Faculty of Behavioural Sciences and Psychology
Here you will find answers to frequently asked questions about studying at the Faculty of Behavioural Sciences and Psychology.
General information
The Bachelor's programme in Psychology is generally taught in German. Individual courses may be held in English. The majority of the literature used is published in English, which is why a good knowledge of English is required.
From the beginning of the Bachelor's programme in Psychology, including the Preparatory Courses, students are required to use statistical software (such as R), and exams are conducted online using students’ own laptops (Exam mode and Requirements). Therefore, having a laptop that meets the technical requirements of IT services is mandatory. Devices that meet these requirements can be purchased at a reduced price through the Neptun project.
Admission and application
Information on the admission requirements to the Bachelor's programme in Psychology at the University of Lucerne can be found in the admission guidelines of the University of Lucerne (Admission Guidelines).
No. Applicants who have been excluded from the same degree programme (major or minor) at another university in Switzerland or abroad due to failed assessments are not eligible for admission to the Bachelor's programme in Psychology at the University of Lucerne. This exclusion cannot be remedied (e.g. by earning another degree) and does not expire.
In Switzerland, the Bachelor's programme in Psychology is not subject to an admission or aptitude procedure (e.g. numerus clausus). Prospective students with a Swiss Matura are admitted regardless of their grade point average.
Prospective students with a foreign university entrance qualification must provide proof of admission to study psychology at a recognised university (with the right to award doctorates, not a distance-learning university) in the country where the qualification was obtained. This confirmation must be no more than one year old. If the Bachelor's programme in Psychology in the country of origin is subject to a numerus clausus (e.g. in Germany), proof of university admission in the field of psychology must be enclosed with the application to study psychology at the University of Lucerne. The grade on the school-leaving certificate does not affect admission; what matters is the valid proof of a university place in psychology.
Psychology can be taken as a minor subject without providing this proof. However, switching to psychology as a major subject is only possible if the above conditions are fulfilled.
The regular registration period for the Bachelor's programme in Psychology runs from 15 February to 30 April. The programme starts in the autumn semester.
Late registrations are accepted until 30 June (for registrations from countries requiring a visa) or 31 August (for registrations from countries not requiring a visa).
Further information on registering for the programme can be found under Registration and Admission.
The deadlines for course registration and exam registration can be found on the faculty's Course page and Exam page.
You can request a change of major or minor subject within the University of Lucerne up to Friday of the second week of the semester. There are no additional fees for changing subjects.
To initiate the change, send an email to the Admissions Office of the University of Lucerne indicating:
- your current major and/or minor subject, and
- the major and/or minor subject you wish to switch to.
If you would like to switch to Psychology as your major, please also state your desired minor subject(s).
The Admissions Office will inform you about the next steps, which include contacting the relevant student advisory service(s) for your new programme(s). Their approval is required to finalise the change.
This process also applies when switching between Psychology as a minor and major subject. Please note: if you are switching from a minor to a major in Psychology, the major subject regulations apply. In particular, all courses in the Preparatory Courses must be passed within two examination attempts for the switch to be approved.
Crediting
In principle, it is possible to transfer to the University of Lucerne during your Bachelor's programme. Section § 21 of the Faculty's Study and Exam Regulations overns the recognition of previously earned credits.
Please note that, according to the Guidelines of the Faculty's Study and Exam Regulations, you may only attend courses from the Advanced Level Studies once you have successfully completed all the requirements of the Preparatory Courses.
Additionally, the Bachelor's programme in Psychology at the University of Lucerne is being introduced gradually. As a result, courses from higher semesters cannot be taken in advance if they have not yet been offered for the first time as part of the programme’s rollout. For this reason, the Bachelor's degree will not be available before the spring semester of 2027 at the earliest.
In the Bachelor's programme with Psychology as the major subject and in the Master's programme in Psychology, a maximum of 60 ECTS credits earned externally can be recognised. For minor subjects in Psychology (30 or 60 ECTS credits), at least half of the credits must be earned at the Faculty of Behavioural Sciences and Psychology.
