Master in Psychology

This Master's course at the ULB is split into four different specialisations, which confer the qualification of psychologist and also offers a diploma in specialised training geared towards a specific career objective.

• The specialisation in Neuropsychology and Cognitive Development meets the growing demand from hospitals and other health care institutions for psychologists who are specialised in clinical neuropsychology. One of its aims is to provide future psychologists with a high degree of theoretical and practical training based on the latest techniques for prevention, diagnosis and the treatment of conditions affecting cognitive functions (memory, concentration, language, numerical cognition, gnosis, praxis, etc.) as a result of brain damage or developmental and learning difficulties in children and adults.

• Students choosing Clinical Psychology and Psychopathology acquire in-depth theoretical and practical knowledge of the diverse evolving fields of clinical psychology. They receive training in concepts of developmental psychology, arrested development and psychopathology, in addition to learning about prevention and treatment options for individuals and groups. This specialisation trains them for the specific yet complex nature of clinical contacts, including ethical requirements and necessary professional standards and demonstrates the need for pluriparadigmatic cooperation with the closely related disciplines of clinical sociology, anthropology, pedagogy, social psychology, etc. As clinical psychologists, successful course graduates will be able to carry out clinical sessions with patients, use diagnostic tests and cooperate with a range of relevant institutional partners.

• The specialisation in Social and Intercultural Psychology focuses on developing the necessary skills for psychosocial treatment in a variety of complex social situations, such as hospitals, workplaces, family environments, crime, etc. The course provides training in four different groups of skills: group management, handling cultural diversity, conflict management and research. These skills are supplemented by further training based on optional modules chosen by students, which allow them to develop the kind of well-rounded career profile which is increasingly valued in the working life.

• The fourth specialisation, in Work and Business Psychology, provides extensive training in assessment, intervention and prevention methodologies, specific to a business environment and including those of socio-professional integration. The training combines scientific laboratory work with field research conducted in organisations. Students are regularly confronted with professional and economic realities in seminars and workshops. The teaching covers the fields of employee/staff psychology, vocational training in companies, analysis of work situations, assessment of psychosocial burdens (stress, harassment, violence at work), or the study of consumer behaviour and business psychology. As work psychology necessarily involves interaction with other work specialists, the programme involves working with other players from the world of work (doctors, lawyers, work sociologists, economists, managers), in particular via the optional courses.

The specialisation in Neuropsychology and Cognitive Development is an integrated programme covering both adult clinical neuropsychology (those suffering from existing cognitive conditions) and child and adolescent developmental neuropsychology, which addresses learning difficulties at school (dyslexia, dysorthography, dyscalculia, etc.) and disabilities (physical and/or cognitive dysfunction). Clinical Psychology and Psychopathology provides a blend of tradition and modernity - a intended toconserve the humanist, psychodynamic tradition of human beings (which is therefore analytical, systemic, psychosomatic, and open to cognitive behaviouralism). The faculty has a long tradition of experimentation, which is why there is a strong focus on structured, standardised and quantifiable observation of human behaviour through the use of tables for analytical and systemic interpretation of results and through the more subjective aspects of the observer's experience. It has a long tradition of liaising with the university's clinics and centres and promotes an approach to psychology which is firmly rooted in real life and addresses the new phenomena and issues facing us in today's world. The ULB is the only university in the French-speaking administrative region of Belgium offering two different specialisations, Social and Intercultural Psychology on the one hand, and Work Psychology, Economic Psychology and Organisations, on the other. These two courses, based on both research and practical considerations, draw on the scientific experience of top-level researchers and academics who regularly provide services to professional organisations. Moreover, several members of the teaching staff are practising professional psychologists and can therefore provide extensive training in the major sectors of work psychology, in the broadest sense of the term. The specialisation in Social and Intercultural Psychology responds to a pressing need in a modern society which is constantly changing and diversifying and which has to address a variety of diverse issues (identity, integration, multiculturalism, etc.).