Understanding human nature and behavioural patterns has remained a focus in the 21st century due to the rapid global advancements in several sectors such as education, technology, business, and healthcare. The focus on mental health and the emotional well-being of humans has increased the demand for trained psychologists across different industries.

The growing interest in psychology studies has turned the focus on the public and private universities in Germany which offer various psychology programmes with a focus on the scientific, empirical, and experimental aspects of the subject. What better place to study psychology than the home country of Wilhelm Wundt, the father of modern psychology?

Studying psychology in Berlin is an exciting prospect for students with the number of study exchanges and career opportunities that awaits them. Berlin, being an educational and business hub of Europe also offers chances to study psychology in English thereby attracting a horde of international students. So, what are the prospects of studying psychology in Berlin?

A brief history of psychology in Germany

During the days of Sigmund Freud and other major philosophers like Immanuel Kant, psychology was a philosophical subject that did not have any scientific side to it. It was Wilhelm Wundt, a German-born physiologist identified as the father of experimental psychology, who established a scientific approach to psychological studies.

Wundt established the world’s first lab dedicated to experimental psychology in Germany and studied the human mind using scientific methods. This was the beginning of psychology as a distinct field of science separated from its purely philosophical identity.

Thus, how psychology is perceived today i.e., as a scientific study of human behaviour, had its origins in Germany.

Berlin as a psychology study destination

Berlin is the capital city of Germany and an educational hotspot in Europe with thousands of international students coming every year to enrol in various study programmes. Psychology has gained popularity as a subject of study in recent years due to the growing focus on mental health and the career opportunities it brings. 

According to QS World University Rankings 2022, Germany has around 20 universities that rank among the top educational institutions for psychology in the world with several of them being in Berlin. The rankings are based on academic and employer reputation, student-teacher ratio, research facilities, and international focus. Germany’s reputation as a top-ranked country for psychology indicates the quality standards incorporated in the curriculum and other facilities provided by German colleges.

Studying psychology in Berlin allows you to explore other interdisciplinary subject areas such as business psychology, which is rising in popularity due to employment opportunities. The best part of this is being able to study psychology in English which is great for international students who are not well-versed in the German language.

Universities in Berlin also offer study exchange programmes with leading colleges in other countries, thereby increasing the international exposure students receive. They also encourage students to take up internships in diverse fields like educational psychology, cognitive psychology, psychophysiology, forensic psychology, and sports psychology to gain more experimental knowledge. 

What are the career opportunities after a psychology degree?

As mentioned, Berlin is home to multinational companies and start-ups. With a growing focus on mental health globally, many companies are hiring psychologists to work part-time or full-time to look after their employees’ needs.

Although many mental health issues need expert psychological guidance, Glassdoor reports indicate that MNCs like Google are hiring user-experience research interns with qualifications in cognitive psychology. 

Here are some other popular career choices in the field of psychology:

• Business psychologist

A business psychologist applies psychological expertise to a workplace to study the behavioural patterns of employees. As a business psychologist, you must identify areas of improvement for employees and motivate them to improve. Increasing their productivity and improving the organisation’s performance is a chief responsibility of business psychologists.

• Sports psychologist

As a sports psychologist, you must work with athletes and help improve their performance through constant motivation and management of on-field behavioural issues like anger and stress. You must also join them in the rehabilitation process motivating them to recover speedily. 

• Clinical psychologist

A clinical psychologist treats various mental health disorders like depression, anxiety, addictive behaviour, ADHD, and other emotional issues. You must suggest treatments that include medication, therapy, etc. and keep a constant check on your patients on their road to recovery.

The scope of psychology is huge and Berlin is one of the best places to study psychology in English for many reasons, including its international educational standards. Check out the various undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in psychology offered at the University of Europe for Applied Sciences (UE), Germany. UE offers bachelor’s programmes in psychology and business psychology and master’s programmes in clinical psychology and psychology: coaching and counselling.

The programmes deal with a cross-sectional study of various disciplines in psychology and offer you the choice to specialise in several interdisciplinary subjects. The concepts are constantly reviewed to adapt to the changes in the labour market and prepare you for successful careers in diverse industries.