Credits can only be transferred if:
they have not already been counted towards a completed degree, and
they were earned no more than eight years prior to the transfer.
Which courses can be credited is assessed on a case-by-case basis. After registering for your degree programme, you can submit an application for a credit transfer assessment to the Student Advisory Service. To do so, fill out the credit transfer form of the Faculty of Behavioural Sciences and Psychology with the courses for which you would like a credit transfer assessment and return it as a signed Word document with the required original documents (listed on the credit transfer form) to the Student Advisory Service. The study delegate decides on the transfer of external academic credits. A final decision on credit transfer is only made after enrolment. Submit the signed form as a Word document along with the required original documents (as specified on the form) to the Student Advisory Service. The study delegate is responsible for deciding on the recognition of external academic credits. A final decision will only be made after enrolment.
Credit transfer applications must be submitted by the end of the exam registration period for the exam session in which the course in question is assessed.
Example: A credit transfer application for the course "Scientific Work with Exercises" must be submitted by the end of the exam registration period for the autumn semester’s exam session.
For credit recognition in minor subject(s), please contact the student advisory service of the respective minor programme(s).
When enroling in the Bachelor's programme in Psychology as a second degree, you can apply for exemption from the minor subject. A second degree means enroling in a second Bachelor's degree programme after successfully completing a Bachelor's or Master's degree. To do so, please contact the Student Advisory Service by email after registering for the Bachelor's programme in Psychology as your major and send your university diplomas from previous Bachelor's or Master's degrees.
The Master's programme in Lucerne will start for the first time in autumn 2027. A Bachelor's degree in Psychology from a Swiss university fulfils the admission requirements.
All information regarding the crediting of test subject hours already completed externally can be found in the Test Subject Hours Guide.
Study models
The degree programme, the sample study plan and the sample timetables are generally designed for full-time study. Part-time study is permitted, but the maximum duration of study must be observed (ten semesters for a Bachelor's degree and eight semesters for a Master's degree). In justified cases, an extension of the maximum duration of study may be requested. It is therefore possible to spread the programme over a longer period than the standard period of study at your own responsibility. However, students are responsible for designing their own study plans.
Yes, this is possible. However, courses from the second stage of study (Advanced Level Studies) can only be attended once all courses from the Preparatory Courses have been successfully completed. Courses from the minor subject are not affected by this and can be planned as specified in the regulations of the minor subject. In addition, a two-year phase for the Preparatory Courses extends the duration of study accordingly.
How you divide up the courses is up to you. Please note that some courses build on each other (e.g. Biological Psychology 1 and 2) and some of them are examined as part of a module exam at the end of the spring semester (e.g. Clinical Psychology 1 and 2).
This must be considered on an individual basis. As a general rule, one ECTS credit corresponds to 25 to 30 hours of work. In addition to the weekly hours per semester required for a course, time must also be set aside for preparing and reviewing the material. For full-time studies, we recommend a maximum workload of 20%; for part-time studies, we also recommend that the workload not be too high.
The maximum duration of study is ten semesters for the Bachelor's programme and eight semesters for the Master's programme (see Study and Exam Regulations §15). This corresponds to five years for the Bachelor's programme and four years for the Master's programme in Psychology. In justified cases, an extension of the maximum duration of study may be requested. A request for an extension has to occur in the second to last or last semester (which is the 9th or 10th semester in the Bachelor's programme) until the 15.03. for the spring semester and the 15.10. for the fall semester to studienberatung-vpf@unilu.ch.
Please note that the minor subject must also be completed within the maximum duration of study.
Note further, that the transgression of the maximum duration of study without a granted extension will lead to an exclusion from the study programme (see Study and Exam Regulations §30).
Preparatory Courses
The first year of the Bachelor's programme in Psychology (based on the standard period of study) is referred to as the Preparatory Courses. This stage marks the beginning of the programme and includes foundational coursework totalling 44 ECTS credits. Progression to the Advanced Level Studies is only possible after successfully completing the Preparatory Courses. The only exception is if the compulsory course Psychologists at Work is the sole remaining requirement; in this case, transfer to the Advanced Level Studies is still permitted. The compulsory courses that are part of the Preparatory Courses can be found in the guidelines for the study and exam regulations for the Bachelor's programme in Psychology.
