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Suggested Programs for Psychology

UCEAP students pose together

UCEAP students pose together

Psychology students tend to work on a combination of upper-division psychology electives and upper-division SSHA electives when they study abroad. Below are suggested programs for different students.

Programs Highlighting Psychology

Italy: Psychology & Cognitive Science, Padua

Learn alongside local students in this vibrant college town at the University of Padova. You will choose from a specially curated set of courses taught in English on topics such as social psychology, genes and behavior, cognitive science, and neurology.

Learn more about deadlines, details, and the application

Mexico: National Autonomous Univ. of Mexico (UNAM)

With a degree plan structured around providing a professional degree, this is a great choice for students interested in pursuing psychology as a career. The program features strong course offerings in applied aspects of psychology including social work, psychotherapy, and clinical psychology. You will also have the opportunity to gain valuable Spanish-language skills.

Learn more about deadlines, details, and the application

Netherlands: Psychology & Neuroscience, Maastricht Univ.

Known for groundbreaking studies in psychology, Maastricht University is an extraordinary place to focus on psychology and neuroscience. Courses taught in English include Motivation and Emotion, Forensic Psychology, Cognitive Enhancement, and Hormones, the Brain and Behavior. Outside of class, enjoy one of the most beautiful cities in The Netherlands or pop across the border to explore Belgium or Germany.

Learn more about deadlines, details, and the application

Spain: Complutense Univ. of Madrid

One of the oldest and most highly regarded Spanish universities Complutense University of Madrid offers a wide range of psychology coursework, much of which includes courses taught in English. The psychology faculty offers coursework in topics such as psychology of language, psychological diagnosis, biological basis of behavior, and statistics applied to psychology.

Learn more about deadlines, details, and the application

Immersion & Exchange Programs Suggested for Psychology

United Kingdom: Univ. of Manchester

The Univ. of Manchester enjoys a top 50 worldwide ranking. Consider taking courses focusing on cognition, personality, developmental psychology, psychological health, and more.

Learn more about deadlines, details, and the application

Chinese Univ. of Hong Kong

The Chinese Univ. of Hong Kong is the most highly ranked institution in all of Asia for psychology, and courses are available in English. Work on courses in areas like personality, psychological health, behavior, abnormal psychology, cognition, and more.

Learn more about deadlines, details, and the application

Australia: Univ. of Queensland

The Univ. of Queensland lands in the top 20 institutions for psychology and one of the best in Australia. Take on courses focusing on developmental psychology, personality, cognition, organizational behavior, and more.

Learn more about deadlines, details, and the application

Netherlands: Utrecht Univ.

The Netherlands is home to many institutions with strength programs in psychology. Take courses in areas like developmental psychology, behavior, and especially personality, along with others.

Learn more about deadlines, details, and the application

South Korea: Yonsei Univ.

Take psychology courses in English at this bilingual university. Consider taking courses in personality, cognition, developmental psychology, psychological health, behavior, clinical psychology, and much more.

Learn more about deadlines, details, and the application

Denmark: Univ. of Copenhagen

With a tremendous selection of psychology courses entirely in English, you could take courses on personality, psychological health, clinical psychology, cognition, brain and behavior, developmental psychology, and more.

Learn more about deadlines, details, and the application

New Zealand: Univ. of Auckland

Considered the best university for psychology in New Zealand and holding a top 50 worldwide ranking, it could be a great destination for coursework in developmental psychology, personality, cognition, brain & behavior, psychological health, clinical psychology, and more.

Learn more about deadlines, details, and the application

National Univ. of Singapore

Also in the top 50 worldwide for psychology is the National Univ. of Singapore, where courses are available entirely in English. NUS has significant offerings in developmental psychology, organizational psychology, psychological health, and cognition.

Learn more about deadlines, details, and the application

United Kingdom: Univ. of Edinburgh

Considered the best university for psychology in Scotland and in the top 50 worldwide, the Univ. of Edinburgh offers you a wide range of relevant courses including brain & behavior, personality, cognition, and developmental psychology.

