Wish to follow the Master's in Psychology? You might need to follow a Pre-Master's first.
After you have sent in your application for the Master's in Psychology, a committee will check your eligibility. An outcome of this assessment may be that you first have to complete a pre-master's before being admitted.
Please note: to qualify for the (Pre-)Master's in Psychology, you have to meet certain conditions. Find out if you meet the admission requirements.
What is a Pre-Master's?
A pre-master's is a transfer programme for students of a Dutch university of applied sciences ('hbo' in Dutch) or an (international) research university who cannot be admitted directly to the master's they wish to follow. The goal is to bridge the gap between your current bachelor's (in a related field) and your future master's. Learn more about pre-master's in general.
The Pre-Master's for Psychology is taught entirely in English. The costs of the Pre-Master's depends on the amount of EC of your programme. You pay a fee per EC, and, depending on your previous education, the Pre-Master's programme for Psychology can range from 10-45 EC, with 45 EC being standard for HBO students. Each academic year, the amount per EC will be reassessed. Visit the tuition page for the current fees.
A small-scale event about transferring from hbo to university
What applies to you?
Do you want to get insights into the Pre-Master's? The programme you need to take depends on your previous or current education. What kind of education do or did you follow?
University of applied sciences (Dutch HBO) As a bachelor's student from a Dutch university of applied sciences (HBO), it is mandatory to follow a pre-master's first to prepare you for this Master's. For Dutch HBO students, the Pre-Master's consists of a generic academic part (30 EC), a module that prepares for a specific specialisation (15 EC) and a written test based on self-study.
Generic academic part (30 EC) You will start your Pre-Master's with the generic part of the programme. This consists of courses in methods, statistics, research and design as well as an orientation to the Psychology disciplines. Besides the courses mentioned below, you have to complete a component on Psychological Ethics individually. The generic component is offered twice a year, in both September and February:
Research Methodology | 5 | Inferential Statistics | 5 |
Introduction to Psychology | 5 | Design Methodology for Psychology | 5 |
Academic Writing | 5 | Pre-Master Research Practical | 5 |
Total EC | 15 |
| 15 |
Before starting with your next module, you have to complete a written test during the summer (holiday). For this test, you have to gather knowledge in one of the basic disciplines of psychology, which is relevant to the specialisation you've chosen. Some students will gather knowledge in the field of social psychology, for instance, while others will study the field of cognitive psychology. After successful completion of the test, you can continue with the third and last part of the Pre-Master's.
Specialisation module (15 EC) The final part of your Pre-Master's prepares you for the specialisation you've chosen (and been admitted into). You will follow a (full-time) module (15 EC) of the Bachelor's in Psychology at the University of Twente. This part is only offered once a year, in the first semester. When the module will start exactly, depends on which specialisation you've chosen.
Schedule
Please note that the following sequence of components is obligatory:
| Year 1 |
| Year 2 |
| Semester 1
September - February | Semester 2
February - June | Summer
July - August | Semester 1
September - February |
Start September | Generic part 30 EC | | Written test | Module 15 EC |
Start February | | Generic part 30 EC | Written test | Module 15 EC |
Study load
The Pre-Master's is a full-time programme of 45 EC. It involves courses on three or four days per week and two to eight hours of classes on any given day. Evening or weekend courses are not offered.
You can choose to follow the generic part of the Pre-Master's (30 EC) during your bachelor's, as a transfer minor. In that case, you only need to complete the written test and the specialisation module before being able to start with the Master's.
During or after your HBO bachelor's
You have the option to follow part of the Pre-Master's during your current bachelor's within a transfer minor. You can incorporate the generic, academic part of 30 EC within your minor space. This way, you only need to complete the written test and the specialisation module after completing your bachelor's, before being able to start the Master's in Psychology.
It's an option worth considering as it saves you time and money: after all, you have already paid tuition fees for your bachelor's. A second option is to first get your bachelor's degree and then transfer to this Master's via the Pre-Master's.
Please note that the application procedure is different when you plan on following part of the Pre-Master's as a transfer minor. Read more about the application procedure (choose a specialisation first).
Dutch research university As a bachelor's student at UT or another Dutch research university, you might be admitted into the Master's in Psychology under the condition that you complete a Pre-Master's first. This might be the case when your bachelor's is in a (slightly) different field of study than the Master's in Psychology.
Contents and study load of the Pre-Master's
What the Pre-Master's looks like, depends on your previous education and will not be the same for everyone. Pre-Master's for university students range between 10-45 EC.
During or after your bachelor's
If you have a minor space in your current bachelor's, you have the option to follow (part of) the Pre-Master's during your bachelor's as a so-called transfer minor. Depending on your previous education, the Pre-Master's programme ranges from 10-45 EC and depending on the size of your minor space, you can for example incorporate 30 EC. It's an option worth considering as it saves you time and money: after all, you have already paid tuition fees for your bachelor's. A second option is to first get your bachelor's degree and then transfer to this Master's via the Pre-Master's.
If you're interested in following part of the Pre-Master's as a transfer minor during your bachelor's, contact the study adviser.
As an international university student, you might be admitted into the Master's in Psychology under the condition that you complete a Pre-Master's first.
CONTENTS AND STUDY LOAD OF THE PRE-MASTER'S
What the Pre-Master's looks like, depends on your previous education and will not be the same for everyone. Pre-Master's for international students range between 10-30 EC.
What is expected of you?
The Pre-Master's is designed not only to address any deficiencies in your prior knowledge, but it is also an effective way to find out whether studying at a research university is right for you. Therefore, several rules apply. In practice, almost all motivated students manage to complete the programme within the given time.
Brush up your English and Mathematics
If you are graduating from a university of applied sciences, we advise you only to sign up for the Pre-)Master’s in Psychology if you are among the top students in your programme (with an average grade of 7.0 or higher). We furthermore recommend you to brush up your English and Mathematics/Statistics skills before you start the pre-master’s programme. Additional courses can be found at Babel en Boswell Bèta or Open Universiteit or at Saxion for Saxion-students. Above all, it is important that you are motivated to gain deeper knowledge and to learn to think scientifically.
Within the Pre-Master's, a Binding Recommendation ('Bindend Studieadvies' in Dutch) is applicable. This means that if you get a negative Binding Recommendation, you cannot continue with the (Pre-)Master's and you will not be able to start over again. The Binding Recommendation is based on several requirements, including the following ones:
- You must have obtained at least 20 EC of the Pre-Master's within one semester.
- You must have completed the generic academic part of the Pre-Master's (30 EC) within the first year.
- There is a maximum of one resit per course to pass an exam or assignment.
- The preparation module for the specialisation should be successfully completed on the first attempt.
During the introduction period of the Pre-Master's, all requirements will be explained to you in more detail.
How to apply and deadlines
If you find out you need to take a pre-master's, you have to sign up for the master's of your choice first. Before starting the application procedure you should always check the application deadlines.
Contact
For questions about your admission to this Pre-Master's, contact the study adviser (studieadviseur-mps@utwente.nl). For general information about the Master's in Psychology, you can contact our Study Information Centre.
