Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Currently (as of winter term 20/21), 60 places are assigned for each application period.

No.

First, general eligibility to the program is determined. Then, a ranked list of all eligible applicants is compiled. For further information, please refer to the "regulations concerning eligibility" and "regulations concerning the selection process for the award of a place in the program".

Yes, please refer to the scoring key for the ranked list in §3 of the "regulations concerning the selection process for the award of a place in the program".

Yes, provided you can show evidence that you have achieved 80% of the attainable credit points in your program at the time of application. Please submit all proof of previous academic achievements as well as the courses in which you are currently enrolled. Normally, the relevant examination office will issue you with such a certificate.

By the end of the winter semester.

Yes.

It is possible to apply for a higher semester, this must be stated in the application. At first, the aptitude test is carried out as in the normal application process. If the assessment is positive, the admission letter will indicate which documents must be submitted for enrollment, including the semester credit. Successful enrollment is only possible if the required documents are submitted in full.

In principle, a holiday semester is possible already in the first semester. This has to be justified and requested. We do not recommend this because it there may be no matching courses offered in the summer semester and you lose time.

No.

No.

Yes; the waiting time is defined as the interval between obtaining your admission qualification (normally BA) until the time of application. However, this does not apply if you are still enrolled at a higher education institution during this period. 10% of the places in the program are dedicated for applicants with qualifying periods. For these places applies a ranking according to the qualifying periods.    

They must apply through the Applicant Portal of the International Office .

For the application for registration in a higher semester in the MA Sc. HPSTS, you first need a positive assessment of your Determination of Eligibility. The Application Form for Determination of Eligibility can be found here. It must be sent with the necessary attachments to the program coordinator (Prof. Wegge). For the summer semester, applications are accepted until January 15 (period of grace for if you have completed an online application in time: January 23, 2014). After examination of your application, you will receive notification about your eligibility from the access committee of the faculty via snail mail. In case of a positive assessment, the matriculation office of TU Dresden will subsequently examine whether capacities for a placement in the program are available. You will then receive a notification of approval or rejection for placement in the program. In case of approval, you will then be officially enrolled.

It is sufficient to just enclose the evidence of positive assessment of your Determination of Eligibility with your application. However, it your application score could improve, you should now of course include current documents (e.g., the now available B.A.-diploma or newer credits you have earned in different modules).

The application must be submitted in paper form. 

Yes, if you can provide evidence for specific expertise in the core thematic areas (at least 5 ECTS per core areas in at least four of twelve core areas) and sufficient knowledge of the psychological fundamental subjects (a total of at least 20 ECTS from at least three of the ten psychological subjects) at the time of application. See also §5 of the Regulation of Determination of Eligibility.

You can complete the application form for determination of eligibility and check yourself to what extent you meet the requirements. On the basis of §3 of the selection regulations you can calculate how many points you would achieve on the basis of your data. On this page you can find the threshold values from the past application procedures.

This decision is up to you. You can also combine credits for recognition from multiple degrees (see the next question).

Yes.

As proof of language proficiency you can provide, for example:

• Five years of English in high school up to the Abitur (final or average grade of the last 2 years at least 9 points)
• Advanced English course in high school up to the Abitur (final or average grade of the last 2 years at least 9 points)
• UNIcert II
• telc B2
• CAE B2
• A stay abroad (at least 3 months) with English as the "language of communication" (needs to be documented)
• Certificates of TUDIAS

Language courses in Psychology Bachelor Program at the Technical University of Dresden (WP7: English and Social Skills Training"; "WP S1": Introduction to the professional and scientific language English B2 +; "WP S2": Introduction to the professional and scientific language English C 1)

To determine the B2 equivalence of other established language placement tests (e.g., TOEFL, IETLS) yourself, you can refer to this overview. You can find further information about the language placement tests here.

Note: Due to the abundance of the different existing language placement tests, individual decisions about their B2-equivalence may be required in some cases. In uncertain cases, we recommend that you undertake an assessment unambiguously indicating your B2 level according to the Common European Framework (e.g., in Dresden: the Language Center at TU Dresden or TUDIAS).

Whether this is sufficient depends on whether the exam will be recognized as adequate proof of the necessary B2-language skills. You can consult the International Office at TU Dresden.

As a stay abroad is, for example, studies, an internship, or job employment abroad – with at least 3 months duration and English as the primary "language of communication" (this has to be documented). With your application, please hand in documents detailing your stay abroad and be as specific as possible regarding content and activities.

No. At the time of application, evidence of sufficient language skills must already exist. Applications that do not contain an appropriate language certificate will be excluded from the application process.

