Course content – Psychology & Sustainability

The Master's programme Psychology & Sustain­ability is designed as a two-year programme at Leuphana University of Lüneburg. Students complete an inter­national programme in English and are thus well qualified not only for the national but also for the European labour market. Students receive a Master's degree in Psychology & Sustain­ability.

The programme offers a double degree option for 10 students per year. Students selected for the double degree option complete their second year of study at the University of Groningen and obtain two Master's degrees - one in Psychology & Sustain­ability and one in Environmental Psychology.

The first semester at Leuphana University focuses on key principles of sustain­ability psychology at the individual, the group, and the societal level. By introducing core theories and models, the programme links topics from the field of psychology to the field of sustain­ability science.

Students attend the following modules: Bottom-Up Perspectives in Sustain­ability Psychology: From Individual Behavior to Global Impact, Insights from Evolutionary and Developmental  Psychology: Reflecting the Origins of Sustainable Behavior and Actions, Inter­ventions from Social and Community Psychology: Promoting Sustain­able Social Identities, Applications from Organizational and Political Psychology: Managing and Negotiating Sustain­ability Conflicts, and the module Trans­disciplinary Research Design. In the second semester students complete the modules Top-Down Perspectives in Sustain­ability Psychology: From Change Agency to Local Impact, Selected Topics of Sustain­ability Psychology I, Applications from Research Methods in Psychology: Conducting Multi­variate Analyses and Trans­disciplinary Research Project.

Accordingly, inter- and transdisciplinary work with a focus on theoretical pro­positions, methodological tools, and practical implications will characterise the programme in the second semester. Students will be provided with the opportunity to choose an elective course in one of the related psychology programmes at the Graduate School (Selected Topics in Psychology, e.g. International Human Resource Management). Thereby, the second semester aims at broadening students’ psychological perspective on the inter- and transdisciplinary characteristics of sustainability science.

The third and fourth semesters at Leuphana University are characterised by a ‘Bottom-Up’ perspective – from the individual to the society and from psychology to trans­disciplinary collaboration. Students will gain knowledge in the field of sustain­ability science, which will lay the foundation for collaboration with experts from other sustain­ability-related fields in their future careers. The course ‘Applications from Communication Psychology: The Dissemination of Scientific Insights’ teaches students how to communicate research findings, an essential skill in the quest to raise aware­ness of the human factor in sustain­able transitions.

At the core of the second year of study at Leuphana University is the ‘Internship’ module. This module allows students to sharpen their profile by doing either a practice-oriented internship with institutions in the field of sustain­ability, psychology and related fields, or a research-oriented intern­ship with research working groups at Leuphana University.

The fourth semester is dedicated to writing the Master’s thesis.

Second Year Track Option at the University of Groningen (Top Down Perspective)

Students who complete their second year of study in Groningen will transfer from Leuphana University of Lüneburg to the University of Groningen upon the third semester. Students will delve deeper into the field of environmental psychology, with a stronger ‘Top-Down’ focus, characterized by more disciplinary (i.e., psycho­logical) modules that emphasise the impact of systems on the individual, including modules on Environmental Psychology, Advanced Topics in Environmental Psychology, and Designing Interventions.

The fourth semester is dedicated to writing the Master’s thesis. 

To gain further insights on the specific course contents at the University of Groningen please follow the link to the Enviromental Psychology Programme.

The Complementary Studies are an essential part of the special teaching model of Leuphana. It supplements and expands students' subject-specific learning with the following three modules (5 CP each) with critical academic and practical perspectives from all faculties:

1. Engaging with Know­ledge and Sciences (in the 1^st semester)
2. Reflecting on Research Methods (in the 2^nd semester)
3. Connecting Science, Responsibility and Society (in the 3^rd semester)

The Master’s thesis is to be written in the fourth semester. For regular students, the Master’s thesis is written at Leuphana University of Lüne­burg with a supervisor from Leuphana.

For students who complete their second year of study in Groningen, the Master’s thesis is to be written at the University of Groningen under the provisions of the examination regulations of the University of Groningen. The first examiner is an examiner from the University of Groningen and the second examiner is an examiner from Leuphana University of Lüneburg. For more information about the Master's thesis at Groningen, please visit the website of the University of Groningen.

The following link provides access to documents which set out the general conditions for examinations, an overview of the curriculum, as well as detailed and legally binding regulations.

General Assessment Regulations and the Subject-Specific Schedules

In the course catalogue you can get an overview of the courses currently offered and their specific contents.