First graduates from new psychology programme – University of Copenhagen

A new master’s programme at the University of Copenhagen, run in collaboration with Region Zealand, has now produced its first graduates. This marks the culmination of a targeted effort to provide a more practice-oriented psychology education.

On 15 June, the first graduates from the University of Copenhagen’s new Master’s programme in psychology, specialising in psychiatry, were celebrated at a graduation ceremony in Roskilde. Although the cohort of around 25 students is small, the significance is great: the programme has been developed to strengthen the link between theory and practice and to help address an urgent need for psychological expertise in psychiatry.

The initiative has been developed through close collaboration between the Department of Psychology and Region Zealand. The aim is to bring students closer to clinical practice whilst they are still studying, thereby better equipping them for a career in psychiatry.

‘We wanted to create a programme where students not only learn about psychiatry, but learn within the field of psychiatry. This makes a difference to their professional development and to their understanding of patients’ needs,’ says Annemarie Olsen, Head of the Department of Psychology.

The graduation ceremony was attended by representatives from both the University of Copenhagen and Region Zealand, including Regional Council Chair Trine Birk Andersen. It was emphasised that the Master’s track is an example of how universities and the healthcare sector can collaborate to develop new solutions.

The new Master’s programme has been developed in response to a growing demand for psychologists with experience in psychiatry. Throughout the programme, students have maintained close links with clinical settings, including through being paired with clinical supervisors, which gives them a stronger foundation as they enter the labour market.

‘This is a good example of how we can rethink our degree programmes so that they match society’s needs even more closely. The graduates possess a unique combination of theoretical insight and practical experience,’ says Signe Vangkilde, Vice-Dean for Education at SAMF.

For both the university and the region, the graduation ceremony is therefore not just an ending, but also a beginning: the experiences of the first cohort will be used to further develop the programme and inspire similar initiatives.

Although the first cohort is small in size, the ambitions are high. Through the Master’s programme, the University of Copenhagen and Region Zealand hope to contribute to a more robust psychiatric service with better recruitment and stronger professional environments.

‘The newly qualified graduates thus represent not only the culmination of a long and close collaboration across organisations. The programme also represents new ways of thinking about the development of psychology education,’ notes Annemarie Olsen.

Annemarie Olsen , Head of Department Department of Psychology Email: ano@psy.ku.dk T: +45 35 33 10 18

Signe Vangkilde , Vice-Dean for Education Faculty of Social Sciences Email: vangkilde@samf.ku.dk T: +45 35 32 48 85

Simon Knokgaard Halskov UCPH Communications Email: halskov@adm.ku.dk M: +45 93 56 53 29