General Psychology in English

Обща информация

Director

Assoc. Prof. Ludmilla Andreeva, Ph.D.
Central Bldg, 3rd Fl., South Wing, Office 61
tel. +359 2 9308 476
andreeva@phls.uni-sofia.bg

Secretary

Mrs. Levena Ezekieva
Central Bldg, 3rd Fl., South Wing, Office 60
tel. +359 2 9308 476
l.ezekieva@phls.uni-sofia.bg

Address

Sofia University, Faculty of Philosophy
15 Tzar Osvoboditel Blvd, Sofia 1504
Bulgaria
psychology_g@phls.uni-sofia.bg

​The MA program in General Psychology is designed for students who wish to sample from a variety of psychological fields. The program is  suitable for students with many different NON-psychological backgrounds and is designed for individuals who:

• Already have a job in a non-psychology domain but need basic psychological knowledge in their work.
• Hope to find career opportunities in areas related to psychology or want to broaden understanding of the field of psychology. (A master's degree in psychology, with experience in understanding psychological research, is valued in many different employment settings such as human relations, marketing, advertising, management, arbitration, lobbying, education, business, and pastoral care.)
• intend to seek a doctoral degree in areas related to psychology but do not have adequate undergraduate training and understanding of psychological research. As part of the program, these students will gain psychological knowledge that fills the gaps in their basic training.

The core curriculum of the General Psychology MA program is designed to provide the entry-level graduate student with a solid grounding in the basic scientific foundations of psychology. Upon successfully completing the core curriculum, the M.A. candidate in General Psychology fulfills the remaining degree requirements by taking a minimum of five courses across a spectrum of substantive areas in general psychology, including gender roles, developmental psychology, cross-cultural psychology, communication skills, personality disorders and human services. Thus, although the M.A. program is a stand-alone program, it is nonetheless designed to provide a bridge into further educational and career development. It should be emphasized that the MA Program in General Psychology at Sofia University is a terminal degree. This MA program is NOT designed to meet the requirements for the counseling professions.

The graduates of the MA in General Psychology:

• will have in-depth knowledge of current theoretical and methodological approaches and developments in the field of psychology;
• will be able to think critically and methodologically sound about key issues in psychology;
• will be able to conduct research in areas related to psychology;
• will be equipped with the theoretical and practical knowledge that is relevant to positions in education, business or research.

To qualify for the MA program in General Psychology, applicants should:

• Have received a Bachelor degree (different from Psychology) with good results from a recognized university. The Examination Board of the MA program in General Psychology will judge the prior education.
• Have a proof of proficiency in written and spoken English. This proof must be presented by submitting the results from either a TOEFL test (www.toefl.org), IELTS test (www.ielts.org), CPE (http://www.cambridgeesol.org/exams/cpe/index.html), or a comparable certificate, e.g. high school diploma from an English language school or a diploma from a university in an English speaking country. 
• Provide a curriculum vitae (in English).
• Have a personal statement of motivation (max. 1800 characters without spaces).  It will be assessed for the applicant’s writing skills and their ability to make a presentation in writing, attention to detail, avoidance of grammar mistakes, spelling errors and typos, the depth of their interest, the aspects of personality they are willing to reveal in it (in English).
• Appear in an interview. The presentation of the applicant will be assessed as meeting or not meeting the requirements.

Applicants who successfully pass the interview will be ranked based on the GPA of their Bachelor studies.

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MA General Psychology Professional Qualifications

Specialty

Psychology

Professional Field

Psychology

Form of instruction

Part-time and distance learning; final exams in all courses are held in person in computer halls on the premises of Sofia University.

Duration of instruction

Three semesters

Psychology provides a broad, liberal arts background. The graduates of the MA program in General Psychology at the University of Sofia have a blend of interpersonal, verbal, and quantitative skills. They share a scientific curiosity about the reasons people behave in the way they do and have the thorough background in psychological theory and methodology which enables them to observe and do research into human thought, behavior and motivation.

