Psychology

Psychology scientifically explores and explains human behavior and experience. It makes use of experimental and statistical methodologies, which it combines with modern observation, questioning and measurement procedures. Given its strong orientation toward the natural sciences, psychology gives high priority to empirical research methods and work techniques. As a result, those who complete the classical psychology course of study are awarded a Bachelor of Science degree. At the University of Bonn, however, psychology can also be studied as a minor within a Bachelor of Arts degree program at the Faculty of Arts.

Students who minor in psychology learn the classic fundamental and application disciplines of scientific psychology. General psychology explores perception processes, information processing, the underlying conditions of emotions and motivation; it is also concerned with learning theories and models. Biopsychology investigates the mutual influences of mental and bodily processes. Differential psychology formulates characteristics that differentiate individuals from each other, while social psychology views humans as part of a social structure and examines, for example, the origin of stereotypes. Developmental psychology, encompassing all of the above subfields, examines changes in mental characteristics and functions over entire lifetimes. Psychology’s diverse and numerous application areas, including clinical, educational and legal psychology as well as industrial, work and organizational psychology, are all based on insights from the aforementioned basic subfields.

This subject must be combined with a second subject.

Possible lines of work:

Private economy/administration (personnel selection and development, corporate consulting, career and academic counseling, market research, etc.), academia (teaching/research an universities, research institutions, etc.) 

Job options strongly depend on a graduate’s chosen major.