Psychology has become one of the defining scientific disciplines of the 21st century, contributing to the rigorous understanding and management of social, technological, and health-related challenges through the empirical investigation of human behaviour and mental processes. In contemporary scholarly discourse, psychology is increasingly referred to as the science of the 21st century, reflecting its interdisciplinary embeddedness, methodological diversity, and broad range of applications spanning from neuroscience to the social sciences.
The aim of the doctoral program is to train researchers who are competitive by international standards and possess advanced theoretical, methodological, and research-ethical competencies. Graduates are expected to be capable of designing and conducting independent scientific research and disseminating their findings in national and international academic forums. The program contributes to the development of the national academic workforce in higher education institutions, research institutes, and various fields of applied psychology.
The completion of the doctoral degree requires the fulfilment of study, research, and publication milestones defined in the training and output requirements. The structure of the program is based on supervised, tutorial-based research activities carried out under the professional guidance of the supervisor, typically integrated into research groups while ensuring a high degree of doctoral student autonomy. Doctoral candidates conduct empirical research related to their dissertation topics, prepare peer-reviewed scientific publications based on their results, and complete and defend their doctoral dissertations.
The research focus areas represented by the supervisors of the doctoral school cover key domains of both basic and applied psychology. These include, among others, clinical and mental health psychology, sexual psychology, work and organizational psychology, the psychology of persuasion, environmental psychology, the psychology of digital interactions, psychological aspects of giftedness, sport persistence, psycholinguistics, the psychology of mathematical thinking, and psychological aspects of education and learning. In these areas, active and well-documented research groups operate within the Institute of Psychology at the University of Debrecen, providing the professional and infrastructural background necessary for doctoral research.
The overarching objective of the doctoral school is to maintain the conditions required for high-quality doctoral training, to effectively support doctoral candidates in achieving the degree, and to contribute to the advancement of psychological science through high-quality, peer-reviewed national and international publications.