Please refer to §7 of the Matriculation Regulations of TU Dresden.

There are no tuition fees, there only is a semester fee which includes student union membership and a Germany-wide semester ticket for regional and local transport in Germany (see here for more information).

The HPSTS Master's degree program is consecutively structured. This means that you will acquire basic knowledge, particularly in the first semester, which you will need and should use for the rest of your studies. The exact procedure can be found on the program page as well as in the curriculum and module descriptions.

Yes, the MA HPSTS includes work and organizational psychology as well as personnell psychology modules which is regarded as business psychology; in addition, engineering psychology is included. However, marketing and advertising psychology is not subject matter. There is no unified definition of "business psychology". You may want to check this page.

No.

You can find very general information about studying psychology at the TU Dresden here.

Information on the application process at TU Dresden can be found here.

You can find information on the topic here.

Yes, the timetable for the respective semester can be found here.

Here are screenshots of timetables from previous semesters so that you can get an idea of how the courses may be divided up over the weekdays. Please note that there is no guarantee that the courses will take place at the same times in future semesters.

Enrolment for courses in the Master's degree program HPSTS takes place exclusively via the selma platform. Please refer to the Faculty's website for enrollment times.

The FSR also offers an online information event as part of the first semester introduction, in which, among other things, the enrollment process is explained.

For a recommendation on when to take which module, please refer to the study schedule.

Elective modules can be taken at any time, but are not offered every semester. Please inform yourself accordingly in the module descriptions. Please note that many of the compulsory electives are very popular and therefore enrolment is by lottery after the enrolment deadline.

In addition, the FSR offers enrolment assistance every year following the general introductory event.

The Faculty of Psychology primarily uses OPAL as a teaching platform. In addition, Datashare (formerly known as Cloudstore) enables students to store and synchronise data for study purposes. Occasionally, lecturers also use this service.

Currently, lectures and seminars in the modules HPSTS-1, HPSTS-2 and HPSTS-6 are held in English.

Further information on enrolment and selma can be found here.

Currently, you can decide individually whether you would like to take the exam in German or English for almost all exams in the HPSTS Master's degree program.

The only exceptions are various examinations in the elective area and the examination in HPSTS-6.

The examination dates can be viewed online on the Examination Office website as soon as they have been published. We will do our best to provide you with at least the provisional examination dates at the beginning of the semester. Further information on exam registration can be found here

Registration for the examinations normally takes place in January for the winter semester and in July for the summer semester. You can view the respective dates for the examinations as well as the registration period here.
 

You can submit your examination registration in writing to the Examinations Office. The Examinations Office decides on the registration on the basis of the information you provide on the form. You can download the registration form here (under Psychology - Examinations/Examinations - Prüfungsanmeldung).

The re-examinations normally take place during the lecture period in the following semester. The lecturers themselves decide whether and when exactly a repeat examination takes place. This offer is always at the discretion of the person responsible for the module.

Please inform yourself in time about the offer of the re-examinations on the pages of the Examinations Office in order not to miss any registrations.

Normally, the lecturers offer the repeat examinees to take the examination according to the contents of the lecture they have attended. However, there is no guarantee for this.

Please discuss the contents of the examination individually with your examiner or the person responsible for the module.

Normally, you can withdraw from the examination online via selma or in writing up to 7 days before the examination. You can find the relevant form here (under Psychology - Examinations - Withdrawal from examinations). Further information can be found on the pages of the Examination Office.

For these types of questions, please consult the FAQ of the Examinations Office of the Faculty of Psychology or the notifications of the Examinations Committee.

No, this is not provided for.
For this type of question, please consult the FAQ of the Examinations Office of the Faculty of Psychology or the notifications of the Examinations Committee.

No. Whether a PVL is graded or not depends on the module. Please consult the relevant  module descriptions or contact the person(s) responsible for the module.

For these types of questions, please consult the FAQ of the Examinations Office of the Faculty of Psychology or the notifications of the Examinations Committee.

For these types of questions, please consult the FAQ of the Examinations Office of the Faculty of Psychology or the notifications of the Examinations Committee.

Yes.

There is a separate FAQ on the Examinations Office page. In addition, the examination board issues public notifications after its meetings.

Generally, examination achievements can be credited if they are equivalent to curricular achievements according to the module descriptions. If there is no equivalence, there is the possibility of structural credit in the compulsory elective area. Prerequisites for this are

• the module taken corresponds to the sense and purpose of the existing compulsory elective options as if it could have been a separate compulsory elective module
• the compulsory elective section of the programme has not yet been completed in full
• it is a complete module, not (an) individual course(s).

You can find information on structural recognition on the pages of the Examinations Office.