Learn more about deadlines, details, and the application

 

Photo Story: England: Jacqueline Woo’s study abroad experiencePhoto Story: England

Read about Jacqueline Woo’s study abroad experience as a psychology major at the University of Cambridge, England.

“The classes I took were a top feature of my experience. The courses could not be taken back at my home university and the style of teaching was entirely different; my favorite classes were ‘Psychology of Language’ and ‘Medicine and Disease in European History’”

Completing Other SSHA Requirements Abroad

SSHA students, in general, can take advantage of the requirement to complete four (4) non-major upper-division general education courses—or equivalent—from SSHA areas as varied as English literature to economics. Most SSHA students complete one or more of these required courses while studying abroad. These courses must be reviewed through the   SSHA course approval form.

SSHA students must also complete a total of 60.0 semester units in order to graduate. SSHA students complete many of these units within their major but often need more and can complete these requirements abroad.

Course Approval and Course Approval Forms

With a few exceptions of previously approved courses (ask your academic advisor), courses will need to be approved to meet individual degree requirements. In these cases, students will use the Course Approval Form for the school that would typically offer such a course at UC Merced:

 

The school will often require a syllabus or equivalent in order to do a review. Keep in mind that syllabi may be protected intellectual property of certain professors or universities and may not be publicly posted online. If it is a UC Center program, you may be able to acquire syllabi through your study abroad advisor. If the program is with a local host university and the course is not posted online, you may be able to inquire with the instructor or host university in some cases.

Academic Planning

No matter your academic intentions while studying abroad, you should consult your academic advisor and your MyDegreePath report to plan out your study abroad academic goals. Once you narrow your search to 1-3 study abroad programs consult your program page or ask your study abroad advisor about resources for researching courses in your program.

 

Start planning for study abroad with your academic advisor as soon as you can. One of the keys to maximizing academic success abroad is early planning and scheduling course loads before, during, and after study abroad. This includes strategies such as targeting a study abroad term to exploit areas of flexibility in your academic plan.

Be sure to make use of UCEAP course credit resources below, too.

 

UC Merced Campus Credit through UCEAP

How to Explore Database of Courses Previously Taken

 

Campus Credit Abroad

Planning the courses you’ll take on study abroad is as important as figuring out when and where to go. All courses taken on the University of California Education Abroad Program (UCEAP) are guaranteed UC credit, but understanding how each class may fit into your academic plan is a critical part of the planning process.

UCEAP Database of Courses Previously Taken

How to Find Courses for UCEAP

One of the challenges with academic planning and completing the Academic Planning Form is finding courses. While there is never any certainty with course offerings and study abroad always requires a little calculated academic risk, there are some techniques to minimize the risk and exploit unique educational opportunities through study abroad.

Courses & Credit Tab

For nearly every UCEAP program page, there will be a tab labeled “Courses & Credit.” Within this tab you will find information and links in the “Course Opportunities” area. The course resources are listed in order of relevance. Depending on the program, you might find any of the following resources:

  1. Course syllabi
  2. Links to academic majors or programs with courses
  3. A bulleted list of courses

UCEAP Course Catalog

All UCEAP coursework taken in the last five (5) years is listed in the UCEAP Course Catalog. There are a few things you should consider when using the UCEAP Course Catalog:

  1. The list of courses is not comprehensive.
  2. Course units are listed in quarter units (to convert to semester units, divide by 1.5).
  3. Syllabi are not included.
  4. You may need to search less intuitive subject areas to find coursework (e.g. health sciences for public health, "engineering" for bioengineering, business for management and business economics).

Check Previously Approved Courses

There are a few resources available showing coursework previously approved for study abroad online. The resources are limited but they do represent some of the more recent course approvals:

A Note on Course Syllabi

Your academic advisor or school may insist that you need syllabi in order to determine whether a course abroad will substitute a particular degree requirement. While this is generally true, this does not prevent you from planning out your academic schedule abroad and determining what type of degree requirements a course may fulfill.

Sometimes your study abroad advisor or UCEAP can acquire a syllabus on your behalf; however, this is not always the case. Please understand that syllabi are often considered intellectual property and may not be shared until the course begins. Previously approved courses (see above) are often your first go-to resource to select courses.