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Prerequisite for admission to the doctoral studies:
- Very good English skills: we strongly recommend every candidate to pass an internationally recognised English language exam (TOEFL, IELTS, CAE or CPE test), and submit a proof of English language competency with the application,
- A Bachelor’s degree programme with 180 ECTS credits AND a Master’s degree programme with 120 ECTS credits (300 ECTS credits in total), for which a completed Bachelor’s degree programme is a prerequisite.
International diplomas: Applicants of all nationalities are invited to apply to SFU. Nevertheless, applicants from countries outside EEA or EU might have a little more (paper)work when applying to our Doctoral programme. Therefore, the Doctoral Office strongly encourages every prospect student to get certified English translations of their diplomas and certificates.
Selection procedure for admission:
Applicants for the doctoral programme submit their documents (academic degrees, proof of psychotherapy training or psychotherapeutic knowledge, curriculum vitae, publications if applicable, draft of the dissertation project) to the doctoral committee. The committee decides on the selection of applicants according to formal and content-related criteria.
These include:
- The verification of previous studies (Diploma, Magister, or B.A. plus M.A. with a total of 300 ECTS credits),
- Any previous academic publications,
- Psychotherapy training or previous psychotherapeutic experience (e.g. propaedeutic certificate/ Propädeutikum) or psychotherapeutic self-experience,
- The quality of the written presentation of the dissertation project,
- The closeness of the dissertation to the research focus of the Faculty of Psychotherapy Science or the supervisor in question.
Furthermore, the doctoral committee decides on admission interviews with applicants and on the recognition of achievements in another doctoral programme completed outside the SFU.
Proof of psychotherapeutic self-experience:
Applicants who have not completed a psychotherapy training must provide proof of 60 hours of psychotherapeutic self-experience with a registered psychotherapist as a proof of a holistic understanding of how psychotherapy works. Out of these 60 hours, at least 30 hours must be individual self-awareness, the remaining 30 hours may be group self-awareness. However, all 60 hours may also be completed as individual self-awareness.
Recommendations regarding the choice of dissertation topic:
If the doctoral studies and method-specific training begin at the same time, it is recommended not to choose a dissertation topic that requires practical knowledge of the method.
Admission requirement for full studies:
In order to avoid misunderstandings, we hereby expressly point out that we only accept full degree programmes as admission requirements, i.e. regular Diplom or Magister programmes with a minimum duration of eight semesters or consecutive regular Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes with a total duration of at least ten semesters and a total of 300 ECTS credits.
Extracurricular studies completed at Austrian post-secondary educational institutions can only be taken into account if they comply with the legal framework after the amendment of the CET (1 October 2023) and were also completed consecutively (as a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programme).
Master’s courses that comply with the legal framework before 1 October 2023 and were completed without a previous Bachelor’s degree programme cannot be accepted. Courses of a university nature or courses that were completed at non-university educational institutions cannot be considered either.
