Courses & research | Positive Clinical Psychology & Technology

During your Master’s in Psychology, you will collect a total of 60 EC within one year. The curriculum of the specialisation in Positive Clinical Psychology & Technology (PCPT) consists of five compulsory courses, an internship, and a master’s thesis.

European Credit Transfer System

Student workload at Dutch universities is expressed in EC, also named ECTS (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System), which is widely used throughout the European Union. In the Netherlands, each credit represents 28 hours of work.

Structure

Positive Clinical Psychology & Technology
Specialisation courses Compulsory for the specialisation in PCPT	27 EC	Positive Clinical Psychology Compassionate Technology Positive Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Advanced Research Methods for Positive Clinical Psychology & Technology Personal Reflection & Development
Clinical internship 19 EC Research-practice internship 10 EC	19 EC (or 10 EC)	In your second and final semester, you will go on an internship (either clinical internship 19 EC or research-practice internship 10 EC)
Master's thesis 14 EC (in combination with clinical internship) Master's thesis 23 EC (in combination with research-practice internship)	14 EC (or 23 EC)	You will finish your Master’s in Psychology with your master’s thesis 14 EC or master's thesis 23 EC. The choice of your graduation subject is largely up to you. If you incorporate the internship of 10 EC, your master's thesis will be worth 23 EC instead of 14 EC.
Total EC	60 EC

Or plan an online meet-up with a student and gain first-hand experience!

In order to gain practical experience, you will go on an internship in the last semester of your studies. It is a great way to familiarise yourself with the work field and practise professional skills (e.g. consultation, evaluation, intake interviews, reporting, therapeutic techniques, and working in teams.) Moreover, it is an excellent opportunity to increase your network!
There are many options open to you when it comes to your internship. The majority of students opt for a clinical internship, in which they learn to apply in practice what they have learned within this specialisation and develop their diagnostic and treatment skills as well as professional attitudes. We offer you a range of interesting clinical internships, for example as a psychologist in a mental health care organisation, psychiatric hospital, addiction institute, revalidation institute, a care home for the elderly, or an organisation for people with an intellectual disability.
If you are not planning on becoming a psychologist within mental healthcare, you can also choose to do a research-oriented internship in which you carry out a study that is often related to research projects within the University of Twente (UT), or at organisations that UT collaborates with, for example with mental health institutes, hospitals or centres of expertise.
Please note that, whereas the possibility for a non-clinical internship, internally at the UT in English language, can be guaranteed, we want you to be aware that the possibilities for doing a clinical internship in English language are very limited in the Netherlands. We will do our best to help you find a suitable place, however, we cannot guarantee this option will work out. If you prefer doing a clinical internship over a non-clinical internship, you might consider doing it in your home country with guidance from the UT. However, the internship still has to fulfil the UT criteria. It is your responsibility to check whether that is the case.
You will complete your Master’s in Psychology by writing a master’s thesis. The choice of your topic is largely up to you: you can connect with ongoing research in areas such as well-being and human flourishing, psychopathology and recovery, personalisation of care, eHealth, or mental health in the digital age.
Possible examples of master’s thesis topics include:
Effectiveness of mindfulness-based techniques, such as body scans, for improving sleep quality in people with insomnia
The relationship between binge-watching and mental health outcomes, such as depression or addictive behaviours
Using text messages to support psychological therapy: improving treatment adherence and reducing waiting times
Evaluating digital interventions for mental health and well-being
Exploring coping strategies and resilience in individuals facing psychological challenges
These topics illustrate the wide range of applied and research-oriented questions you can explore in your thesis, combining psychological theory with practical relevance in healthcare and everyday life.

Career Perspectives