The Research Master’s programme is firmly embedded in the Psychology Research Institute (PsyRes) at the University of Amsterdam, which is one of the top psychology research institutes globally. With 16 members ranked among the top 2% of scientists worldwide, it is a leader in the field.  

For more details on the researchers and topics of these programmes, visit the Psychology Research Institute or learn more about our research staff. You can also explore the FMG Research Lab for an overview of high-quality technical research facilities like the 3T MRI scanner, EEG, eye tracking, and TMS.  

For your major and minor, you can choose two out of six disciplines from PsyRes:  

• Clinical Psychology 
• Developmental Psychology 
• Methodology and Statistics 
• Brain and Cognition 
• Social Psychology 
• Work and Organizational Psychology 

You will take specialised courses in both of your chosen disciplines: three courses in your major, two in your minor, and one elective.    

All courses are very up to date with the latest research, and taught in small, informal, and interactive groups. 

The programme starts with courses on Good Research Practices, Statistics 1 and Programming in Psychological Science. After that, you’ll choose advanced courses in research methods and statistics focusing on the latest practices in psychology, based on your interests and relevance for your research project and specialisations. 

The programme includes two research projects: a research internship and a Master’s thesis, both supervised by a senior staff member. At least one of the projects must be an empirical study. 

In your first year, you’ll complete a research internship, working closely with your supervisor. This includes creating a research proposal and writing a final report.  

In your second year, you’ll work on your Master’s thesis more independently. Your thesis focuses on your chosen major field and should be written in the form of a publishable journal article. 

Most students complete their internship and thesis at PsyRes, either within the institute, or externally with a PsyRes supervisor guiding them throughout. You can also choose to conduct a research project abroad. With PsyRes's strong international connections, the study adviser and international office are available to provide support and guidance in organising your project. 

The research internship can be conducted either in the field of the chosen major or minor. The thesis has to be conducted in the field of the chosen major.

Students may carry out one of the two research projects abroad. Staff members of the Psychology Research Institute have extensive international networks and the study adviser and the department’s international office can give information and advice on how to organize this.

The researchers and the topics of the six programmes can be found below at the Psychology Research Institute. An overview of the high-quality technical research facilities (3T MRI scanner, EEG, eye tracking and TMS) can be found on the behavioural science labs website.

Psychology Research Institute

FMG Research Lab

Health Care Requirement (GZ) / BAPD route 

Do you speak Dutch and aim to do research in a clinical setting, conduct clinical treatment research in psychology, and qualify for a post-Master program for Health Care Psychologists (GZ-opleiding)? If so, the clinical route offers you an excellent opportunity. In this track, you can replace two specialised courses with two from the GZ Master's and switch your research internship for a practical internship in mental health care (GGZ).  

This allows you to earn the same qualifications as a GZ Master's graduate while gaining a deeper understanding of how to approach research in treatments and diagnostics. It’s a great option if you are looking to enhance your clinical research skills or work as a healthcare psychologist. 

Please note that: 

• Proficiency in Dutch is a requirement for this route.  
• You must meet the admission requirements of both the Research Master’s and the GZ Master’s programme. 

Cognitive AI track ADDegroot 

Over the past decade, artificial intelligence (AI) has advanced rapidly. By comparing human behaviour with AI and other computational models, we can gain valuable insights into the processes that drive our actions. These models can also be linked to brain activity, deepening our understanding of behaviour. 

This track is well-suited for students that want to understand human behavior using state of the art computational models. It prepares you for behavioural and neuroscience research using techniques and skills from AI and experimental psychology. 

Please find more information on these tracks in the course catalogue.