Psychologie – Public Mental Health (M.Sc.)
DIPLOMA Hochschule Hamburg · Hamburg, Germany
QS World University Ranking: N/A
Quick Overview
Apply Now📘 Program Overview
The DIPLOMA Hochschule Hamburg offers the Master Fernstudium Psychologie (M.Sc.) with the focus Public Mental Health in cooperation with MEU (Multiversität), accredited and aligned with the standards of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Psychologie (DGPs). The program focuses on prevention, psychosocial care, and digital innovation approaches connected through an interdisciplinary perspective at population level.
International applicants learn how societal conditions, scientific findings, and legal frameworks shape public mental health services. Teaching is mainly online with fixed presence phases, and you can start the study program on 1 April or 1 October.
🎯 Course & Curriculum
Course structure
- Psychological diagnostics in Public Mental Health
- Scientific working and quantitative research methods
- Creation of psychological reports (psychologische Gutachten)
- Basics for digital phenotyping and mobile sensing
- Development and evaluation of evidence-based prevention programs
- Public-health-oriented counseling and health communication
- Crisis prevention and support for vulnerable groups
- Application of digital prevention and intervention programs
- Epidemiology of mental health
- Structures of psychosocial care systems
- Digitalization, AI, and eHealth solutions in the mental health area
- Specialisation choice: Diversitätspsychologie
- Specialisation choice: eHealth und Digital Mental Healthcare
- Specialisation choice: Global Mental Health
- Specialisation choice: Psychologisches Empowerment und Positive Psychologie
- Development of public mental health strategies and policy advice
- Independent academic work applying research and evaluation methods from the program
- Finalisation of the Master of Science (M.Sc.) qualification with 120 ECTS overall
Curriculum
120 ECTS part-time master's programme in Psychologie – Public Mental Health (M.Sc.) with foundation and specialization modules, a practice component, optional elective focus areas, and a master thesis with colloquium.
| Semester | No. of modules | Module / subject category | ECTS / CP | Semester total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Semester 1 | Grundlagenvertiefung | Entwicklungspsychopathologie: Versorgungsbedürfnisse über die Lebensspanne | ||
| Versorgung aus sozialpsychologischer und sozialpsychiatrischer Perspektive | ||||
| Einführung in Public Mental Health | ||||
| Klinische Psychologie, Gesundheitspsychologie und Prävention | ||||
| Quantitative Forschungsmethoden 1 | ||||
| Quantitative Forschungsmethoden 2 | ||||
| Theorie und Praxis psychologischer Diagnostik und Testverfahren | ||||
| Semester 2 | Grundlagenvertiefung und Forschungsmethoden | Forschungsmethoden in Public Mental Health | ||
| Forschungsmethoden und Evaluation | ||||
| Psychologische Diagnostik | ||||
| Forschungsbezug im Journal Club: Studien aus dem Bereich Public Mental Health | ||||
| Freies Modul I – Digitalisierung im Gesundheitswesen: Digitalisierung und Künstliche Intelligenz im Gesundheitswesen | ||||
| Freies Modul I – Digitalisierung im Gesundheitswesen: Psychoinformatik: Digital Phenotyping und Mobile Sensing | ||||
| Wahlpflichtbereich (wähle 1 aus 4): Ergänzungsbereich – Diversitätspsychologie | ||||
| Semester 3 | Anwendungsvertiefung und Ergänzungsbereich | Frei(e)s Modul II – Patient:innenfokussierung in Public Mental Health: Patient:innenfokussierung in Public Mental Health | ||
| Freies Modul III – Politikberatung und Monitoring von Entscheidungen: Politikberatung und Monitoring von Entscheidungen | ||||
| Ergänzungsbereich – eHealth und Digital Mental Healthcare | ||||
| Ergänzungsbereich – Global Mental Health | ||||
| Ergänzungsbereich – Psychologisches Empowerment und Positive Psychologie | ||||
| Praktikum | ||||
| Semester 4 | Praktikum und Projektarbeit | Praktikum | ||
| Projektarbeit und Journal Club: Studien aus dem Bereich Public Mental Health | ||||
| Projektarbeit und Journal Club: Studien aus dem Bereich Public Mental Health | ||||
| Projektarbeit und Journal Club: Studien aus dem Bereich Public Mental Health | ||||
| Freies Modul II – Patient:innenfokussierung in Public Mental Health: Patient:innenfokussierung in Public Mental Health | ||||
| Semester 5 | Abschlussmodule | Exposé – Recherche und Strukturierung | ||
| Master-Thesis und Kolloquium | ||||
| Total | Compulsory foundation and research methods modules, elective focus-area modules, practice component, and Master thesis with colloquium | |||
Career outcomes
- You gain job-ready skills to work on prevention, psychosocial support, and evaluation of mental health initiatives at public and community level.