Anyone who fails to pass the Preparatory Courses on a second attempt will be excluded from the Bachelor's programme in Psychology at the University of Lucerne and will be barred from studying psychology. Once barred, it is no longer possible to switch to a minor in psychology at the University of Lucerne.
This circumstance cannot be remedied (e.g. by obtaining another degree) and is not subject to a statute of limitations.
Courses
All information about the courses can be found on the Course page (including enrolment, sample study plan, sample timetables and digital course offerings).
In the Bachelor's programme in Psychology, students complete a minor subject in addition to their major in Psychology. Students are responsible for coordinating their major and minor subjects themselves.
The study requirements for all degree programmes are specified in the respective guidelines of the applicable study and exam regulations. These guidelines can be found in the regulations of the respective faculty offering your major or minor subject. For the Bachelor's programme in Psychology and the minor programmes in Psychology, these can be found on the Regulations page of the Faculty of Behavioural Sciences and Psychology.
The Sample schedules provide further assistance in putting together your study schedule.
The current sample schedules can be found under Sample study plan/timetable.
Please note the following regarding free time slots/days:
1. Please note the requirements for minor subjects.
2. The sample schedule is designed for full-time study. Please note that the courses also require a corresponding amount of time for preparation and follow-up work.
Where possible, all lectures are planned to be recorded and made available as podcasts to supplement classroom teaching. Exercises and proseminars, however, will take place exclusively in the classroom and will not be recorded. Please note that unforeseen cancellations—for example, due to power outages or technical issues—cannot be entirely ruled out. In addition, lecturers may choose to exclude certain parts of a lecture from the recording (e.g., for data protection reasons). The responsibility for any missed recordings or missing parts of a lecture rests with the students.
For further details, please consult the information on Digital teaching ressources.
Attendance is compulsory for some courses. Binding information can be found in the Course catalogue.
Exams
All information about exams at the Faculty of Behavioural Sciences and Psychology can be found on the Exam page (including dates of the relevant exam sessions, exam mode and requirements, and exam schedules).
Registration is mandatory for all exams offered by the faculty. You cannot take an exam without registering. Registration takes place via the University portal. The registration deadlines can be found on the Exam page under the respective exam sessions.
Once the registration deadline has passed, you can no longer register or deregister, and your registration or deregistration is binding. If you register for the exam but do not take it, this will count as a failed attempt.
The faculty's exam sessions can be found on the Exam page. The exam dates for individual courses can be found in the current exam schedule (on the Exam page) and in the Course catalogue.
Repeat examinations take place during the exam session of the following semester. Exception: Courses that are examined in the spring semester of the Preparatory Courses and are not passed can be retaken at the end of July. This enables students to transition to the Advanced Level Studies in accordance with the standard period of study.
Further information on the exams can be found on the faculty's Exam page.
The re-exams are for students who were registered for the regular exam date and received an unsatisfactory grade. Students who were not registered for the regular exam date are not eligible to take the re-exam.
Yes, there are annual exams (module exams), which cover the content of both the autumn and spring semesters in a single exam held during the spring semester exam session. The courses concerned are listed in the Study guidelines and exam regulations for the Bachelor's programme in Psychology.
In the Preparatory Courses, an exam may be retaken once. This means that a total of two exam attempts are allowed in the Preparatory Courses. In the Advanced Level Studies, an exam may be retaken twice, which corresponds to a total of three exam attempts.
According to the exam guidelines, any withdrawal must be communicated to the Exams Administration by email before the start of the exam. Withdrawal after the start of the exam is generally not possible. All important information on this can be found in § 7 of the Guide to exams.
If you wish to retake the exam on the repeat date, you must register for it within the registration period for the corresponding exam session. For example, if you failed an exam in the autumn semester of the Preparatory Courses, you must register for the re-exam in the spring semester within the exam registration period for the spring semesters exam session.
