How can psychology help us understand and solve environmental and energy-related problems? How can we motivate and empower people to act pro-environmentally and adapt to a changing environment?

Questions like these are addressed in the Master program 'Environmental psychology'. The program focuses on the interactions between humans and their environment. You will acquire theoretical knowledge and methodological skills to understand and address the human dimension of environmental and energy-related problems. The program is taught by the world-leading Environmental Psychology group at the University of Groningen.

The expertise gained in this master is essential in attempts to limit global climate change and its negative impacts, and adapt successfully to the consequences of climate change. Governments and companies seek advice from environmental psychologists to understand the human dimension of sustainable development, and leading journals, such as Nature, stress the importance of the social sciences for solving environmental and energy-related problems. This master will equip you for job opportunities that focus on finding effective and societal acceptable solutions to these problems.

From September onwards, most of our courses will be offered online. Where possible and necessary we will combine the online education with lectures and activities on campus, since we feel it is important that you can meet your lecturers and fellow students in person.

Job prospects

There is an increasing demand from practitioners and policy makers to understand the human dimension of sustainable development. Technical solution alone cannot solve environmental problems: Behavioural changes are required and sustainable policies and innovations need to be accepted and adopted by the public.

Our programme equips you for positions in practice or science.

Job examples

Policy advisor

Environmental policy making (e.g. at national or municipality level)

Consultancy

Behavioral expert in environmental and energy organizations

(such as grid operators, energy providers and water companies)

Environmental communication and education

(for example at MilieuCentraal )

Researcher at an institute of applied sciences

(such as the Netherlands institute for social research (SCP))

PhD in Environmental and/or Psychological research

Programme:

The master program Environmental Psychology equips you with the theoretical knowledge and methodological skills to understand the human dimension of environmental and energy-related problems. Furthermore, it provides you with the expertise to develop effective and societally acceptable solutions for these problems.

The program introduces you to the main theories in the course Environmental Psychology. Further, you will learn how to design and evaluate interventions to improve environmental quality in the course 'Designing Interventions'. In the course 'Advanced Topics in Environmental Psychology', you will become an expert on a self-chosen topic within the field of Environmental Psychology. Finally, 'Working in Interdisciplinary Teams' teaches you to integrate your obtained knowledge with perspectives from other disciplines to better understand and address the complexity of environmental and energy-related problems.

Throughout the year, you will be working on your individual master thesis and possible internship, in which you can work on your own research project. You will have the opportunity to be involved in collaborations with other universities, governmental agencies, companies and NGOs.