Psychotherapy Master's: 1,300 applicants for 500 places

A record number of applicants are vying for a limited number of psychotherapy master's study places in Austria, highlighting the program's high demand and the country's commitment to bolstering mental health services.

“

For all study locations, there are more applicants than places, for the 40 in Vienna alone, more than ten times as many interested parties have registered.

More than 1,200 candidates are set to take a three-hour written test to compete for 500 publicly funded study places across seven Austrian universities: Vienna, Krems, Graz, Klagenfurt, Linz, Salzburg, and Innsbruck. The competition is particularly fierce for the 40 places in Vienna, which attracted more than ten times the number of applicants.

Admission to the program requires a relevant bachelor's degree, such as in psychology or social work, followed by the entrance examination and a self-assessment questionnaire. The written test, accounting for 70% of the evaluation, covers the fundamentals of psychotherapy science, including psychological and medical-psychiatric basics, and psychological diagnostics. It also assesses English-language text comprehension, verbal-analytical skills, and socio-emotional competencies.

“

70 percent of the result depends on the test part on the fundamentals of psychotherapy science (including psychological and medical-psychiatric fundamentals, psychological diagnostics).

This new master's program marks the first significant reform of psychotherapy training in Austria since the 1990s. A key aspect of the reform is the reservation of 75% of the study places for students holding an Austrian matura (high school diploma). This measure aims to ensure a sufficient supply of psychotherapists in Austria, addressing concerns about the high number of German students in bachelor's programs who may not remain in the country after graduation.

“

As with human medicine studies, 75 percent of the places for the psychotherapy master's are reserved for students with an Austrian matura certificate.

Similar to the human medicine program, the psychotherapy master's also allows for study places to be designated for "tasks of public interest." Under this model, applicants may need fewer points on the entrance test and receive a scholarship, but they commit to working for a sponsoring employer for a specified period. However, neither the federal states nor the health insurance funds utilized this option for the current admission round.

“

The new master's is the centerpiece of the first reform of psychotherapy training since the 1990s.