Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin - Faculty of Life Sciences - Department of Psychology

1 General information on the application

General and subject-specific admission requirements are regulated in the "Fächerübergreifenden Satzung zur Regelung von Zulassung, Studium und Prüfung der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (ZSP-HU)".

If you have general questions about the application process (i.e. not specific to psychology), these information pages are the best place to start: 

• Information on applications in Master's programs

• How to apply?

• If you have obtained your university entrance qualification or a university degree abroad (i.e., not in Germany), it is essential that you find out about the formalities and application procedure in advance of your application.

• If this information has not answered your questions, please contact the Compass Hotline.

2 Psychology-specific information on the application

2.a) The self-assignment form

The self-assignment form is available in the online application portals. A distinction is made between two application tracks. Which of the two tracks you have to choose depends on which admission qualification you base your application on:

1. Apply directly via the online application portal of Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin or
2. Application via the preliminary examination centre uni-assist e.V.

The admission requirements (Zugangsvoraussetzungen) check whether you will be included in the selection process at all. The selection criteria (Auswahlkriterien) are then about your place in the ranking of all applications.

For the admission requirements and selection criteria, only achievements that you have entered in the respective self-assignment form will be taken into account. It is also necessary that the achievements can be seen from the enclosed documents (e.g. transcript of records, module description). If the titles of the modules or courses are not clear, you should enclose detailed descriptions, e.g., from the study and examination regulations, the module handbook, the Syllabuses (see Annex 1.1.6 of the ZSP-HU). Please add cross-references to the corresponding descriptions on the self-assignments so that we can quickly check the module content. Humboldt-Universität is not obliged to procure the corresponding descriptions itself.

You can also enter complete modules (instead of individual courses) if all achievements within this module can be assigned to an area of knowledge.

• Example: You can enter a module "Psychological Methodology I" directly (including semester hours per week and ECTS credits) under "1. Special knowledge in Psychological Methodology (Psychologische Methodenlehre I)" without listing each individual course.

You can assign different ECTS credits from one module to two different areas if they can be assigned to two different areas in terms of content.

• Example: As part of a "Clinical, Rehabilitation and Neuropsychology" module, you have completed a lecture entitled "Selected Neuropsychological Disorders". You can enter this lecture under "5: Specialisation in General, Biological, Cognitive Psychology and Neuropsychology (Vertiefungsschwerpunkt Allgemeine, Biologische, Kognitive Psychologie und Neuropsychologie)" and all other ECTS of the module under "3. Special knowledge in Clinical Psychology (Klinische Psychologie)".

• ECTS credits that fall on final examinations for the entire module are allocated proportionately to the other ECTS credits.

2.b) What is conditionally taken into account?

Ambiguous titles of courses (modules)

It is possible that the titles of your courses (modules) differ from those required here, but the content is the same. Specify the course (module) in the relevant section and refer to a module description that must be included with your application. The description of the course in the module description must clearly indicate that the content belongs to the assigned area.

IMPORTANT: If no module descriptions are enclosed for ambiguous course titles, the course cannot be considered.

• Example: An "Experimental Psychology" module can be taken into account under "5: Specialisation in General, Biological, Cognitive Psychology and Neuropsychology (Vertiefungsschwerpunkt Allgemeine, Biologische, Kognitive Psychologie und Neuropsychologie)" if it is clear from the attached description (see Annex 1.1.6 of the ZSP-HU) that it essentially deals with general, biological and neuro-psychology.

For the admission requirements (Zugangsvoraussetzungen), these courses (modules) can be taken into account if you have completed them as part of your first and currently still outstanding professional qualification. In this case, admission or enrolment can only be granted provisionally and assumes that you will complete the coursework as stated in your self-assignment and can provide proof of this by the end of the semester following the semester of application at the latest (§ 37 ZSP-HU). Add a footnote to these courses and explain in it when you will acquire the certificate of achievement.

Please note that these courses can only be taken into account for the admission requirements (Zugangsvoraussetzungen) as part of the extended admission requirements (Erweiterte Zugangsvoraussetzungen). The ECTS credits that you must provide as part of the general admission requirements that apply to all subjects and the ECTS credits that you report as part of the selection procedure (Auswahlverfahren) must already be available at the time of application (see § 16 (1) and (2) ZSP-HU).

Achievements from other universities or other degree programmes at your university

Achievements outside the curriculum of your degree programme can also be taken into account, even if you did not acquire them as part of your first professionally qualifying university degree. Prerequisites are

1. proof of content equivalence with one of the areas of knowledge (in case of ambiguity by means of a description that clearly shows the content reference, see Annex 1.1.6 of the ZSP-HU)

2. that the ECTS credits have already been obtained at the time of application.

2.c) What is generally not taken into account for "special knowledge (Spezielle Kenntnisse)"?

• Internal (empirical) internships if the planning and implementation of specific research is practised there (e.g. observation internship, experimental internship, data collection internship). Exception: The internship deals exclusively with diagnostics (e.g. "Diagnostics internship").
• Professional internships
• Bachelor's theses
• Project studies
• Subject (study participation) hours
• General introductions to psychology (Only specific introductions to a sub-subject are taken into account, e.g. "Introduction to Biological Psychology". An "Introduction to Empirical Psychology" is also too unspecific to be clearly assigned to an area of knowledge).
• Health psychology (exception: a specialisation in the assigned field of knowledge, e.g. clinical psychology or social psychology, is clearly stated in the description, see Annex 1.1.6 of the ZSP-HU)

Courses are only considered in full or rejected in full. Even if an area of knowledge was covered in a few hours of a course, no individual ECTS credits will be recognised for it.

• Example: Courses such as "Clinical Psychology" or "Developmental Psychology" are not taken into account for "Special knowledge in psychological diagnostics and/or test theory (Spezielle Kenntnisse in Psychologischer Diagnostik und/oder Testtheorie)", even if diagnostic content is also taught there.

Exception: If half of a course is dedicated to an area of knowledge, half of the ECTS can be taken into account.

• Example: 50% of "Diagnostics and Intervention" can be taken into account for "Specialised knowledge in psychological diagnostics and/or test theory".

2.d) Special knowledge 1 (methods)

• Introductions or exercises in scientific work (Einführungen oder Übungen zum wissenschaftlichen Arbeiten) are taken into account.
• Test theory is not taken into account because it belongs to Special Knowledge 2 (Psychological Diagnostics and/or Test Theory).

2.e) Special knowledge 6: Specialisation in personality, developmental, educational and social psychology

• At least one seminar or exercise/tutorial must be proven. Lectures alone are not sufficient. If seminar participation is not evident from the transcript of records, an enclosed description (see Annex 1.1.6 of the ZSP-HU) must prove that you have worked independently on a defined subject area and have presented and critically discussed the knowledge gained in the form of an individual contribution (e.g. a presentation).