Examination achievements that do not show equivalence to a curricular module can be recognised under certain conditions in the compulsory elective area. You can find further information on this on the page of the Examination Office  under the point Strukturelle Anerkennung (Structural Recognition). You can find the application to be submitted here (under Psychology - Anerkennung - Antrag auf Anerkennung von Leistungen (MA)).

The application must be submitted to the examination board. In addition to the application, the module description and the original transcript of records with the module, the credits earned and the assessment are required.

Submission to the person responsible for the module is not necessary for structural credit transfer. (This paragraph can be left blank in the application).

There is no time limit for submitting the application.

Detailed information on credit/recognition in general as well as structural recognition can be found in these instructions (Handreichung - login required)

This depends on which faculty the module is listed with. Normally, registration for the examination is done via the respective examination office. You can find a list of the examination offices here.

If you want to receive credit for your achievements, you must subsequently apply for structural credit (see also: structural recognition).

On our website you will find various internship offers that were brought to our attention. You will also see when these offers were posted. We check these offers regularly, so that older internship offers should still be valid. Furthermore, you can contact us at any time.

Also pay attention to notices in the faculty as well as the announcements by the FSR.

Such a list is currently being compiled. We ask all students to treat this list with utmost respect and not to pass on the information it contains to third parties. As soon as the database is published, we will link to it here. Alternatively, current job advertisements are listed here.

For all other concerns, please feel free to contact the internship coordninator at any time.

In addition to internships in companies, internships in e.g. research institutions (research internship) are also possible after consultation with the internship coordinator. However, the formal requirements of the internship module must be fulfilled in any case (see study regulations).

The internship may only be started after successfully passing 3 of the 7 compulsory modules. The 3rd semester is recommended for this.
Since the internship is an integral part of the degree programme, it should be used primarily to apply and critically reflect on the contents learned.

Earlier internships may be recognised under certain circumstances, insofar as they

• have not already been recognised within the scope of other academic achievements
• were psychologically supervised
• comprise at least 240 hours.

Consult the internship guidelines if necessary. In any case, however, a corresponding application (under Anrechnung - Antrag auf Anrechnung) must be submitted to the Internship Coordinator.

In this case, please look for a co-supervisor from the faculty. You need to take the initiative here. Simply write to potential candidates, they will let you know whether they are able to take on the supervision and possibly refer you otherwise.

Here, a separate application (under Psychology - Recognition - Application for Recognition of Achievements) including the work contract and a job reference must be submitted. These documents are then checked by the internship coordinator and forwarded to the examination board.

If this is a continuous activity over a period of 6 months, activities outside the subject can also be recognised in principle. The prerequisite is the preparation of a report in which you reflect psychologically on your employment.

Working student activities can also be credited under certain circumstances - provided that they were

•     supervised by a psychologist
•     and 3 of the 7 compulsory subjects have already been completed.

Please note that each individual case must be examined separately and no general statements can be made. If you have any questions in this regard, please contact the internship coordinator.

Internships accompanying university education with a duration of up to 3 months are not affected by the German minimum wage regulations ("Mindestlohngesetz"). Please note that a internship that is longer than 6 weeks (maximum 3 months) must not be preceded by another internship by the same employer (e.g., State of Saxony, if you intern at universities or institutions in Saxony). The maximum limit of 3 months (this includes multiple internships with the same employer) must not be exceeded.    

No, that depends entirely on the company/institution where you do your internship.

A compulsory internship certificate is a confirmation from the faculty to the company that the internship is an integrated and compulsory internship in the degree programme. Should your internship place require a compulsory internship certificate, they can contact the internship coordinator directly.

No.

In order to have your internship recognised as an examination achievement, you must submit the training agreement (§6), the internship report (§9) as well as a certificate of employment/proof of activities (§7) of the  internship guideline to the accounting department. The documents should be stapled together (in a binder or similar, not as a loose collection of sheets) and sent to the internship supervisor.

A template can be found in the appendix of the internship guidelines and can be downloaded here:

Template_Internship_Certificate.pdf

A template can be found in the appendix of the internship guidelines and can be downloaded here:

Template_Internship_Report.docx

Template_Internship_Report.pdf

Ideally, there should not be too much time between the completion of your internship and the submission of your report. Since the contents of the report are to be reflected practically, it is certainly helpful to write the report directly after the internship. In no case should the submission be delayed for more than a year.

Yes, this is possible. However, please note that different legal framework conditions apply to a voluntary internship.

Yes, the current office hours of the internship officer are Wednesdays from 13.15-14.15. Alternatively, you can also write an email to the internship coordinator.

