Social psychology is inside but not on the label

Social psychologists are needed in many professions

Social psychology is a basic subject. At first glance, this doesn't sound very helpful on the job market. However, social psychology is actually "inside" many areas of everyday life and the world of work, even if it is rarely "on". Graduates of social psychology, for example, work in the following areas

Health psychology and sports psychology
traffic psychology
user research
Leadership coaching and conflict mediation
Personnel and organizational development
Psychology of sustainability
Consumer psychology, market and advertising psychology

Last but not least, social psychology provides many important insights for the largest application field of psychology, clinical psychotherapy practice. Important clinical concepts such as attributions, thinking styles, mindfulness, judgment errors, placebos, etc. are researched jointly by social and clinical psychology. Anyone who decides to pursue a clinical-therapeutic career after their studies is therefore on the right track in social psychology.

Study content of social psychology

Exciting from A to V

The Master's courses offered by the Center of Social Psychology are a central component of the Major "Society & Choice". In this Major you can expect exciting seminars and lectures, depending on the semester, for example on:

Assessment centers
Development of training concepts
forecasting
Leadership in organizations
Group dynamics and social norms
communication
nudging
Organizational development
Performance management
Conspiracy narratives
Negotiations

Master projects

Top qualification in small groups

The Master's projects are an important part of the Master's program. We are delighted to be able to supervise motivated, curious and enthusiastic students. Many students work on projects that are closely related to our own research topics. However, we also welcome students' own project ideas that are based on these topics. You can find more information on our website here.

Oral Master's examination: Preparation

1. registration for the Master's examination: via the online registration form of the Office of the Dean of Studies.

2. agreement on the special topic: The agreement on the topic can be made by e-mail; a visit to the consultation hour is not a prerequisite. The topic agreement should be initiated no later than four weeks before the examination date.
In order to agree on a topic, please send an e-mail to the examiner stating (a) the desired topic, (b) at least four original papers from peer-reviewed journals for the topic, and (c) the title of the Master's thesis (the Master's thesis must not overlap with the topic). The original papers should come from four different groups of authors. Please list the original papers in the e-mail text as references with APA formatting and attach the individual papers as PDFs to the e-mail. After feedback from the examiner, a revision may be necessary.

3. preparation and submission of the summaries: After (!) explicit approval by the examiner of the chosen topic/original work, one-page summaries of the original work must be prepared. These must be submitted by e-mail in a single PDF no later than three weeks before the oral examination. The PDF should contain a title page in addition to the original papers.

I did my master's degree in social psychology in Basel ...

Leonie Kellner (HS20)

TEAM LEAD, INNOVATION OFFICE, UNIVERSITY OF BASEL

I can warmly recommend the SWE Master's program at the University of Basel. Exciting and versatile lecturers, a high academic level, a varied range of courses and a close-knit community (of students, doctoral students, etc.) characterize the Master's program. My Master's thesis in social psychology was very instructive for me: I had an exciting topic of my own choice, was able to do a lot of creative work and my supervisor was always there to help and advise me. I particularly remember the lunch talks, interactive block seminars and our social psychology colloquia.

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Leonie Stumpp (FS22)

CONSULTANT, TRAINER AND RESEARCH ASSOCIATE AT THE RESILIENZ ZENTRUM SCHWEIZ

I decided to do a Master's degree in social psychology because social psychology observes and tries to explain the fundamentals of human coexistence. This understanding of individual behavior in groups and society accompanies me on a daily basis and supports me in my work as a course leader and trainer. Insights into the development of training concepts and an understanding of group processes made it much easier for me to enter the world of work.

I particularly enjoyed the informal atmosphere in the seminars and especially in the Master's project in Social Psychology. In the latter, I was able to contribute my own ideas and concepts and was supported every step of the way as required. I was able to conduct my Master's study as part of a cooperative study between social psychology and clinical psychology - an example of interdisciplinarity, which is still an important and exciting part of my work even after graduation.

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Mirjam Thali (FS19)

PROJECT MANAGER PROFESSIONAL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
RAILROAD PRODUCTION SBB CFF FFS

I struggled a bit with seminar papers throughout my studies. However, when I was able to carry out my own study for my Master's thesis, I really enjoyed it. The mutual support in the Master's project and the supervision were great.

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Myra Olivia Fischer (FS21)

PHD STUDENT AT COGNITIVE AND BEHAVIORAL DECISION RESEARCH, UNIVERSITY OF ZURICH

I completed my studies in social, economic and social psychology in summer 2021. In my Master's project in social psychology, I was able to investigate the conditions under which people are more willing to engage with people who think differently. Through the Master's project, I developed a great love for scientific work.

The intensive, challenging and creative scientific work as well as the lively exchange with my supervisor have awakened my joy in research. This has led me to pursue a PhD at the University of Zurich (at the Chair of Cognitive and Behavioral Decision Sciences), where I am investigating, among other things, the extent to which risk perceptions are polarized in the population, what can contribute to polarization and how we can address the problem.

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Samuele-Filippo Rieder (FS17)

PSICOLOGO PRESSO ORGANIZZAZIONE SOCIOPSICHIATRICA CANTONALE (OSC)

Studying social psychology and the knowledge I acquired there was very enriching for me as a person. Thanks to the friendly and proactive atmosphere during this time, I was able to deal first-hand with both theoretical processes and concrete applications. In this way, I was able to accumulate a broad knowledge of great and fundamental importance; an experience of inestimable value, regardless of the direction my future projects will take.

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