Program Overview

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MA in Psychology

Emphasis in Counseling Psychology

Program Description

The mission of Webster's MA program in Psychology with an Emphasis in Counseling Psychology is to provide its students with the knowledge and skills necessary to become competent in counseling psychology through academic and experiential learning. The program aims at educating future psychologists who have sound knowledge of the theory and practice of counseling psychology, who are competent consumers and creative producers of social science and psychological research, who are competent in counseling practice and who are ethical and sensitive to the cultures, values and worlds of various clients.

Outcomes

• You become a psychologist.
• You gain counseling and communication skills that are needed for every profession.
• You are ideally prepared for any PhD program.
• You have the opportunity to obtain the Propädeutikum certificate by adding the “First Aid Course” and hours of self-reflection with a registered psychotherapist (50 hours of individual self-reflection or 25 hours of a group self-reflection).

Entry Requirements

1. A bachelor’s degree in Psychology from another accredited university with a cumulative GPA of a 3.0 from the applicant's undergraduate degree granting institution.

Completion of course work in the following areas within undergraduate education:

• Introduction to Psychology or Psychology: General
• Statistics
• Research Methods or Experimental Psychology

Recommended completion of coursework in the following areas:

• Social Psychology
• Biological Psychology, Neuropsychology or Physiological Psychology
• Personality Psychology
• Human Development or Developmental Psychology
• Abnormal Psychology or Psychopathology

2. For students coming from the Austrian higher education system, if your 1st Studienabschnitt in Psychology is completed, there is a possibility to convert the 1st Studienabschnitt to a Bachelor of Science (in Psychology) Degree.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the program, students will be able to:

1. Explain the main approaches to counseling and psychotherapy and the role of the therapeutic relationship.
2. Describe important theories of human development and examine their significance to counseling psychology.
3. Discuss the major categories of psychological disorders and use this knowledge to assess and diagnose psychopathology.
4. Describe the mechanisms of action for a variety of psychopharmacological agents and evaluate the role of psychopharmacology in counseling psychology.
5. Describe the importance of professional ethics and demonstrate how ethical standards and legal requirements are relevant to the practice of counseling and psychotherapy.
6. Administer and interpret various widely-used psychological tests.
7. Construct the appropriate research design, collect data and implement the necessary statistical techniques to answer research questions relevant to counseling psychology which adds to the discipline.
8. Demonstrate practical counseling skills that can be applied to individuals and groups to address a broad range of issues and settings.
9. Integrate theory, experience, behavioral observation and analysis to systematically enhance counseling knowledge and skills.
10. Evaluate the appropriateness of various counseling approaches to different cultures, values and world-views of various clients and choose appropriate approaches.

Program Curriculum

View the complete list of psychology courses including short descriptions.

The 48 credit hours required for the Master of Arts (MA) degree must include the following courses:

• PSYC 5000 Bases of Counseling Psychology (3 credit hours)
• PSYC 5100 Approaches to Counseling and Therapy (3 credit hours)
• PSYC 5200 Advanced Developmental Psychology (3 credit hours)
• PSYC 5300 Psychopathology (3 credit hours)
• PSYC 5400 Research Design (3 credit hours)
• PSYC 5500 Assessment (3 credit hours)
• PSYC 5600 Group Processes and Group Therapy (3 credit hours)
• PSYC 5700 Psychopharmacology (3 credit hours)
• PSYC 5800 Ethical and Legal Foundations (3 credit hours)
• PSYC 5900 Applied Statistics and Research Methods (3 credit hours)
• PSYC 6000 Special Topics in Counseling Psychology (3 credit hours)
• PSYC 6100 Master’s Thesis (6 credit hours)
• PSYC 6200 Practice and Supervision (3 credit hours)
• PSYC 6300 Internship (6 credit hours)

Graduate Thesis

Graduate psychology students are required to submit a master's thesis, which is the culminating project of their studies at Webster Vienna. This page provides additional information, including departmental guidelines, forms and formatting templates, specifically designed for graduate students in the Psychology department.

The master’s thesis consists of an individual research project designed by the student and carried out over the duration of at least one semester, under the direction of a thesis faculty advisor. The thesis project allows students to contribute to research in the field and to gain important research experience necessary for entrance into a doctoral program.

