Ph.D. in Psychology

The Ph.D. in Psychology is a research-intensive program in which students pursue training in Social Psychology and Psychology of Work. Ph.D. study can lead to careers in research, academia, industry, and health care domains, as well as positions involved in the public sector. Only the students with the best performance can be admitted and work on the most recent research topics and tackle difficult open issues. The study involves the possibility to participate actively in international collaboration, present their results at international conferences, and publish in leading scientific journals.

About the Department

Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice (UPJŠ) is one of the first universities in Slovakia that start offering higher education in psychology. The Department of Psychology is a modern educational institution with a long and rich history that prepares young people for their professional careers. We aim to interconnect theoretical knowledge with practice and employ modern approaches to teaching psychology based on tradition. The department is accredited to provide undergraduate and graduate education (bachelor’s and master’s degrees) in the field of psychology and postgraduate education (PhD.) in the Social Psychology and Work Psychology study program. Our graduates can work in a number of fields, such as clinical practice (further certification may be required to practice clinical psychology in a particular country), counselling, school psychology, but also in the sphere of work psychology as recruiters and employee trainers. At the same time, they are also able to assist in and conduct psychological research. The department also works on various grant projects which reflect the research foci of our teachers. Our primary fields of research include self-regulation and goal-oriented behaviour, topics related to health and adherence to health recommendations, self-care, topics in work and organisational psychology, developmental psychology, psychology of decision making, counselling psychology, etc.

The Department of Psychology is based in a modern building named Sokrates, which is on the premises of a newly reconstructed campus of the Faculty of Arts located near the beautiful historical center of the town. The department has its own state-of-the-art psychology laboratory, which is used not only for teaching purposes but also for conducting behavioral experiments (SUPERLAB) and research.

The training of future psychologists is done in cooperation with practitioners. Particularly, clinical psychology courses are taught in cooperation with the Faculty of Medicine of UPJŠ (e.g., Psychiatry, practical part of Clinical Psychology, Psychotherapy are taught at the Department of Psychiatry of Louis Pasteur University Hospital in Košice). Students can thus come into contact with patients in order to acquire the necessary experience. Our department is one of few in Slovakia which offer an Introduction to Psychodynamic Psychotherapy course which is taught by leading practitioners who are members of organizations such as the Slovak Association for Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy (SSPAP) and the International Psychoanalytical Association (IPA).

Students have the option and are encouraged to take part in community life and join student clubs (e.g., SAŠaP – Slovak Association of Psychology Students and Graduates), which organise all sorts of interesting activities for the student body. International students, in case of need, can use the services of UNIPOC (University Counselling Center) which provides psychological counseling in English.

Even in the unfavorable epidemiological situation that currently affects many countries in the world, our department strives to provide high-quality education by employing distance learning methods.

The graduates are able to carry out scientific research independently, publish in international scientific journals, and present research results. They can formulate research questions and solve them creatively with the appropriate methodological procedures.

Graduates of the PhD. program are successful on the job market as Researcher in Psychology, University Assistant Professor, Social Psychologist, Work Psychologist, School Psychologist, Educational Psychologist, Clinical Psychologist, Traffic Psychologist, Forensic Psychologist, etc.

The PhD. in Psychology is a research-intensive program in which students pursue training in Social Psychology and Psychology of Work. Ph.D. the study can lead to careers in research, academia, industry, health care domains, as well as positions involved in the public sector. Only the students with the best performance can be admitted and work on the most recent research topics and tackle difficult open issues. The study involves the possibility to participate actively in international collaboration, present their results at international conferences, and publish in leading scientific journals.

How is the study organized?

The study usually takes 4 years. Applications are due by May, and the study commences in September.

The doctoral program consists of a study part and the research part. The main output is a dissertation thesis. The study part includes compulsory and selective compulsory courses dedicated to expanding the student’s knowledge in various disciplines of psychology, with a special emphasis on the dissertation subject and research methods. In the research part, the students work closely with their Ph.D. supervisors. The regular supervisions include detailed discussions on scientific issues with other senior researchers and peer colleagues. The research comprises the preparation of publications, research projects, citations, etc.

The first year of study includes passing all compulsory courses. In the second year, students must submit one chapter of their dissertation thesis and pass a probation exam aimed at demonstrating their ability to conduct research independently. The remaining years of study are dedicated to the dissertation thesis, attending conferences, and publishing articles. The research results are expected to be substantial and original. The study is completed by the public defense of the dissertation thesis. The condition for successful completion of the study is to publish at least one article in a journal registered in the current contents connect databases and at least one paper in a journal not registered in the current contents connect databases.

Students are required to attend two face-to-face consultations with supervisors per academic year.