Opportunities after graduating
Graduates of this programme are well-prepared for diverse career opportunities in the field of psychology. This includes roles as junior psychologists in mental health care, policy researchers, and advisors in mental health care institutions, as well as positions in higher education institutions. Additionally, some graduates may find roles in addiction research at institutions like the Trimbos Institute or NIVEL, work in the forensic field, governmental agencies, or as policy advisors for mental health care institutions and health insurance companies. The programme also serves as an excellent foundation for those interested in pursuing a Ph.D. position. For more details, see below.
Working in the Mental Health Care Sector
Interested in practicing Psychology internationally?
It's important to keep in mind that each country has its unique requirements for psychology practice and admission to post-academic programmes. While a master's degree in psychology from EUR may provide you with a strong foundation, there is no guarantee that this master provides any aligned with foreign requirements.
Interested in practicing Psychology within the Netherlands?
In early 2022, the Netherlands introduced the "Zorg Prestatie Model" (ZPM), which outlines essential criteria and conditions for individuals aiming to work within the Dutch Mental Health or Forensic Care sector. In order to be eligible for reimbursement within the healthcare system, practitioners must meet the ZPM criteria. Failing to meet these requirements means you cannot operate within the ZPM framework, and any care provided will not be eligible for reimbursement by healthcare providers. For anyone aspiring to work in the Dutch Mental Health Care sector, it is crucial to meet the qualifications outlined by ZPM.
To practice as a basispsycholoog within the framework of ZPM, you must satisfy two requirements and be able to provide evidence thereof:
- Evidence of Prior Education: You need to possess a declaration of prior education (so called "verklaring vooropleidingseisen"), which is provided by the university. Alternatively, you can demonstrate that you meet the requirements through alternative means as specified on the ZPM-website.
- Evidence of Diagnostic Competence: You need to possess a declaration of diagnostic competence ("verklaring diagnostiek") or BAPD certification ("basisaantekening psychodiagnostiek”).
Through the "Evidence of Prior Education" declaration, you demonstrate that you have acquired credits across 12 distinct categories, as specified by the LOGO society.
If you have completed both your bachelor's and master's degrees at Erasmus University Rotterdam, you will meet the prior education requirements if:
- You have successfully completed the bachelor's programme in psychology with a specialisation in Clinical Psychology.
- You have successfully completed the master's programme in Clinical Psychology (CP), Forensic and Legal Psychology (FLP), or the Dutch language master's programmes in Klinische Psychologie or Klinische Kinder- en Jeugdpsychologie (KKJ).
- You have successfully completed a GZ-practical internship*, which is a 19 EC practical internship that satisfies the requirements for both diagnostics and treatment in preparation for potential admission to the GZ-education.
Note: Completing a GZ-practical internship should provide you with the opportunity to meet the requirements for evidence of diagnostic competence (or potentially obtain a BAPD certification).
If you have or plan to obtain your bachelor's and master's degrees at separate universities (e.g., a bachelor's degree from the University of Amsterdam and a master's degree from Erasmus University Rotterdam), you will need to request an "evidence of prior education" document from both universities. The university where you earned your bachelor's degree can provide a partial declaration related to your bachelor's. The university where you earned your master's degree can provide a partial declaration related to your master's. With these partial declarations, you can apply for a full declaration of evidence of prior education.
Be aware: The curricula of the various Dutch universities differ at both the bachelor's and master's levels. Therefore, if you obtained degrees from separate universities, you may not have acquired sufficient ECs to meet all the specified criteria as outlined for the “evidence of prior education” declaration. In such cases, you may need to take additional courses to obtain the necessary credits, which may be available through institutions like the Open University. It's essential to note that only ECs earned at a Dutch university are considered, and that you cannot enroll in single courses/ECs within the Psychology programme at Erasmus University Rotterdam.
It is the responsibility of the student to verify if their chosen academic track fulfills all the required ECs. You can refer to the provided tables to check which ECs you can obtain within the EUR master programme, detailed per master track. To determine if you meet (or will be able to meet) the requirements when completing the EUR master track, consider both the ECs earned during your bachelor's and those attainable through this master's programme.
(For the master’s offered in Dutch, please see the Dutch version of the website).
If your career goal is to work as a GZ-psychologist, you will need to complete the GZ-education (GZ-opleiding). To be eligible for the postgraduate programme to become a GZ-psychologist in the Netherlands, you must meet specific requirements. If you have successfully completed both the bachelor and master specialisations in Clinical Psychology, including a 19 EC GZ-internship, at Erasmus University Rotterdam, you qualify for the postgraduate programme. If you completed your bachelor's or master's degrees at a different university, you will need to verify whether you meet the entry requirements, which includes evidence of prior education as detailed here above.
It is important to understand that admission to the GZ-postgraduate programme is highly selective. Completing the master’s programme, while an important first step, does not guarantee admission to the GZ-education. Also note that the GZ programme is exclusively conducted in Dutch. For detailed information regarding the application process and admission requirements, please refer to the official website.
If you would like to become a skilled clinical psychologist and acquire up to date knowledge within the mental health field, the clinical psychology masters at EUR is just for you!
I personally experienced all of the professors very passionate about the topics they teach and eager to make learning about course contents as interactive as possible. Some professors even go above and beyond organizing extracurricular activities.
What I appreciated most was the fact that the professors encouraged the students to question and critically think about the current mental health system as it is now.
By means of role play with my fellow students, I have learned how to conduct a couple’s interview, a sexual anamnesis, and apply the methods of cognitive behavioural therapy.
Due to the small teaching groups, students are able to gain a lot more of the expertise the professors are able to offer.
What I found particularly exciting about following this MSc was that our professors were not only distinguished academics and (some of them) experienced clinicians, but they were also very good teachers.
Now, having gone through the programme, I can tell that it was the best choice. As a graduate, I do not have only theoretical knowledge about clinical psychology but learned important skills for assessment and therapy.
