M.Sc. Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy

In the examination regulations you will find all regulations concerning your studies. These include examination deadlines, the number of possible examination repetitions, registration of the Master's thesis, etc.

It can be found on the central pages of the university under Psychology. If you know the examination regulations, you can answer many questions yourself.

You can find all information about examinations here.

Examination Regulations 

In the module handbook you will find all information on the contents and forms of examination of the individual courses and modules.

The study structure provides you with an overview of your studies – so that you can plan better.

As part of your master’s program, you complete two placements totaling 600 hours during professional qualification activity III (BQT III, Module CI), in accordance with the Licensing Regulations for Psychotherapists (PsychThApprO). Of these, 150 hours are spent in outpatient care and 450 hours in inpatient or day-patient settings. During the inpatient or day-patient part of BQT III, you are required to take part in university-provided supervision, in which you reflect on your placement with a qualified therapist. BQT III enables you to gain in-depth practical experience and application-oriented skills in psychotherapeutic care.

In both placements, students are supervised by psychotherapists who have completed specialist training, or by psychological psychotherapists or child and adolescent psychotherapists with the relevant specialist qualification (Fachkunde).

You can find more information on the BQT III page.

The internship regulations can be found on the university’s central website under Psychology.

Supervision and Topic

In preparation for your master’s thesis, working on ongoing research projects is an important part of your studies. As soon as you know in which area you would like to write your master’s thesis, please contact a suitable faculty member to agree on a topic and the procedure. You can approach any chair that teaches in psychology. The topic can only be assigned by an approved examiner in psychology at the University of Mannheim (= first examiner/first reviewer). 

First and Second Examiners

The following are eligible as first examiners:

• university professors (usually the professors or chair holders)
• adjunct professors (außerplanmäßige Professor*innen)
• private lecturers (Privatdozent*innen)

at the University of Mannheim who teach courses in psychology.

Your master’s thesis is assessed by the examiner who assigned the topic and by a second examiner. The second examiner/second reviewer is appointed by the Examination Board (Section 16(3) of the examination regulations). In addition to the groups listed above, the following may also act as second examiners:

• examiners from other subjects of the School or from other Schools of the University of Mannheim
• academic staff with a doctorate who teach in psychology
• with the approval of the Examination Board: professors from another university (= external supervisor and second examiner)

An additional external person may supervise your thesis. You may also write your master’s thesis at an external institution. Both require approval from the Office of the Examination Boards (ZPA), and this approval must be obtained before you register your thesis.

Registration

To register your master’s thesis and have it approved, submit an application (DOCX, 46 kB) (DOCX) to your examiner. Your master’s thesis is officially registered and approved once the examiner who assigned the topic has signed the application. Please make sure that the names of all examiners are clearly legible and you have also signed the application. Please send the completed application to your administrator at the Student Services Office (Studienbüro).

Completion Period 

You have 6 months to complete your master’s thesis. Your examiner will note the exact submission deadline on the application. For good cause, you may apply once to the Examination Committee for an extension of the submission deadline of up to two months.

Submission

Submit one copy of your master’s thesis no later than the submission deadline, either electronically as a PDF file or in printed form. Please check with your examiners which form they prefer. Your master’s thesis can be published in the University Library and thus made available to other students. Submitting a printed copy for the University Library is voluntary. If you choose to do so, please attach a signed consent form for publication (DOCX). You can submit it together with your thesis or directly at one of the library locations.

You can apply for admission to the licensing examination in your final semester of your master’s program at the earliest, or after you have completed your degree. The examination always takes place twice a year: in September (registration deadline: May 10) and in March (registration deadline: December 10).

Contrary to a common misconception, the licensing examination is therefore not part of your studies. The licensing examination in psychotherapy, also called the state psychotherapy examination (staatliche Psychotherapeutische Prüfung), is taken before the State Examination Office for Health Professions (Landesprüfungsamt für Gesundheitsberufe) at the Regional Council of Stuttgart (Regierungspräsidium Stuttgart). It consists of an application-oriented parcours examination and an oral-practical case examination. The dates are set by the Regional Council of Stuttgart and communicated to candidates with their invitation to the examination.

The Regional Council of Stuttgart provides comprehensive information on the licensing examination on its website. There you will also find all documents and application forms for admission to the state examination in their current versions. Please note that only the Regional Council of Stuttgart can provide binding information on the licensing examination.

If you completed a bachelor’s program in psychology that is not recognized under professional law, you must submit an application to the Regional Council of Stuttgart (Regierungspräsidium Stuttgart) to have the equivalence of your degree officially confirmed. Only then can you be admitted to the licensing examination. You can find more information here:

You can spend time abroad during the Master’s program in Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy. However, this requires early and thorough consultation with the program management and internship management teams. Here you can already find some helpful information:

The office of the examination committee of the Faculty of Social Sciences and the Faculty of Humanities (ZPA) is responsible for processing the procedures of the examination board. As a student, please contact the ZPA to apply for an extension of the deadline (e.g. maximum study time, processing time of your master thesis).