career Services already during your studies.
They will help you orientate on your career, develop your skills,
apply for jobs and find an internship.
Psychologists get into jobs where thorough knowledge of human possibilities and constraints is important. For instance a job in mental health care. You should think of assistance or therapy. Psychologists can also work in business or in organizations. For example, they are used to recruit new staff, in coaching or training. Finally, it is possible to find yourself in research institutes or universities.
Psychological research at this university is done at the Heymans Institute, called after the founding father of psychology in the Netherlands. The versatility of its research, ranging from fundamental to very practical, manifests itself in the seven research programmes of the institute. Quite a few staff members, whom you may have met as a teacher already, participate in these programmes.
Researchers within Psychology
To help you orientate on psychological research, this site periodically highlights three researchers from different subfields of psychology. We hope these web pages present interesting information and may inspire you to gather some ideas for a topic for a master thesis.
Projecten van prof.dr.
M.M. (Monicque) Lorist
Projecten van prof.dr.
T.T. (Tom) Postmes
Projecten van dr. B.D.
(Brian) Ostafin
Staff and students write in a personal capacity about psychological research and education in Groningen, and express their opinions on current affairs based on their expertise. Here you can get a good idea of research conducted in the expertise fields based on current topics.
Mindwise blogs written by members of the expertise
fields:
Experimental
Psychology
|
Organizational
Psychology
|
Environmental
Psychology
|
Social
Psychology
|
Clinical
Psychology and Experimental
Psychopathology
|
Theory and
History of Psychology
|
Developmental
Psychology
|
Psychometrics and
Statistics
|
Clinical
Neuropsychology
There are so many things waiting to be discovered and so many questions to be answered. A truly fascinating field to study!
My name is Anthony Pinakoulakis, I am 21 years old and I come from Crete, a wonderful island located in Southern Greece. Moreover, I am a second-year Psychology student at the University of Groningen.
Why did you choose the University of Groningen?
Groningen is an ideal student city, as it offers everything that an
international student can ask for. It has a large student
population; therefore, you can find all kinds of activities. At the
same time, however, the city is small and cosy enough to feel part
of it. Furthermore, the university has a great reputation,
especially in Psychology, where it consistently ranks within the
top 50 programmes in the world.
Why did you choose Psychology?
I am fascinated by the human mind, the brain and human behaviour.
In fact, we know so much, yet so little about these topics. Why do
we dream? How can we improve memory? What does it mean to be
self-actualized? There are so many questions that still have to be
answered. The field of Psychology is like a fertile crop that has
not yet been harvested. There are so many things waiting to be
discovered and so many questions to be answered. A truly
fascinating field to study!
What skills do you acquire as a student at the University of
Groningen?
Over the course of my studies at the University of Groningen, an
essential skill that I have developed is time management. Because
the Dutch system focuses less on lectures and more on self-study,
students are responsible for creating their own study schedule and
sticking to it. In addition, my communication skills have also
improved. The university’s culture has played an important
role in that, through exposing me to an environment that includes
people from a variety of different cultures and backgrounds. Being
able to meet with other people and socialize will definitely be a
useful skill in the future.
What are your plans after graduation?
Forensic Psychology is my favourite field within the discipline;
therefore, I would like to study it on a Master’s level.
Furthermore, I want to gain some experience through internships and
volunteer work. My long term goal is to join an international law
enforcement agency like Interpol and work on the departments of
crimes against children or counter-terrorism.
My advice to those considering studying in
Groningen.
To summarize, Groningen is an excellent place study. As a city, it
is large enough to have many things going on and small enough to
feel part of it. It has approximately 60,000 students and an
excellent academic institution. If you choose to study here, you
will probably not regret it. Just make sure you bring along a warm
coat, as you will certainly need it!
This university is the ideal place to study. You get to learn so much not just academically but also different cultures and interacting with your peers.
My name is Mariam Ali and I am 33 years old originally from Lahore, one of the larger cities of Pakistan. I am a third-year Psychology bachelor student.
For me, serious interest in studying Psychology developed from one of my recent jobs in Dubai. I was working for the recruitment department where I came to know about the different applications of Psychology to different fields such as HR, recruitment etc.
What goes on in the human mind has always fascinated me. Psychology is a study of mind and human behavior. Mind is a powerful concept which entails feelings, thoughts, awareness, reasoning etc. All these processes are very essential to us humans and exploring the difference between mind and brain and how these processes work for different people interests me the most. Being a psychology student, I have learnt how psychologists throughout the world strive hard to empirically prove and test their theories. This is what makes Psychology the science of human mind and behavior.
I finally chose the University of Groningen as I found out that it is one of the best-ranked universities, especially in the department of Psychology. After coming to Groningen, I fell in love with the city due to such a diverse culture and full of young and vibrant people who are open to people from very different cultures like myself. Another thing that I love about the city is the amazing biking culture which I quickly got used to and biking is also one of my favorite past times now.
I already had a very good idea about the University of Groningen as it is a known fact that dutch universities are very well organized and equipped with the best facilities for the students. When I started my studies I realized that the students are encouraged to do a lot of self-studying and work independently. There is a great mix between having to attend lectures with hundreds of students together and also working in small groups like our weekly practicals with a student mentor which is where I got an opportunity to make many friends.
My advice to those who are still thinking about studying at the University of Groningen is that this university is the ideal place to study. You get to learn so much not just academically but also different cultures and interacting with your peers, colleagues etc. The studies are designed to make you a true professional right from the start and lets you explore your capabilities.
As a little kid I was already interested in moral reasoning.