• Guidelines for graduate thesis on Connections (requires login)
• Institutional Review Board (IRB) of Webster University (ethics in research)

Study Plan and Regulations

Purpose and Scope

This Study Plan and Regulations lays out the specifications of the program Master of Arts in Psychology with an Emphasis in Counseling Psychology (MA), including the profile and learning outcomes, the structure of the curricula, program development and the criteria for admission and conferment of a degree.

Overview Table

Degree program name | Psychology with an Emphasis in Counseling Psychology (MA) Common form name | Master of Arts in Psychology with an Emphasis in Counseling Psychology Type of study program | Master degree program Academic degree | Master of Arts (MA) Cycle (Bologna) | 2 NQF-Level | VII Organizational structure | Psychology Department Workload (ECTS) | 120 Regular study period | 2 years, 4 semesters Course weeks per semester | 12 Language of study | English Maximum intake per year | 25 Study format | Full time Entry points/dates | 2/begin winter/summer semesters Beginning of the winter semester | August/September Beginning of the summer semester | January/February Internships | Required: 500 hours Study Abroad | Encouraged, but not required

Profile and Learning Outcomes

The Master of Arts in Psychology with an Emphasis in Counseling Psychology (MA) provides students with the knowledge and skills necessary to become competent in counseling psychology and psychotherapy through academic and experiential learning. The program constitutes the first of two steps towards completing psychotherapy qualification in Austria, as it offers the possibility to take the Propädeutikum exam at the end of the program.

Curriculum Overview and Workload

The Master of Arts in Psychology with an emphasis in Counseling Psychology is organized into one core module consisting of 12 courses (90 ECTS), another 500 hours of internship (15 ECTS), and a thesis (15 ECTS). The total required workload is 120 ECTS including the thesis.

Core Competency Courses - Psychology (90 ECTS)

• PSYC 5000 Bases of Counseling Psychology (7.5 ECTS)
• PSYC 5100 Approaches to Counseling and Therapy (7.5 ECTS)
• PSYC 5200 Advanced Developmental Psychology (7.5 ECTS)
• PSYC 5300 Psychopathology (7.5 ECTS)
• PSYC 5400 Research Design (7.5 ECTS)
• PSYC 5500 Assessment (7.5 ECTS)
• PSYC 5600 Group Processes and Group Therapy (7.5 ECTS)
• PSYC 5700 Psychopharmacology (7.5 ECTS)
• PSYC 5800 Ethical and Legal Foundations (7.5 ECTS)
• PSYC 5900 Applied Statistics and Research Methods (7.5 ECTS)
• PSYC 6000 Special Topics in Counseling Psychology (7.5 ECTS)
• PSYC 6200 Practice and Supervision (7.5 ECTS)

Internship (15 ECTS)

• PSYC 6300 Internship (15 ECTS)

Thesis (15 ECTS)

• PSYC 6100 Master Thesis (15 ECTS)

Admission to the Study Program

In addition to the General Admission Requirements for Graduate Programs, applicants to the Master of Arts in Psychology with an Emphasis in Counseling Psychology program must fulfill the following requirements:

• A bachelor’s degree in Psychology; or
• Provide official transcripts from an accredited university or college proving that the applicant has completed bachelor’s degree courses on the subjects of:
  • Introduction to Psychology or General Psychology
  • Statistics
  • Research Methods or Experimental Psychology

Supplementary Requirements for Conferment of the Degree

WVPU confers the academic degree of Master of Arts in Psychology with an Emphasis in Counseling Psychology following the successful completion of all modules as stated in the Curriculum Overview and Workload and in accordance with the following rules:

1. Candidates must complete all modules (120 ECTS) as stated in the Curriculum Overview.
2. Students must successfully earn all 120 ECTS while in residence at WVPU.
3. All courses must be completed with a grade of B- or better.

WVPU Policies and Student Obligations

WVPU policies support and maintain the highest quality of education and service level for students. All students attending WVPU are obliged to adhere to university academic policies, including the Study and Examination Guidelines and the Code of Conduct.

Students are also fully responsible for managing their degree progress in compliance with the curriculum. This includes, but is not limited to: ensuring schedule accuracy each semester, adhering to all registration and payment deadlines, proactively addressing any issues that may interfere with degree progress, exclusively using the university assigned email address for all academic-related correspondence and observing course-specific deadlines and policies.

WVPU retains the right to update policies and procedures. Students will be informed of any such changes in a timely manner.