Master's exam

Eine Gruppe von Studierenden sitzt gemeinsam an einem Tisch und lernt.

The Master's exam consists of two parts: The defensio and an examination of a chosen subject.

For detailed information about the Master's exam please visit the website of the SSC Psychology!

 

Defensio

In the first 10 minutes, the candidate briefly presents their Master's thesis without the use of technical aids. Following this, the supervisor asks questions regarding the research gap, the research questions, the underlying theories, the methods and analyses, and how the thesis is embedded in the field of social psychology.

Preparation for the defensio:

  • Please select six articles that you cited or referred to in your Master's thesis. You will be asked questions about these articles, so it is important that you study them well. Please send the list of selected articles to soko.psychologie@univie.ac.at at least one week before the examination date.
  • Please be aware that a basic understanding and knowledge of social psychology at undergraduate level is required (e.g. Aronson et al., 2021). It is possible that you will be asked questions about the basic principles of social psychology if they are related to your Master's thesis. 

 

Subject Examination

The second part of the Master's exam consists of an examination on a subject of choice from the Master's program.
Please be aware that this is an examination of subject knowledge, not just "book knowledge". Besides the examination literature (see below), a thorough understanding of psychological theories and concepts is necessary.

 

Examination literature for Social Psychology as the 2nd examination subject (Master's exam)

(updated on 12.03.2024)

  • Aronson, E., Wilson. T., & Akert. R. M. (2021). Social psychology (10th global edition). NJ: Prentice Hall. (or newer editions)