Psychology

The three-year Bachelor programme in Psychology allows students to acquire knowledge in all foundational areas of psychology and in its scientific methodology. The programme is the first step in preparation to pursue a career in psychology. It also offers knowledge of psychology to those who wish to apply it in other professions, including business, or to those who consider a career in academia.

The outcome of pursuing the degree is an active mastery of skills and knowledge, theoretical as well as practically applicable, that allows graduates to: a) continue to study for a Master’s degree, b) use their knowledge and skills in practice - eg. in civil service, social care, diplomacy, non-profit organizations, foundations, the media, human resources, education and publishing, public relations, security forces, and management.

The content of the programme is focused on the core theoretical disciplines of psychology (cognitive psychology, the psychology of emotions and motivation, social psychology, developmental psychology, personality and individual differences, psychological research methodology, psychometrics, etc.). The programme also aims for the graduates to acquire a skillset of practical psychological knowledge (research, communication, and cooperation skills). Emphasis is placed not only on the graduates attaining foundational psychological knowledge, but, above all, on developing a critical reasoning approach to psychological theories in the context of contemporary theoretical and empirical findings and on developing a sense of responsibility for the knowledge base of psychology and the state of psychology as a discipline.

The curriculum is constructed in such a way so that students (a) gain knowledge of the core areas of psychology, (b) attain proficiency in scientific methodology sufficient to carry out a research project in psychology, (c) be able to orient themselves in the growing body of psychological literature and to evaluate it critically, (d) gain skills for applying psychology to the aforementioned areas of professional life.

Thanks to the close personal link between the Department of Psychology and the Institute for Research on Children, Youth, and Family, the students are in contact with contemporary scientific issues and have the opportunity to participate in ongoing research projects, which improves their competitiveness on the job market and in applying for a Master’s degree not only in the Czech Republic but also abroad.

After successfully completing his/her studies the graduate is able to:

• understand the theories and concepts of both core and applied psychological disciplines and of selected related disciplines
• use their knowledge of theories and empirical findings to explain psychological phenomena
• apply the knowledge of core and applied psychological disciplines to everyday life and to use it to solve problems
• use their academic skills - the gathering and selection of relevant information, reading scientific literature, academic writing
• when evaluating psychological theories and empirical findings, reason critically, that is approach information in a critical manner, identify flaws in evidence, argumentation, and conclusions, judge the limitations of the evidence at hand
• have the core skills important in working with others
• understand, reflect upon, and apply the ethical rules in research and in working with people
• design and carry out a research project answering specific research questions using the knowledge and skills gained from studying statistics, psychometrics, and the methodology of psychological research
• competently administer, individually or in a group, research and assessment measures, and tests in a research context; to use their psychological knowledge about the factors that influence the validity of data to evaluate their findings
• to integrate the knowledge the the basic subfields of psychology and apply it in health-care contexts (clinical psychology, individual and group counselling), educational contexts and organisational and work context

The graduates of the Bachelor programme in psychology are fully prepared to continue to study for a Master’s degree in psychology and to enter the job market. For graduates, the outcomes of their studies are basic psychological competence that can be used in working with people, even though this degree does not qualify one to become a professional psychologist. On the job market, a Bachelor degree in psychology is an advantage in competitiveness in many areas. The most common career path for graduates is to continue their studies in a Master’s degree programme. Upon seeking employment or starting a business, the outcome of the graduate’s studies is that they are capable to combine their knowledge and skills in psychology with the requirements of their respective employment or business. Typically, the areas covered include social care, charitable organizations and foundations, the prison system, civil service, HR and consulting, PR and advertising, management, and others. When considering a career in either education or health care, students ought to keep in mind that it is a legal requirement that they have both the single-major Bachelor degree as well as Master’s degree in psychology. Majoring in psychology can be recommended to students interested in HR and management, in combination with other study programmes focusing on economics, social work, etc. The minor in psychology is only targeted at students who consider it to be of value to gain a basic education in psychology without wanting to pursue psychology as a career path.

The Bachelor programme in psychology does not include any practical training. Given that the focus of the programme is on careers in healthcare, pedagogical and psychological consulting, and in HR, practical training is included in the Master’s degree programme.

By writing a Bachelor thesis, the student proves the skill of working with psychological theories, identifying them and applying them to a specific problem, the ability to research the relevant scientific literature and to orient themselves in it, to use the skill of academic writing to produce a clearly written and convincing presentation of the resulting theoretical framing the problem in question. Furthermore, the student thus proves that they have the skill of applying their knowledge of the methodology of psychological research to formulate hypotheses and to design their research that aims at testing them. Working on the thesis includes carrying out of the research plan and analyzing the data gathered. In addition to the knowledge of psychology, this requires statistical and analytical skills as well. The topics of Bachelor theses cover the questions of primary research in cognitive, developmental, and social psychology, in the psychology of emotions, motivation, and personality, and in psychometrics. Students can also choose from the areas of the psychology of child-rearing and education, personnel psychology, the psychology of the internet, and so on. The topics offered are in line with the research interests of individual supervisors and reflect current research projects conducted by the Department and by the Institute for Research on Children, Youth, and Family in which students can participate by way of working on specific topics or tasks. In some cases, this collaboration leads to publishing the study in question in a scientific journal. Bachelor theses are supervised by the Department staff, by the researchers of the Institute, and to a lesser degree, by external experts. Upon consent from the supervisor and the Head of the Department, PhD students can also supervise Bachelor theses.

Instructions concerning State Final Examinations and Bachelor/Master’s theses are regulated by the FSS Regulation No. 5/2024 State Final Examinations, Final Theses and their Defences.

Graduates of the Bachelor degree programme in Psychology can continue to study for a Master’s degree in Psychology upon meeting the conditions of admission.