Specialization

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- Bachelor Psychology & Technology

The foundation of the Psychology & Technology program is the same for every student. In addition, you choose a specialization (track) to delve deeper into. You make your choice halfway through the first year. Each specialization consists of four technical courses that will provide you with the foundation and depth in that field.

We make every effort to help you choose a track. For example, you can find useful information on Canvas (TU/e’s online learning management environment) and in the education guide, including all relevant curricula, course descriptions and videos with advice from teachers and students. In addition, you will get help from your coach and the academic advisor. You can also use the PlanApp. In most cases, it is possible to switch tracks later on if you so wish.

Besides the specialization, you will also make choices regarding the filling of your free elective space from the second year onward. Below, we make a few suggestions that fit the track in question. You can also choose to broaden your knowledge by choosing from other TU/e programs. Finding it difficult to choose? That’s quite normal. Feel free to ask your questions to your coach or academic advisor. We are happy to help you make your choices!

Below, the 3 specializations are further explained. At the very bottom of this page, you will find an overview of frequently asked questions about the specializations (tracks).

Living
Robotics
ICT
FAQ

Living Specialization

If you think about it, we spend every moment of our lives in all kinds of environments: homes, study places, workplaces, hospitals, roads, parks, bars... Whether we are working, studying, relaxing or recovering from illness, our behaviors and experiences are shaped by the social and physical environment in which they take place. Temperature, privacy and access to daylight and nature are just a few examples of environmental features that can affect our mood, concentration or stress levels.

In the Living specialization within the Psychology & Technology program, you combine psychology and engineering to contribute to the design of environments that can promote our mental and physical health, performance and pro-social and pro-environmental behaviors. To this end, the psychological research methods of the degree program are complemented by courses that give you specific technical knowledge and skills in the field of the (built) environment. Examples include quantifying and monitoring physical conditions (such as light, noise and temperature), designing buildings with human comfort and sustainability in mind, 3D modeling and VR rendering. You can additionally delve into how we record and analyze people’s behavior and physiological responses as they move through our physical world.

In this track, it is very interesting to learn what it is like for people to be in a building and how a building is constructed with consideration to light and sound, among other things.

Example: the effects of light

Light is wildly important to our functioning: we need it to see – to read, to navigate, to meet – and we need it to keep our biological clock running on time. But light seems to have even more effects on our behavior and performance: the light we see during the day is an important factor in how late and how well we sleep, for example. In our own laboratory, we have also seen that people feel more alert and react faster under bright light than under dim light. However, we don’t yet know exactly how much light is needed or how long these effects last. We are looking for the effects that light can have on human functioning and the reasons why light is so important. We are also investigating such effects regarding other aspects of our environment.

You will take a number of required courses within these tracks at the Built Environment, such as Building Physics and Building Services Engineering and Built Environment project for PT and SI.

Examples of courses for the elective space from the second year onward:

Building technology (TU/e The Built Environment):

This course introduces you to the most common types of substructures, constructions, roofs, facades, wall openings and interior systems. You will also learn about products, materials, elements, building processes and requirements (structural, physical, etc.). You will learn in detail how buildings are made – from bottom to top and from inside to outside – and you will find out why we build that way.

Geographic modeling of the built environment (TU/e The Built Environment):

This course is about the theory, tools and techniques that you can use to manage geographic data. You will work with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to store, display and manipulate geographic data. GIS provides tools for site selection, accessibility assessment and spatial planning. Special attention is given to methods for using GPS to map and analyze data.

User-centered design (TU/e Industrial Design):

The starting point for the user-centered design philosophy is that users should be involved in all phases of the design process. In doing so, you want to create the best possible chance that the outcome of the design process will meet users’ needs and interests. In this course, you will learn methods and tools to achieve this.

Robotics Specialization

The Robotics specialization provides you with a background in sensors and control, allowing you to understand how robots and other AI systems work. You will find applications of this in healthcare (where robots help the elderly), industry (where teams of robots and humans work together), smart homes, autonomous vehicles and service robots that come to serve you in a restaurant. In the Robotics track, you will focus on the collaboration between humans and these technical systems. This is the most technical specialization within the Psychology & Technology bachelor’s degree. It is a good technical basis for taking courses in Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering in your elective space.

During the track, I discovered that electrical engineering suits me well. As a result, I chose to further specialize in this field within this track. The track also gives you a good foundation if you want to broaden your knowledge in another area.

Example: smart home technology

There are more and more elderly people and fewer and fewer young people to care for them. In addition, many older people enjoy living independently for as long as possible. The government and insurance companies want to cut costs as much as possible. Robots coupled with ‘smart home’ technology are a possible solution to this problem. They can support the care network, improve the client’s social network by eliminating the physical distance from family and friends and reduce loneliness. At least, if people trust and accept the technology. This requires a great deal of insight into both the psyche of humans and how technology works, just like modern engineers who have one eye on social aspects. This is exactly what this course provides!

Within the Robotics track, you will take a number of mandatory specialization courses in Mathematics and Computer Science and Electrical Engineering. In these subjects, you will learn, for example, computing with matrices, programming and sensor technology.

Examples of courses for the elective space from the second year onward:

Fundamentals of Electronics (TU/e Electrical Engineering):

Electronics are omnipresent in our world. Without the incredible computing power, speed and accuracy of today’s electronics, smart phones, the internet, social media, artificial intelligence, medical diagnostics and tools for understanding physics, such as particle accelerators, would not be possible.

In the Fundamentals of Electronics course, you will learn the basic principles of analog and digital electronics with an emphasis on creating electronics that you can take measurements with. You will be introduced to elementary circuit theory, which will help you analyze and understand the behavior of circuits. In addition to theory, you will also take a short practical course in which you will design, build and measure a circuit to process audio signals.