- You are prepared for roles that combine psychology with digital mental health solutions, including eHealth and digital support program development.
- You can pursue career paths in health communication, prevention planning, and mental health strategy work in public administration, NGOs, and health organizations.
- You develop evidence-based competencies that support work in research projects and applied program development related to public mental health.
- You build a specialised Public Mental Health profile that fits well with growing demand in health and psychosocial care markets.
Employability rate
Employability rate and unemployment rate figures specifically for graduates of this Public Mental Health master in Germany are not published on the official program page, so we cannot state verified percentages here.
Together, the program’s focus on prevention, psychosocial counseling, and evaluation skills is designed to help you qualify for stable career opportunities in public, NGO, and health-sector settings.
✅ Entry Requirements
Academic qualification
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Bachelor’s or equivalent in psychology or a related field | International applicants must hold a Bachelor’s, Magister or Diplom degree in Psychology or a closely related subject. The programme requires that the first degree includes at least 100 ECTS in psychology foundations, applied areas, diagnostics and methods. Admission may be possible via bridging courses if the requirements are not fully met. |
| Recognition of foreign qualifications | For degrees completed outside Germany, applicants must provide proof of equivalence for admission. The university states that foreign qualifications must be shown to be equivalent for admission decisions. |
| Final grade / suitability assessment (if needed) | The university notes that applicants with a degree grade of 3.6 or lower may be admitted if they present their suitability for the master’s programme in an advising interview. Admission is otherwise based on whether the programme-specific access requirements are fulfilled. |
Module matching by study area
| Study area | Match possible? | Conditions |
|---|---|---|
| Medicine & Health | Close / related background (individual assessment) | The programme states that closely related study fields can be considered after an individual review of the study contents. Applicants should submit their bachelor’s certificate and Transcript of Records for assessment. |
Language requirements
💶 Fees & Funding
| Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition | EUR 279 / per month | Studies are part-time (5 semesters, 120 ECTS). The website lists tuition from 279 EUR per month, depending on the chosen payment model, plus a one-time examination fee. |
| Examination fee | EUR 985 / one time | One-time examination fee: 985 EUR. |
Proof of financial resources
Important dates
Application window
| Milestone | April - Summer intake | October - Winter intake |
|---|---|---|
| Application portal opens | N/A | N/A |
| Application deadline (final submit) | N/A | N/A |
| Application deadline (EU students) | N/A | N/A |
| Application deadline (Non-EU students) | N/A | N/A |
| Recommended apply-by | N/A | N/A |
| Semester begins | N/A | N/A |
Pre-application & reviews
| Milestone | April - Summer intake | October - Winter intake |
|---|---|---|
| VPD request - recommended | N/A | N/A |
| VPD result expected | N/A | N/A |
| APS - recommended | N/A | N/A |
| Start eligibility check | N/A | N/A |
Document submission deadlines
| Milestone | April - Summer intake | October - Winter intake |
|---|---|---|
| Application submission deadline | N/A | N/A |
| Document submission deadline (EU students) | N/A | N/A |
| Document submission deadline (Non-EU students) | N/A | N/A |
| Language certificate deadline | N/A | N/A |
| Official transcripts deadline | N/A | N/A |
| Certified translations deadline | N/A | N/A |
| Postal / hard-copy documents deadline | N/A | N/A |
| Missing documents (if requested) | N/A | N/A |
🎓 Scholarship
| Provider | Scheme name | Coverage | Eligibility notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| DAAD | EPOS — Development-Related Postgraduate Courses | Tuition fees, monthly stipend, travel allowance, health insurance | This master is a postgraduate (Master of Science) program in psychology/public mental health in Germany and can align with EPOS’s focus on development-related studies. EPOS is intended for eligible graduates who meet DAAD’s selection criteria for applicants from developing and newly industrialised countries and have at least two years of relevant professional experience. |
📝 How to Apply
Confirm your eligibility for international admission
Check whether your first degree is in psychology or a closely related field and whether your studies include at least 100 ECTS in psychology foundations, applied areas, diagnostics and methods. If your previous studies do not fully meet the requirements, the programme allows bridging courses, and you can ask about suitability during admission consultation. For foreign degrees, prepare documents that allow the university to verify equivalence.
Prepare your documents for admission review
Gather your bachelor’s degree certificate and your Transcript of Records (or full transcripts). If your degree title differs from psychology but the content is relevant, the programme states that it may still be accepted if the requirements are fulfilled after individual review. If bridging courses are needed, the university mentions that bridging course fees apply.
Complete the application and follow the stated deadlines for each intake
Submit your application for the chosen study start month and ensure you submit by the stated application deadline. The programme page states specific enrolment cut-offs for the summer and winter semester. After submission, the university will review your admission eligibility and documents for an equivalence decision.