When completed, the Student Research Programme in Psychology will provide a basis for independent research with a view to undertaking a later PhD degree. It will also provide students with knowledge, skills and competence in research, scientific methods and scientific thinking.

The programme amounts to 120 credits (ECTS) in addition to the regular master's programme in psychology.

The Student Research Programme in Psychology consists of:
1) Educational component (30 ECTS).

This includes compulsory courses in scientific theory/ethics, scientific design and methodology, scientific and general dissemination (a total of 10 ECTS), PSY-8016 Research presentations (3 ECTS), as well as optional topics/activities related to the subject area for research work. The educational component is regulated by the current study plan for the PhD programme.

2) PSY-3031 Research article (90 ECTS).

Based on the student's research, the research article will be prepared in active collaboration with supervisors and other researchers. The article should preferably be published in an international journal with peer review. The student must be a first or second author.

Additional information
The student has one research year, during which they don’t take part in the tuition of the master's program in psychology. The programme also runs in the Summer semesters, and part-time in parallel with the master's or professional study programmes in psychology, until the submission of the research article in the last semester.

It is recommended to complete most of training part during the research year. This especially applies to compulsory PhD courses and other research activities that require absence from ordinary studies, such as study stays abroad.

The programme is supported by the Norwegian Research Council, and students in the programme receive NOK 200,000 in scholarships.

The Faculty of Health Sciences awards students Summer scholarships, support for travel and other operating funds to students participating in the programme.

When completed, the Student Research Programme in Psychology will provide a basis for independent research with a view to a later PhD degree and will provide the student with knowledge, skills and competence in research, scientific methods and scientific thinking.

General learning outcomes for the Student Research Programme in psychology:

The candidate:

• Has a well-developed ability of critical appraisal, including the ability to critically appraise own and others’ research findings in the pursuit of new knowledge
• Has a good overview of national and international channels of dissemination of research within his/her specific research area
• Can present own research projects and results in relevant channels of dissemination
• Has knowledge and experiences in active participation in a research group
• Can identify relevant research ethics issues
• Has the ability to participate constructively in academic discourses within one’s own field of competence
• Can accurately describe all parts of a research project in accordance with the generally accepted scientific standards, and on a level that documents sound knowledge within the field of ones’ research.

The programme enables the candidates to get a deeper understanding of psychology as science, as well as to develop skills in critical thinking, research methods, individual work and teamwork, as well as writing and presentation. In the Student Research Programme in psychology, the candidate has acquired a deeper understanding of research. In this programme, the candidate has completed a research project within a particular field of psychology. This has resulted in a paper of 90 credits (ECTS), which may become the first part of a future PhD degree. The last 30 credits (ECTS) in the programme is the mandatory and elective courses needed to fulfill the Phd degree.

The Student Research Programme in Psychology will prepare students for a shortened PhD education and provide a basis for a research career. Successful completion of the Student Research Programme in Psychology, as well as completing the regular study programme, make the student qualified for further PhD studies, other research work and teaching assignments.

The Student Research Programme in Psychology is an offer for students in the professional or master's study programmes in psychology at UiT The Arctic University of Norway. It is required to pass an examination in all previous courses in the regular study program at the time of application in order to be able to apply for admission to FL in psychology. The grade requirement is C on average on previous courses. Furthermore, grade C is recommended in methods/statistics courses.

Application deadline
The deadline for applying for admission to the Student Research Programme in Psychology is 1 March. Applicants for the master's programme in psychology apply for admission on 1 March, and for admission to the master's programme in psychology via Samordnet opptak on 15 April (December 1 if you are an international student). It is a prerequisite that the applicant for the Student Research Programme in Psychology is admitted to the master's programme in psychology before a final admission to the research programme can be given.

Applications must be made for specific projects that have been outlined by potential supervisors at the Department of Psychology. You will find available projects under "more information aboute the program".

The student's wishes, as well as suitability, will be considered when distributing projects.

Application
The application must consist of an application letter of approx. 1 page, containing information about the applicant, including the motivation for working as a researcher, as well as the project being applied for and the reasons why this project was chosen. Applicants should attach their CV and academic transcript of records.

The application should be sent by e-mail to Forskerlinjen@helsefak.uit.no.

Admission interview
All applicants to the Student Research Programme in Psychology will be called for an interview. The purpose of the interview is to highlight the individual's suitability for research with special emphasis on maturity and motivation.

The admissions committee consists of:

• members of the Student Research Programme in Psychology committee
• professional employee(s) associated with the project
• a student representative
• a representative from the administration at the Faculty of Health Sciences

Admission to the Student Research Programme in Psychology
If you are offered a place at the Student Research Programme in Psychology, at first it will be an offer of a conditional admission. Offers are sent out no later than 1 April. Students must, in collaboration with their supervisor, prepare a satisfactory project description. The final project description and education plan must be completed by 1 May. If the deadline is not met, the offer of permanent admission to the Student Research Programme in Psychology will lapse.

It is of special importance for applicants from the final year of the bachelor's program that their admission to the Student Research Programme in Psychology is conditional on their admission to the master's programme in psychology at UiT. Offers and final admission will be available after the applicant has received a response to the application for admission to the master's programme via Samordnet opptak.

Personal supervision from the appointed supervisor, lectures, seminars and written study assignments are work and teaching methods used in the Student Research Programme in Psychology.

Educational component

The educational component consists of both compulsory and optional courses, so that it will vary how much self-study and lectures/seminars etc. will be included for the student. For more information, please refer to the study plan for the PhD programme in health sciences, as well as to the course description for PSY-8016 Research presentations.

PSY-3031 Research article

• Self-study and research

• Supervision-Writing

• Submission of an article or a manuscript

• Oral examination

For more information, refer to the course descriptions for PSY-3031.

General teaching methods

The student's knowledge-building takes place in close relation to a supervisor. The education component is given primarily as lectures followed by home exams. In addition, the student can participate in group work, present their own research in their research group and/or at special seminars, professional conferences, etc. Students gain knowledge of the entire process from data collection, analysis, article writing and publishing the first article.

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