That is possible. However, please note that the content of the course may be adjusted and therefore the material relevant to the exam may change from semester to semester. It is advisable to cross-check the course materials or to attend the course again.
If you are in the Preparatory Courses, please note that you can only transfer to the Advanced Level Studies and attend courses in higher semesters once you have passed all the Preparatory Courses assessments.
All information regarding requests for special requirements can be found in the section Requests for special requirements.
Minor subject area
Students can choose from the minor study programmes of the other faculties of the University of Lucerne as well as recognised minor subjects of other universities (60 and 30 ECTS credits). The Dean's Office must approve the transferability of minor programmes from other universities in advance.
Psychology cannot be chosen as a minor subject.
If you wish to take a minor subject at another university, you may do so on your own responsibility and with independent planning.
When registering for the Bachelor's programme, select the option "Minor subject at another university". After admission, contact the Student Advisory Service by email, including details of the desired external minor (e.g., a link to the programme website). The Student Advisory Service will review your request and, if approved, issue a confirmation of recognition for the external minor subject. You can then present this confirmation to your chosen university to ensure that the University of Lucerne will accept the minor. Please remember to observe the application deadlines and procedures of the host university and to obtain the necessary information yourself.
Specific information (e.g. registration deadlines for examinations) about the minor subject or subjects of your choice can be found on the website of the faculty offering the course. For further information on your minor subject(s), please contact the student advisory service or subject advisory service of the faculty offering the course directly.
Overview of application deadlines for all faculties
In the event of overlaps, the major subject always takes precedence over the minor subject(s).
Most courses are offered again the following year and can therefore be attended at a later date.
Another option is to make use of the Digital teaching ressources. As long as the courses in your major and minor subjects do not overlap in exam scheduling, you can consult the Course catalogue to see whether one of them is available as a podcast and, if so, switch to that at your own responsibility. For questions regarding the compatibility of your major and minor subject areas, please contact the Student counselling services and subject-specific study counselling services of the relevant faculties.
This decision depends on your individual interests and what you personally consider to be a useful addition to your major in psychology.
In principle, two minor subjects offer a broader but less in-depth insight into other subject areas than one minor subject. It should also be noted that the respective regulations of the faculty offering each minor subject apply. Therefore, additional effort may be required to coordinate two minor subjects (e.g. with regard to registration deadlines, overlapping courses, etc.).
The Sample study plan recommends beginning courses in the minor subject(s) already in the first year of study. This allows for a balanced distribution of ECTS points across the standard period of study. However, students may choose to start their minor subject(s) at a different time under their own responsibility. Please note, though, that the maximum period of study for the Bachelor's degree in Psychology is five years.
An extracurricular minor is a minor completed in addition to the regular degree programme. Every student can enrol in an extracurricular minor. Students must proactively consult with the Student advisors of the respective faculty.
Important:
- An extracurricular minor is part of your degree programme. This means that the degree programme can only be completed if the extracurricular minor has also been completed. When choosing an extracurricular minor, it must be completed within the maximum period of study (Section 15 of the Study and Examination Regulations of the Faculty).
- The additional minor must not interfere with the regular programme of study and does not constitute grounds for extending the period of study.
- An extracurricular minor must correspond to the study plan of the respective minor programme.
Mobility
Yes. A maximum of two semesters per degree programme (Bachelor's and Master's) can be completed at another University. Please contact the International Relations Office early on.
Career prospects and further training programmes
Studying psychology paves the way for a wide range of career opportunities. Psychologists are sought-after specialists in healthcare, social services, education, administration, business and research.
Possible careers include school psychology, educational counselling, traffic or legal psychology, health management and prevention, career and business consulting, marketing, human resources, data analysis and science, and psychotherapy.
A Master's degree in Psychology alone does not qualify you for self-employment as a psychotherapist. Several years of additional training are required. The prerequisites for entering such a training programme can already be met while studying at the University of Lucerne. To begin further training in psychotherapy, you must complete sufficient coursework in Clinical Psychology and Psychopathology during your Master's degree (usually at least 12 ECTS).
The University of Lucerne has its own further education programme in psychotherapy.
