New curriculum for UAM Master's in Healthcare Psychology 2026: 90 ECTS and more electives

Key data

The Master's in General Healthcare Psychology at UAM debuts a new academic structure from September 17, 2026. The modification, approved by the Universities Council on July 23, 2026 and published in the BOE through the Resolution of August 24, 2026, reorganizes the 90 ECTS of the qualifying degree to practice as a general healthcare psychologist in Spain.

The change is not cosmetic: the elective specialization offering is significantly expanded and the weight of external internships is reinforced, which now divide into two blocks with differentiated workload. For future enrollees, this means more professional orientation options and greater clinical exposure before obtaining the degree.

What does this regulation establish?

The resolution sets the new curricular structure of the Master's Degree in General Healthcare Psychology at UAM (code 4314511). The curriculum is organized into four blocks:

The most notable novelty is the expansion of the elective offering. Students must take 12 ECTS of electives, but can choose from up to 18 subjects covering very diverse areas:

• Neuropsychology
• Forensic psychology
• Sports psychology
• Neurodevelopmental disorders
• Crisis intervention
• Other specialized clinical areas (up to completing the 18 subjects in the catalog)

External internships, with 30 ECTS in total, are divided into two progressive blocks: Practicum I (12 ECTS) and Practicum II (18 ECTS), thus reinforcing applied clinical training in a staggered manner.

Economic and operational impact

This master's degree qualifies to practice as a general healthcare psychologist, one of the most in-demand qualifications in the Spanish healthcare system. Changes to the curriculum have direct consequences at several levels:

• For students: The elective expansion allows orienting the professional profile toward specialties with high employability (neuropsychology, forensic psychology, crisis intervention) without needing to pursue additional training outside the master's.
• For internship centers: The division of Practicum into two blocks (12 + 18 ECTS) implies longer duration and structuring of internship agreements. Collaborating centers will need to adapt their reception programs to this new distribution.
• For clinics and mental health services: The greater clinical training of graduates can translate into a reduction in the adaptation period to the job position.
• For UAM: Managing up to 18 elective subjects requires more complex teaching planning and guaranteeing sufficient places in internship centers for both Practicum blocks.

Who does it affect?

• Students enrolling in the Master's in General Healthcare Psychology at UAM from the 2026-2027 academic year onwards
• Psychology graduates considering accessing this qualifying master's
• Healthcare centers, clinics and mental health services acting as internship centers for Practicum I or Practicum II
• HR departments of healthcare organizations hiring general healthcare psychologists graduated from UAM
• Other universities offering the same degree and potentially reviewing their curriculum as a reference

Practical example

A student enrolling in the master's in the 2026-2027 academic year under the new curriculum should organize their itinerary as follows:

• Take the 36 mandatory ECTS that form the clinical core of the degree.
• Choose 12 ECTS of electives from the 18 available subjects. If their goal is to work in the forensic or sports field, they can combine forensic psychology and sports psychology subjects to build a differentiated profile.
• Complete Practicum I (12 ECTS) at a collaborating healthcare center, with a workload equivalent to approximately 300 hours of clinical internships.
• Continue with Practicum II (18 ECTS), with greater depth and autonomy, equivalent to approximately 450 additional hours in real clinical context.
• Defend the Master's Final Project (12 ECTS) to obtain the qualifying degree.

The result is a professional profile with 750 hours of structured clinical internships (indicative estimate based on the standard equivalence of 25 hours per ECTS for internships), one of the highest practical workloads among qualifying master's degrees in healthcare.

What should students and centers do now?

1. Students enrolling in 2026-2027: Verify that the itinerary you plan aligns with the new curriculum (90 ECTS, code 4314511) and not the previous one. Consult the complete offering of the 18 elective subjects to choose based on your desired professional profile.
2. Psychology graduates considering accessing the master's: Review the new curriculum before formalizing pre-enrollment, paying special attention to the internship workload (30 ECTS in two blocks) to assess compatibility with other activities.
3. Collaborating internship centers: Update internship agreements to reflect the new structure of Practicum I (12 ECTS) and Practicum II (18 ECTS), with their respective differentiated objectives and workloads.
4. Healthcare HR departments: Keep in mind that graduates from the new curriculum will have completed more structured practical training with greater clinical workload, which may influence selection processes and the adaptation period to the position.
5. Consult the official resolution: For any questions about the exact content of the curriculum, refer to the Resolution of August 24, 2026 published in the BOE.

Official source

Consult complete regulation in official source

Notice: This article is purely informational in nature and does not constitute legal advice. For specific decisions, consult a qualified professional. Source: https://www.boe.es/diario_boe/txt.php?id=BOE-A-2026-19409