Yes, but as with other study programs this requires a holiday semester and a formal request for recognition / prior acknowledgment of the recognition of course credits attained abroad.

A stay abroad as part of your studies is possible, for example, through Erasmus, TUDweltweit or the PROMOS scholarship. If you are interested in a stay abroad, you can find out more here.

A semester abroad is recommended in the 3rd semester of master's programme HPSTS. Please note, however, that your studies will most likely be prolonged with a semester abroad. It is not guaranteed or intended that you will be able to complete your studies in 4 semesters if one semester is spent abroad.

• Before registering for the Master's thesis, you create a proposal that you have coordinated with the reviewer and advisor.
• After the first joint discussions with your supervisor, you send your first version of the proposal to both the advisor and both reviewers, who will then give feedback within 2 weeks (but can also refuse to supervise and review the Master's thesis at this point).
• You can also OPTIONALLY present your Master's thesis idea in the Master's Thesis Seminar I (10-minute presentation + 10-minute discussion) in order to receive feedback from the seminar participants and the seminar leader.
• With the help of the feedback, you revise your proposal and submit it again to the advisor and reviewer for evaluation.
• This final proposal is evaluated and forms your grade for Unit 1 in the Master's thesis seminar.
• Evaluation criteria for the proposal include the structure and form, the content of the proposal, but also the revision after feedback. Further information on the proposal and the assessment criteria can be found in the MA Thesis Seminar I.
• Further information on the proposal and the Master's thesis can be found in the Guidelines for the Preparation of Master's Theses

The thesis must be registered at the latest at the beginning of the semester following the completion of the last module examination. For further information, please refer to the FAQ of the Examination Office of the Faculty of Psychology.

Supervision and assessment can only be carried out by lecturers of our Faculty who are authorized to conduct examinations. Reviewers can also appoint non-examination-authorized employees as "advisors", who accompany the students in their thesis and are available to them as contact persons. A detailed list of all lecturers authorized to supervise can be found here.

You should also conclude a supervision agreement for student research and final theses with your supervisor. You can find a template for this, which you can adapt, complete and sign in consultation with your supervisor, in the "Supervision guidelines for student research and final theses"

You are responsible for selecting your own supervisor. During the Master's Thesis Seminar I, you will be informed about sources of information for advertised Master's theses. Of course, you can also actively approach lecturers and ask for topics.

The Commission for Quality Management in Teaching and Learning (KQM) has provided information for this purpose in both the guidelines for the preparation of theses (Leitfaden für die Anfertigung von Master-Arbeiten) and the citation guidelines (Zitationsrichtlinien).

In any case, please discuss the respective formalities with your advisor.

The Master's thesis seminars are intended as accompanying seminars for your Master's thesis. The two MA Thesis Seminars differ in terms of the topics that are addressed and discussed. MA Thesis Seminar I offers you help with the preparation and planning of your Master's thesis up to the writing of your proposal, while in MA Thesis Seminar II you will be supported in writing your Master's thesis.

Your examination performance in the MA Thesis Seminar I corresponds to the assessment of your proposal by your supervisor/reviewer, while your examination performance in the MA Thesis Seminar comprises a poster presentation of the results of your Master's thesis.

In the seminars, you will also have the opportunity to critically discuss current issues relating to your thesis and those of others in a protected space with your fellow students and the seminar leader.

No, not necessarily.

The Master's thesis seminars accompany your work. As soon as you are ready in the process of your work, you register for the corresponding presentation with the seminar leader (OPTIONAL presentation of the proposal in Master Thesis Seminar I, OBLIGATORY poster presentation in Master Thesis Seminar II).

In order for your grades to be recorded, you must also register for the examination presentation 1 (proposal) or presentation 2 (poster) in the Master's Thesis Seminar during the regular registration period for examination registration in selma in the same semester in which you take the examination(s)!

Both examinations can be taken in the same semester, but do not have to be.

The module grade in the Master's Thesis Seminar is calculated as the arithmetic mean of the grades for presentation 1 and presentation 2. The grade is determined by the Examination Office.

The career options are very diverse. The qualification objectives of the Master's degree under §1 in the brief description and the exemplary fields of practice serve as orientation.

Yes, there is an alumni network. When you receive your degree certificate, you will be handed a flyer explaining how to join in more detail. There is a special laptop in the examination office where graduates can register directly for the alumni network when they receive their certificate.

In case you did not receive a flyer, you are welcome to contact the alumni network for registration.

No. Since winter semester 23/24, the required modules can no longer be offered for capacity reasons.

No. There are regular meetings with the students at the end of the semester, there are no graduation events. The examination office is responsible for issuing certificates.