Early Childhood Research MSc

• A first academic degree;
• knowledge of English at C1 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

The faculty will check whether the above requirements have been met and then issue an official notification. This serves as proof that the candidate meets the relevant admission requirements.

The highly research-oriented two-year programme, offered entirely in English, offers a unique curriculum covering topics such as cognitive and social development, psychopathological development, cultural variability of early childhood development, species comparison and phylogeny and ontogeny of psychological mechanisms, psychopathological developmental processes, cultural variability, and cognitive neuroscience.

The programme imparts research-relevant soft skills such as project management, time planning, university didactics and science communication.

The Early Childhood Research MSc programme aims to enable highly qualified students to enter research, consulting, coordination or continuing education in the interdisciplinary field of early childhood development.

The course is divided into theory, application, method and skills modules as well as the master’s thesis (including defence).

The MSc programme in Early Childhood Research has a consistently interdisciplinary orientation, with the curriculum taught by lecturers from educational science, psychology, philosophy, medicine and by researchers from the Max Planck Institutes for Evolutionary Anthropology and for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences.

Childhood research is no longer a monodisciplinary field of research.

In Leipzig alone, psychologists, educationalists, biologists, philosophers, physicians and palaeoanthropologists often work together in their research of questions relating to early childhood development. Despite this situation, master’s students are still being trained in monodisciplinary contexts. Consequently, research projects lack doctoral students who have a broad, interdisciplinary approach and at the same time can demonstrate excellent methodological training. The new MSc in Early Childhood Research targets precisely this need. At the same time, the fact that the programme is taught in English and has an international orientation prepares graduates optimally for a globalised labour market. If opting to enter the world of work directly without a doctorate, graduates can find work in a variety of professional fields, including research coordination, statistical and methodological training and continuing education, as well as advising institutions and political bodies at local, state and federal level.

Course start: winter semester
Admission restriction (NCU): yes
Application period: 2 May–31 May
Application portal: AlmaWeb

International students can find information about application periods and how to apply here.

Application for higher semesters of study is not possible until further notice.

Compulsory curriculum in English