My name is Janis Mjartans. I am currently 22 years old and I just finished my bachelor's in Psychology. I was born in Prague and grew up in a multicultural environment - that was probably one of the reasons I felt at home in Groningen, which is a diverse city.
Anything associated with us humans is related to psychology, making it a relevant topic nowadays. Especially with the rise of advanced technology, it is crucial to understand how our minds work, so we can use and develop these systems efficiently. As a little kid, I was already interested in moral reasoning, for example how we decide whether it's better to lie in a certain situation. All these processes of how we decide what is good or bad for ourselves, the environment, and others is a network of several psychological disciplines. In the end, psychology is everywhere. That’s why I decided to study Psychology, as I could then go into any other field after my studies.
Next to that, the city and the high ranking of the programme were big factors in choosing to study Psychology in Groningen. As I grew up in a big city, Groningen was a good compromise between living in a familiar environment and a smaller city. I also knew some students who really liked the programme because of all the different disciplines it includes. This would allow me to find out what I actually like.
One course I enjoyed was ‘Working with Psychology’. The course combined learning about different job directions in Psychology together with practical exercises such as group work and presentations. For example, we designed a new Nestor environment and explored how we could implement different features. At the end, we presented our plan and gave the reasons for our design and interface.
For students who consider studying Psychology in Groningen, I would advise taking part in as many activities as possible. I really enjoyed the Diesweek introduction event which was organized by the Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences at the start of the programme. During this event, you can meet people and make new friends within your programme. In addition, I joined the Erasmus Student Network (ESN), which allowed me to connect with people from other study programmes and different faculties.
If you consider to study this programme my advice would be to believe in yourself and go for it.
My name is Luisa and I am 21 years old. I’m from Germany and moved to Groningen in September last year. I’ve always been interested in people. When I was a teenager I was told that I was a good listener and I tried to help my friends by giving them advice. When it really came to choosing a study programme I knew that I wanted to study Psychology.
One of the courses I am currently following is Dialogue and group skills. For this course we are supposed to gain communication skills in two-way conversations and in groups. For example we did a role play where one of the students was the interviewer and one the client. We learned how to use body language and to lead the conversation, what to do and not to do. It was so much fun!
Another course I am following is Social Psychology. In this course we learn how to view ourselves and we learn about the importance of social comparison. I think this is really interesting because it is something you always can relate to in real-life. Back in the days there has been done a lot of research on this topic. It is nice that you still can gain knowledge for example from an article in 1980 about people falling in love.
Before applying in Germany I considered studying the programme in the Netherlands. I thought it would be quite appealing to study the programme in English and thought going away from home would help me grow as a person. I also considered Enschede, Amsterdam and Utrecht but eventually decided to go to Groningen. When I first came here I just loved the city and heard good things about the university. I’m still very happy with my choice. Next to my studies I am also a member of the study association VIP. This is great because it allows you to meet new people already in the first week of the programme.
If you consider to study this programme my advice would be to believe in yourself and go for it. There are so many people who don’t get into the programme and might think it is too hard because of statistics. Personally I was never very good at these topics in school, but in Groningen you get good guidance. I remember I was very uncertain about applying and now I know it is the best thing I've ever done.
Psychology ties in nicely with the concept of the Teaching Unit; you put it to good use anywhere.
I work both at the Teaching Unit of the Psychology department and for the Educational Institute of our faculty (“Onderwijsinstituut”). This means that I teach a selection of basic course units for the Bachelor's programme in psychology, both in English and Dutch, and that I support and advise colleagues throughout the faculty, as well as designing and improving educational policy for the faculty..
Statistics is the means that is used to help many different fields draw conclusions.
I teach on the Bachelor's programme in Psychology and the Research Master's programme in Behavioural and Social Sciences. I teach the course units Statistics and Statistical Solutions to Problems in Psychology, which are English-taught.
Just like so many other students, I started taking Statistics thinking that it was simply a compulsory hurdle I had to pass. As my studies progressed, however, I started to find it more and more fun. I discovered that statistics isn’t some abstract idea confined to the lecture hall but something you can use in daily life. One example is board games. While playing Risk I wondered how many armies I needed to defend myself properly. Thanks to first-year Statistics I realized that I could use statistics to work out what the optimum number was! I was using it not only for knowledge but in my everyday life.
What are my research passions? My field actually acts as a kind of umbrella science – statistics is the means that is used to help many different fields draw conclusions. It is very important that it is done properly and I always try to make that clear to students. I think I succeed in the main – there are always fanatical students who want to continue in statistics.
In the Psychology degree programme, Statistics is used for the social case studies we work with. In principle you can use statistics for just about everything, it’s simply the method you use that varies. Psychology is incredibly broad. You can research many different topics. For example, I have researched ‘speedy decision-making’ – how do people make decisions under time pressure? Psychology can be used to deal with many different themes, but when it comes down to it it’s all about ourselves.
Compared with other psychology degrees in the Netherlands, the Groningen programme is very research-oriented. This means that students get a relatively broad training in statistics. The biggest advantage of this is that if your ambitions lie in academia, you’re in the right place.
You will be offered study advice after the first year of study. You can expect a positive result if you have earned more than 45 ECTS credit points (out of a total of 60 ECTS). If you have earned fewer than 45 ECTS and are issued a negative result, you will not be allowed to continue with your degree programme.
You will receive preliminary study advice in December to make sure that you know where you stand. Please contact your study advisor as soon as possible if you have any questions about the BSA system. N.B. Some degree programmes use a tutoring system; please check with your study advisor.
In the psychology programme, there is a strong focus on study advice. Study advisors are available for both the Dutch-taught and English-taught programmes.
You can contact them as a prospective student, current student, or former student of programmes within the Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences.