Groningen, Netherlands
DURATION
2 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline
EARLIEST START DATE
01 Sep 2025
TUITION FEES
EUR 20,800 / per year
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
Key Summary
Introduction
This double degree master's integrative approach toward two expert fields equips you to better address today's grand, sustainability challenges from a psychologist's perspective.
The programme, exceptional in Europe and beyond, is offered by Leuphana University, renowned in the field of sustainability science and the University of Groningen, leading in the field of environmental psychology.
In general, the combined programme covers 1) human perception and behaviour related to sustainable development, and 2) the interplay between humans and their natural and built environments.
Specifically, the double degree addresses social, economic, and environmental issues in the transition towards sustainability and focuses on psychological processes such as problem-solving, decision-making, self-regulation, social identification, attitude change, or conflict resolution and their impacts on present and future generations’ quality of life.
Why study this programme in Groningen?
This Double Degree Master (Leuphana University & University of Groningen):
- is a unique master that directly addresses the grand, pressing societal challenge of climate change for which specialists are needed;
- trains you to be that specialist able to address those pressing environmental and sustainability issues on multiple levels (individuals, organisations, policy, governance, etc.);
- offers joint supervision from supervisors with different backgrounds, joint lectures and active debates covering different disciplines related to climate change and sustainability;
- allows you to work on real-life problems in multiple courses and master thesis research;
- allows you to explore the existing networks of the Leuphana and Groningen groups for internship possibilities;
- provides you with more possibilities for interdisciplinary collaboration (which is critical for addressing sustainability problems!);
- will prepare you better for the global labour market, both in and outside academia.
Curriculum
Year 1
By introducing core theories and models, the programme links topics from the field of psychology to the field of sustainability science. Inter- and transdisciplinary work with a focus on theoretical propositions, methodological tools, and practical implications will characterise the programme in the second semester. Thereby, the second semester aims at broadening your psychological perspective on the inter-and transdisciplinary characteristics of sustainability science.
Courses
- Complementary Studies 1
- Introduction to Psychology and Sustainability
- Psychology and the Community: Diagnosis of time and Sustainability
- Psychology and the Individual: Self-Regulation and Sustainability
- Psychology and the Society: Political negotiations and Sustainability
- Research methods: Multivariate Approaches
- Complimentary Studies 2
- Research Methods: Interdisciplinary Approaches
- Selected Topics in Psychology
- Sustainability Psychology: Research & Application
- Transdisciplinary Research Project
Year 2
Upon the third semester, you will transfer from Leuphana University to the University of Groningen, to expand your methodological knowledge and zoom into the unique interplay between humans and their environment.
From the offered courses (see below), you take at least two foundation courses, up to two election courses, one methodology course upon choice, and one skills course. Besides the courses, throughout the year you work on your master thesis in combination with a traineeship, under the supervision of a staff member from both Leuphana University and the University of Groningen.
Courses
- Advanced Research Methods in Social and Organizational Psychology (recommended, methodology course)
- Environmental Psychology (foundation course)
- Repeated Measures (methodology course)
- Master Thesis and Internship
- Designing Interventions (recommended, skills course)
- Personal, Social and Cultural Change (skills course)
- Selected Topics in Environmental Psychology (foundation course)
- Test Construction (methodology course)
- Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Sustainability (foundation course)
Programme options
- Leuphana University - 1st year: Psychology & Sustainability (profile)
- University of Groningen - 2nd year: Environmental Psychology (profile)
Study abroad
- Study abroad is required
Career Opportunities
Job prospects
Facing tremendous transformation challenges on the societal, economic, or ecological level such as climate change, digitalisation, globalisation, or social mobilisation not only national governments, but also business companies, political organisations, public services, or educational institutions progressively deal with leverage points to foster sustainable development in their respective field of practice.
Although sustainability traditionally has been addressed from a top-down perspective such as the development of measures on the level of political, economic, or technical systems (system-to-individual perspective), the implementation of measures towards sustainable development inevitably needs to take the individual stakeholders and actors within these systems into consideration (individual-to-system perspective).
With its specific focus on the psychological processes of the individual, this Master's programme provides you with sound theoretical knowledge, embracive methodological skills, and impactful practical tools on how to analyse, describe, change, and predict sustainability-related cognitions, emotions, and motivations. Thus, graduates of the master's programme are highly trained in dealing with one of the most fundamental leverage points of sustainable development: the individual person as an active constituent in the process of transformation towards sustainability.
Job examples
- Scientific consultancy for environmental or sustainability policies
- Scientific positions in research and education in sustainability sciences and/or psychology
- Policy Advisor
- Behavioural expert in environmental and energy organisations(such as grid operators, energy providers and water companies)
- Environmental policy-making(e.g. at the national or municipality level)
- Environmental communication and education(for example at MilieuCentraal)
- Advertisement agencies, market research, media, press and public work