In Slovak secondary schools, the fundamentals of psychology are incorporated into other subjects. Students aged 11 to 19 receive a compulsory introductory overview of psychology, typically covering 10 to 20 hours of instruction as part of the compulsory Citizenship Education curriculum. This subject encompasses key concepts from sociology, psychology, economics, law, and philosophy. It is taught both in lower secondary education (for students aged 11 to 15) and upper secondary education (for students aged 15 to 19).

Some grammar schools offer psychology as an elective subject. These general upper-secondary schools (grammar schools) may provide a standalone psychology course, typically lasting one or two years, with the option to sit for a final exam in psychology (maturita) —similar to the A-levels. However, this option is available in only a minority of schools, with approximately 25% of grammar schools in Slovakia offering psychology as an elective subject. The curriculum for the final examination is set by national authorities (see below).

In vocational upper-secondary schools, psychology is taught as a compulsory subject in selected study programmes (e.g., health care, social, or education studies). Other vocational schools usually teach psychology only as an optional subject. There around 50 different psychology courses available in vocational education.

Qualification requirements of psychology teachers in upper-secondary schools

• Bachelor and Master (5 years of training) in teacher studies (teacher training) for psychology teachers. Full teacher training for psychology teachers is currently available at two universities (University of Matej Bell in Banská Bystrica and University of Constantine the Philosopher in Nitra)

OR

• Bachelor and Master (5 years of training) in Psychology and additional 2-years study programme in teacher studies (currently available at the Faculty of Arts, Comenius University Bratislava).