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Accreditation and rankings

In recent years, the Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience (FPN) has invariably landed among the top in the national rankings. This year, the bachelor’s and (one-year) master’s programme in Psychology finished at the top according to the Elsevier study into the best courses in 2009. Student ratings have placed the bachelor’s programme in Maastricht in the second place, after the Erasmus University in Rotterdam (EUR). According to the professors, Psychology in Maastricht is the third best study, after the University of Amsterdam (UvA) and the Radboud University in Nijmegen (RUN). The one-year master finished in second place, after the EUR.

The research master was included in this study in the category ‘Gezondheidszorg’ (Health care) and – being the only programme in this category – finished in first place. Compared to the research masters in the category ‘Gedrag en Maatschappij’ (Behaviour and Society) the research master of the FPN finished in the group with the highest scores, with 8.2 points.

In 2008 the bachelor’s programme in Maastricht was evaluated as the best study by both the students and the professors. Student ratings placed the master’s programme in the first place last year. According to the professors, the master was the fourth best programme.

Higher education study guide 2010
In the ‘Keuzegids Hoger Onderwijs’ (Higher education study guide) for 2010 the bachelor’s degree in Psychology finished in third place, after the Erasmus University in Rotterdam (EUR) and the University of Amsterdam (UvA). Last year the course finished in second place.

In the study guide, Psychology was awarded a total score of 56 points. This placed the FPN after the EUR, with 64 points, and the UvA, with 58 points. In the Performance section the FPN scored highly on the graduation rates. The FPN received the highest score, in a tie with the EUR, of all the universities for the university facilities.

Masters
The master’s programme in Psychology ranked first in the Keuzegids Higher Education 2010 Masters. Our master’s programme scored high on content, teaching staff and facilities. According to the Keuzegids: “For those seeking a general master’s programme, the Maastricht Psychology master comes highly recommended.”

The research master was unfortunately not included in the rankings. “Cognitive Neurosciences in Maastricht scored very high, but the research sample was too small for the results to be included,” the Keuzegids states.

CHE
The FPN’s education and research also scores highly in the rankings (in German) of the German Centre for Higher Education Development (CHE) in cooperation with the weekly Die Zeit.

The FPN’s research has been deemed ‘excellent’ by the CHE. On the basis of its high number of publications and student mobility (among other things), the faculty has been included in the ‘Excellence Group’ of the CHE ExcellenceRanking 2009. Other selection criteria were staff mobility, the number of citations and the extent of international orientation. And the FPN is in good company, because the CHE also rated as ‘excellent’ the research of nearly all other psychology faculties in the Netherlands.

Click for the results. Factsheets and information on the CHE ExcellenceRanking are available via www.che-excellenceranking.eu.