UiT The Arctic University of Norway
Master in Psychology
Tromsø, Norway
Master degree
DURATION
2 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
15 Apr 2026*
EARLIEST START DATE
Aug 2026
TUITION FEES
NOK 100,500 / per year **
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* For EU/EEA and Swiss applicants | Nordic applicants: 15 April | Non-EU/EEA applicants: 15 November for admission autumn 2027.
** for non-EU/EEA students
Fast-track counseling
By contacting the school, you'll get access to free priority counselling for any study and application questions.
Key Summary
Do you want to contribute to the development of the psychology subject and / or become a skilled user of psychology in working life? Then the master's program is for you. The master's program is aimed at students with a completed Bachelor's degree in psychology or equivalent who want a further education in the subject. The entire study has a clear focus on research and goes more in depth on the subject's traditions, innovation, methods and use of analytical tools, in order to carry out and disseminate independent research work. The study is based on both basic and applied research within the competence areas of the department's portfolio (eg biological psychology, cognitive psychology, social psychology).
The study environment stands out by being small and active where the opportunities for students and supervisors are arranged for close and good collaboration. The academic environment also persists after the study period. Graduated students are invited back to the department every year. Together, the graduates are updated on what is happening at the program and the master's students learn from the work experiences of their predecessors.
The department also has a Student Research Programme in Psychology, offering a unique opportunity to motivated psychology students to spend an additional year within the program that is exclusively dedicated to a specific research topic. The aim of the Student Research Programme is to train students in conducting research, which can serve as basis for continuation to a PhD fellowship. Training within the Student Research Programme will be accepted as part of a PhD programme at the Faculty. Therefore, a completed Student Research Programme in Psychology can shorten PhD fellowships by up to two years.
Program description
- Duration: 2 years
- Credits (ECTS): 120
- Admission requirements: Bachelor's degree in Psychology.
- Admission capacity: 20 places.
- Degree Name: Master in Psychology
The master's program is based on three main parts that are designed to help students develop professionally (via courses and the master's thesis), vocationally (via vocational teaching and work requirements related to the courses Psy-3000 and Psy-3900) and career-wise.
The program consists of a master's thesis (50 ECTS) and courses (70 ECTS).The masters thesis forms the core of the program and is supplemented by three mandatory courses in the first semester and four elective courses across the following semesters.
Program structure
Teaching and asessment
The teaching is given in the form of lectures, seminars, tutorials and lab activities / fieldwork with continuous evaluation.
Each individual course is assessed on the basis of separate exams. The individual course plan defines what kind of assessment is applicable.
The exam can be, for example, a written exam, home exam, master's thesis.In addition to the exam, a course may also contain mandatory work requirements.
The individual course description defines the content of the work requirements. Examples of mandatory course requirements are compulsory attendance at classes and lab sessions, written work and group work. Some classes are mandatory, either in terms of attendance or particular course requirements.
There is an orientation week at the beginning of the program and attendance is compulsory.
Access to further studies
Exchange
There will be opportunities to fit one semester (30 ECTS) of study abroad into the master's degree program by appointment. It is recommended that the stay abroad be added to the second or third semester of the study program.
Learning Outcomes
In psychology, we study human and animal behavior and experiences and seek to explain these scientifically. Psychology covers a wide range of topics; examples are the neurochemistry of a single cell, people’s thoughts and consciousness, the theory of decision making in organizations, and the development of cultures and civilizations. The field of psychology is therefore continually evolving and includes interesting interdisciplinary approaches.
In the Department of Psychology, we use basic and applied research, particularly within the fields of expertise of our staff, to produce competent researchers with good communication skills and knowledge of how to make further progress in the fields represented by the Department.
The masters program thus builds on the broad foundation of the bachelors degree by delving more deeply into traditions, new ideas, methods and analytical tools in psychology, paving the way for students to conduct and communicate independent research.
This presupposes that students master basic skills in information retrieval, reading and interpretation of scientific literature, and understanding of simple research designs and statistical methods, and are also able to present sound arguments in writing using relevant conventions (such as the APA format) and communicate scientific knowledge in writing, orally and visually. Students must be able to work independently, under supervision and in collaboration with others.
Upon completion of the masters degree in psychology, students are expected to be ambassadors for the field of psychology, pursue interesting questions in the field with professional and personal integrity, and communicate results to both professionals and the general public. Students are expected to have a collegial attitude towards the Department, fellow students and others working in the field, and think and act strategically in relation to their career development.
Job Prospectives
There are good job prospects after graduation. The masters degree qualifies students for PhD programs and other research in psychology. The program prepares students for jobs in research, consultancy, preventive health care, teaching and other jobs where information literacy, critical thinking, communication skills and the ability to work independently are important qualifications. The program is relevant to a variety of jobs in public administration, public health care and education, as well as in the private sector. The masters degree qualifies graduates for teaching positions in upper secondary school if supplemented with the one-year practical teacher education program. The teacher education program at UiT requires students to have 60 ECTS in a field other than psychology, such as science, social science, a foreign language, etc.