School and Educational Psychology

Coordinator

​Who is this course for​​?

People who have a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology.

Publication in the Official Gazette

Study Plan 2022 - Notice nº 12809/2022  - 2nd series, Nº 122 of 27  june 2022

Notice n.º. 7867/2013 - 2nd series, n.º 115 of 18 June 2013

Accreditation of the Study Program

Study Program Evaluation 

School and educational psychology is one of broadest fields of psychology and aims to meet the intervention needs of different educational settings, from schools to families, including centres that house at-risk children and young people. It focuses on intervention and research with children, adolescents and families from an ecological perspective, from the point of view of the psychologist’s work, which also involves paying special attention to social, organisational and community features. School and educational psychologists work in schools at all levels of education, at nurseries, residential homes for children and young people, associations that support people with learning difficulties and special educational needs, private practice, municipal councils, parish councils, community projects, etc.

The Master’s degree aims to develop skills in the following specific areas: psychology consultations with children, adolescents and families; psychopedagogical support for students with special educational needs; psychological assessment; career guidance; consultancy and training for different agents involved in education, particularly teachers; planning and implementing parental education/training and community intervention programmes for at-risk social groups; developing prevention actions for areas important to school settings, such as bullying, sexuality, academic failure, etc.

Professional opportunities

Those who complete the Master’s degree in School and Educational Psychology are especially qualified to work as psychologists in education institutions: schools at all levels of education, from crèches to university education; residential homes for children and young people; committees for the protection of children and young people; study centros ; etc. Além disso, a sua formação permite-lhes trabalhar em projetos comunitários relacionados com a educação organizados por freguesias e câmaras municipais, por exemplo, para desenvolver competências e prevenir problemas que afetam crianças, adolescentes e jovens. Psicólogos da área escolar e educacional também podem trabalhar por conta própria em clínicas particulares.

What makes this course different?

This course has a heavily vocational focus, with theoretical learning and research joined by practical work, in which students have the chance to participate in projects implemented in the community thanks to agreements with schools, social solidarity institutions and associations to support disabled people. Another important feature is the connection to national and international research in psychology through the Research Unit in Human Development and Psychology (UNIDEP) and the International Society for Interpersonal Acceptance and Rejection. The course also seeks to encourage the development of psychological intervention materials in the education field that allow students to explore the potential of new technologies for developing skills at early ages.

Academic staff are members of research units classified as “Excellent” (Centre for Psychology at the University of Porto - CPUP) and “Very Good” (Interdisciplinary Centre for Gender Studies - CIEG) in the Foundation for Science and Technology’s international evaluation.