The graduates of the MA program in General Psychology have a host of marketable skills which make them ideal candidates for various positions:

• Ability to identify, interpret, understand and communicate to others key social, ethical and personal issues relevant to individuals, groups and society
• Interpersonal communication skills
• Thorough understanding of professional ethics and standards
• Knowledge of human development and behavior
• Problem solving
• Ability to observe, analyze, and interpret information
• Ability to compile and organize facts and data and to comprehend and apply new and/or unfamiliar information to different situations and settings
• Critical thinking
• Insight to work effectively with people
• The ability to set priorities, meet deadlines and effectively manage time, data and resources
• The ability to gather relevant information, anticipate needs and make appropriate recommendations
• An understanding of how to successfully identify, plan and contribute to the goals of a project
• Understanding of human nature
• Skills in organizing and leading groups and the ability to facilitate change and understanding
• Skills to assess events and beliefs and develop responses/strategies to manage situations

The graduates of the MA program in General Psychology at the University of Sofia are well-equipped to work in a variety of research and applied settings in areas related to psychology since a master's degree in psychology, with experience in understanding and conducting psychological research, is valued in many different employment settings. They can enter a wide variety of careers in education, human services, medicine, social work, various state agencies, law enforcement, science writing, sales, insurance, human relations, public relations, marketing, social research, advertising, management, arbitration, lobbying, recreation, and business in general. The students have gained the psychological knowledge that fills the gaps in their basic training and will be prepared for advanced graduate studies (Ph.D.). With additional graduate training the graduates of the MA program in General Psychology can prepare themselves for work in the field of counseling professions.

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Schedule and Exams

STATE EXAM - 01^st JULY 2023, 10:00-14:00, MOODLE

Application for participation to be sent to k.velkova@phls.uni-sofia.bg untill 23^rd June 2023.

Curriculum and Syllabuses

MA General Psychology Curriculum

​At least 5 electives = 15 ECTS credits in the 3rd semester

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Graduation

State Exam in Psychology (15 ECTS Credits)

First Exam Session – March

Second Exam Session – July

Lecturers

LECTURER	COURSES	E-mail
Assoc. Prof. Dr. L. Andreeva	Psychology of Social Cognition Abnormal Psychology Communication Skills History of Psychology
Chief Asst. Prof. Dr. D. Christova	Lifespan Development Human Development and Human Services
Assoc. Prof. Dr. C. Hancheva	Child Development Psychology of Adolescence	​
Chief Asst. Prof. Dr. P. Hristova	Crisis Management
Chief Asst. Prof. Dr. D. Ivanova	Consumer Behavior
Prof. Dr. Sc. S. Karabeliova ​	Inferential Statistics Cross-Cultural Psychology
Assoc. Prof. Dr. E. Khristova-Slavcheva	Cognitive Psychology Sleep and Health
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Svetlina Koleva	Intimate Relationships
Assoc. Prof. Dr. L. Nikolaeva-Glomb, MD	Biological Psychology Infection, Immunity, Genetics–Links to Psychology
Assoc. Prof. Dr. D. Petrov	Personality Psychology Psychology of Gender Personality Disorders

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Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What if my language certificate has expired?

A: The language certificate requirement is introduced because of the need to guarantee that students will not have any problems with their learning. The program is a part-time-distance-learning one and students’ main job will be to read and learn from English textbooks and research articles. If you feel you can cope with that, an expired language certificate like TOEFL etc. will not disqualify you.

Q: What if I have a bachelor’s or a master’s diploma from a university outside UK but my education was in English?

A: As long as this fact is documented in your university diploma, it is a valid proof of language proficiency.

Q: What if I have questions which are not strictly academic but concern rather administrative issues, e.g. application details, tuition fees, payment schedule, etc.?

A: Since your questions concern administrative issues, it is quite logical that the people who are qualified to answer them are the university and the faculty administrators, isn’t it? In this case you should look for the person who could answer your inquiries at click me (for the Faculty of Philosophy administration) and at click me (for SU administration).

Q: What if I have a university diploma from a foreign university which is not yet legalized?

A: You can read the information published at click me (in Bulgarian) and clik me (in English) and act accordingly. 

Q: When are the application documents due?

A: The application period for the Рrogram is usually in the summer. Up-to-date information on deadlines is published at: http://ma.su-phls.info/en/

Q: When are the interviews with the applicants held?

A: Interviews usually take place over a weekend in early September.

Q: When will I know if I have been accepted into the program?

A: When the Rector's Order for accepted students is released. Applicants then usually have 3 days in which to enroll - this occurs in early October.

Q: When is the official start date for this program?

A: The academic year at Sofia University starts on October 1st but for the first-year students in the MA programs this usually happens on October 10th or 12th.

Q: How long does it take to complete this Master’s program?

A: The program is a 3-semester one, i.e. a year and a half. 

Q: What is the number of students typically admitted to this program?

A: No more than 20-23 students.

Q: How is the academic year organized?

Applying to the program for the next academic year (2021-2022)

Online application

Dear applicants,

information about the application process and the application forms are to be found at clik-me 

Detailed information about the tuition fees could be found at clik-me (#2.5). The tuition fee for the 2021-2022 academic year is BGN900 per semester; it is paid in the beginning of each semester. 

The interviews will be held on September 11, 2021 from 1pm via Skype.