Sustainable Technology in Society: introduction (TU/e The Built Environment):

This course introduces you to the basic concepts and theories of the interdependence of technology and society and the challenges that this poses to sustainable innovation processes. To raise awareness of this, you will study a series of real-life innovation cases. Via lectures, reading materials and discussions in group assignments, you will gain hands-on experience in applying these concepts and theories in your reflection on specific sustainable innovation cases. Through this application, you will gain a deeper understanding of the complexities of society and sustainable innovation.

Structure and Properties of Materials (TU/e Mechanical Engineering):

In this course, you will learn to understand the microstructure of materials. You will learn about the origin and evolution of these structures and study the relationship of the microstructure to the macroscopic mechanical properties of the materials.

ICT Specialization

ICT stands for Information and Communication Technology. Users are central to almost every ICT-related technology, but there is still much room for improvement when it comes to these users. The ICT track is mainly concerned with how people use ICT and ICT systems and how to improve this usage. Applications can be found in domains such as web technology and social media, but also 3D visualizations, games, online shopping and much more.

With the courses in this track, I was able to further specialize in almost every ICT subject in the field of computer science. As a result, this track was a very good foundation for me.

Examples: heart rate in online therapy, chatbots and avatars

When the COVID pandemic broke out, it was not only education that had to take place online; conversations between patients and practitioners suddenly also had to take place virtually. It turned out to be quite a switch for therapists because a face-to-face conversation allows you to read much more from your patient to see if he or she is actually doing well. Through the screen, you can’t even really look straight at each other and you also miss a lot of nonverbal behaviors, of course. But you can try to compensate for this by, for example, measuring the heart rate or skin conductance during a conversation and showing it to the therapist. In fact, these kinds of signals indicate a lot about your emotions and therefore help the therapist to really understand what’s going on with the client. For some conversations, going online may eventually become more intimate than sitting on the couch in a clinic.

And have you ever ‘talked’ to a chatbot or avatar? Did you know that we would sometimes rather learn something from a chatbot than from a real coach? And that you are more easily persuaded by an avatar that looks a bit like you? We can put these kinds of insights to good use when trying to live healthier lives, for example, but we must also be careful that this technology is not misused for less positive purposes.

Required courses

You will take a number of required courses in Mathematics and Computer Science within this specialization. Examples include programming, advanced computational skills, algorithms and saving or selecting data from databases.

Examples of courses for the elective space from the second year onward:

User-Centered Design (TU/e Industrial Design):

The foundation of the user-centered design philosophy is that users should be involved in all phases of the design process. Through this, you increase the chances that the outcome of the design process will meet users’ needs and interests. In this course, you will learn methods and tools to best involve the user in the design process.

Acoustic Awareness (TU/e The Built Environment):

Sounds are the product of all human activity and are all around us. Sounds can be pleasant and useful, but they can also be annoying or even become a serious threat to our health. Understanding how to manage sound is crucial to the future sustainability of our living environment. The Acoustic Awareness course makes you aware of the presence of sound around us and the effects of this.

Data Science Research Methods (JADS W&I):

Whether for companies like Google and eBay, hospitals, consulting firms or factories, it is becoming increasingly important everywhere for decisions to be based on empirical evidence obtained from data. These data must be obtained in a systematic and scientifically correct manner and, to do that, it is important to use the right method in the right way. In this course, you will learn how to use data in a scientific manner in order to make informed decisions.

Follow-up TU/e master’s include

With a Psychology & Technology bachelor’s degree, you are directly admissible to the Human-Technology Interaction master’s degree. For the other TU/e master’s degrees, admission depends on how you filled out your elective space (see also the ‘After your bachelor’s degree’ page). If this is not a good match for you, you can always opt for a pre-master’s program.

FAQ on specializations (tracks)

Are the psychology courses in this bachelor’s program available to other bachelor’s programs as electives?

Yes, even if you have not chosen Psychology & Technology, you can take some of these courses via your free electives. Which courses you can take from which point onwards depends on the degree program chosen.
Can you fill your elective space with courses from other tracks?

Yes, you can fill your elective space with courses from other tracks or with courses from other programs within the department or another department at TU/e.
Can you go to a master’s degree from another department without barriers?

If both your specialization and free elective space were completed at one other department, this may be possible. Consult this with your academic advisor. After your bachelor’s degree, you can always opt for a master’s degree at another department, but this may require you to first take a pre-master’s course or homologation courses. Every bachelor’s degree has at least one barrier-free follow-on master’s degree.
Can you switch tracks during your studies?

Yes, this is possible but certainly not preferred. We recommend that you devote some time to the decision process in the first months of your studies. This will allow you to decide in time on the direction that best suits your interests and plans for your studies.
How does my choice of specialization affect my study program?

The choice of a track is not meant to be an exclusive commitment to that field. It will provide you with a foundation for further courses that you may wish to take (as electives) within that field.
Is it possible to take electives in programming, artificial intelligence or machine learning?

Yes, you can fill in your elective space at programs from other departments in order to further specialize yourself in these subjects, among others.
What components does the bachelor’s degree consist of?
- - Core courses of the bachelor’s degree
  - Four deepening and broadening courses of the specialization (track)
  - Free elective space
  - ITEC courses
You work on projects within the courses.
When should you make the choice?

You make the choice in the first year at the end of the first quartile. Of course, you will get help from your academic advisor and mentor in this process.
Which specialization is the most technical and which the least?

Each specialization contains a technical part. The difference is in the combination. In general, the Robotics track is considered the most technical choice.