Curriculum master

Curriculum

The curriculum of our master consists out of four compulsory specialization courses, one elective course, an internship and a master’s thesis. The courses emphasize both knowledge transfer and skill development. In your master’s thesis project you can choose a specific theme to further specialize in. Your internship, whether with one of our partners from practice or within our own department, allows you to further develop your skills and gain work experience in the field of conflict, risk and safety.

Graduate on master PCRS

I can highly recommend this unique specialization in psychology. It is a perfect start for a career in the risk and safety field, but also in the broader field of social psychology.

Graduate on master PCRS

All of the master's courses were innovative, challenging, and entertaining. In addition, the topics we saw were related to contemporary issues, allowing us to engage with current events and what we saw during the sessions. They also complemented each other very well, so what we discussed in one course could serve as input to debate in another.

Graduate on master PCRS

All the teachers of the master are very knowledgeable and passionate about their field of expertise. I experienced the teachers to be open and very interested in discussions. They were always reachable and their level of English was good. The mentor of my internship and thesis was very helpful, kind and delivered constructive feedback.

Graduate on master PCRS

I knew I liked social psychology and criminology and as it turned out, the UT had the perfect combination for that. It was a big step to move from Amsterdam to Enschede, but it was totally worth it!

Graduate on master PCRS

The international mix of students and the fact that it was an English Master program was a big reason for me to decide for the PCRS programme.

Overview mandatory courses

Group Dynamics and Interventions

In the course Group Dynamics and Interventions you will learn how to recognize a diverse spectrum of intra- and intergroup processes—such as (sub)group formation, power relations, group conflict, and their consequences for wellbeing of group members, productivity, decision making and creativity—and will you be able to use this knowledge to design and execute concrete interventions. Apart from obtaining theoretical knowledge about group dynamic processes, the focus of the course is to apply this knowledge in practice and create group dynamic- and intervention skills. The basis for learning these skills is the learning model of experiential learning introduced by David Kolb (1984).

Teacher on course "Group Dynamics and Interventions"

Studying groups entails understanding their mechanisms. Therefore, this course is not only about theoretical implications on group’s functioning. You are also invited to experience theoretical concepts first-handed, and challenged to apply scientific insights for the use of e.g. managing a conflict or improving a group’s performance.

Graduate on master and "Group Dynamics and Interventions" course

What appealed to me most about the master is its practical focus and small-scale setting. In every course, theory is linked to current events and in ‘Group Dynamics and Interventions’ it is all about experiencing the subject matter yourself through assignments and group-exercises. 

Advanced Research Methods for Conflict, Risk and Safety

In this course students get acquainted with (a) current best (and questionable) research practices in the social sciences, (b) doing field research in critical settings and (c) acquire skills to use advanced research methods and technology in the domain of Conflict, Risk and Safety. These practices and skills are aimed at facilitating and informing students’ upcoming master thesis research and are relevant for prospective positions after graduation.

Teacher on course "Advanced Research Methods"

During the Advanced Research Methods course, you learn about what it entails to write and interpret numerous studies within psychology. More specifically, you will be able to judge the quality of studies, perform small experiments with advanced research methods (e.g., eye-tracking) and you will learn how to communicate with non-scientists.

Psychology and Crime

In the Psychology and Crime course the focus lies with understanding the social psychological aspects of crime and police-civilian interactions. For example, we explore how psychological insights can contribute to effective police interviewing with suspects and witnesses, and how the police can determine if suspects are lying to them. We also consider why people commit (cyber)crimes in the first place, and how we can use psychological research to support the rehabilitation of offenders.

Teacher on course "Psychology and Crime"

Psychology and Crime explores the reasons why people engage in unlawful behaviour and how we can use psychology to help rehabilitate offenders. The course also examines how psychology can be used to improve the ways crimes are investigated, in particular to improve the quality of interviews with witnesses and suspects, and how the police can better interact with people in crisis.

Graduate on course "Psychology and Crime"

My favorite subject was Psychology and Crime. I was really enthusiastic about everything we learned and put a lot of extra hours into the subject, inspired by the tasks we were assigned that were challenging and the knowledgeable and experienced teacher. I learned about topics I had never heard before and I was educated about issues I had not thought about a lot.

Psychology of Sustainability

This course helps students interested in contributing to a sustainable society to gain the insights needed that are crucial in the development of impactful technological, social, or policy interventions. It will explain, for instance, why citizens often respond in unanticipated ways to interventions, and provide the theoretical groundwork for more effective interventions, leading to lasting behaviour change.

Overview elective courses

Next to the mandatory courses, students are free to choose from one of the elective courses. As such, it is possible to specialize even more on preferred topics. The following courses are available:

• Learning and Instruction: learn about the background, design and effectiveness of learning materials
• Design of Persuasive Health Technology: learn how to design engaging technology for real health problems in a multidisciplinary team
• User Psychology: learn about classic and recent topics in Human-Computer Interaction
• Behaviour & Technology: learn about explaining behaviour and changing behaviour using technology

Internship

By doing an internship, students will have the great opportunity to explore to explore an organisation or company within the field of conflict, risk and safety and to gain relevant work experience at the same time. On our internship page, there is an overview of all the offered internships both within the PCRS section as well as externally at organisations and companies that we collaborate with.

Master's thesis

The master's thesis is a helpful tool for demonstrating your ability to perform psychological research, as well as specializing in a topic that matches your interests and future ambitions. On our thesis page, there is an overview of all the currently offered assignments within the PCRS section. New topics are often added, and it is also possible to develop your own research ideas in collaboration with our researchers. To get more insight on possible topics there is an overview of theses that have been written in the past.