Teaching of psychology in Sweden

Psychology in Sweden is first taught in upper secondary school for students aged 16-20 years. The subject has been a part of the national curriculum since it was launched in 1965. The latest and current revision was 2025 (Gy25). The basic Psychology Level 1 course is compulsory for students studying the social science program and the economy program and optional on other programs. Psychology is not specifically required for admission to Swedish universities.

The national curriculum offers:

• Psychology Level 1 (50p) – a first level basic course that includes topics such as psychology as a science, attention, memory, basic emotions, learning, conditioning, identity, group processes, mental health including prevention and risk factors.
• Psychology Level 2 (50p) – builds on Psychology Level 1 and includes topics such as psychology as a science, perception and cognitive processes, emotions and their biological basis, stress and stress management and crisis and crisis management, human behaviour, including control and addiction, norms and prejudices and how they can affect human relationships, mental health and interaction between heredity and environment and human mental health and social and individual factors in an individual’s psychological development and living conditions.
• Psychology Level 3 (100p) – builds on Psychology Level 1 and 2 and includes topics such as relationships between emotions, thoughts, feelings, biological factors and behaviours and how they can influence each other, different explanatory models of human behaviour and the social person in a changing and multicultural society, including identity, personality and psychological development in relation to social interaction. Also, mental health, mental disorder, mental illness and how mental health problems can be prevented and treated.
• Psychology – specialisation (100p) – an advanced psychology course that builds on previous studies in psychology, at least Psychology Level 1, includes general psychology history and psychological theories of choice.
• Applied Psychology (100p) – an optional stand-alone course in applied psychology focusing on the specific interest of the upper secondary school program, e.g. sport psychology, forensic psychology, economic psychology.

On average students have two hours of psychology a week for one or two semesters per course, which is equivalent to half of the school year. Many teaching methods are used including experiments and observations, depending on the teacher and the conditions at the school.

A number of schools in Sweden also have the International Baccalaureate Program (IB) that includes psychology.

Teacher Education

To teach psychology in upper secondary school one needs to be a certified teacher in psychology (M. Ed.), but there are exceptions when other teachers also teach psychology although it is not in their subject qualification.

Association for the Teaching of Psychology, Sweden

At present there is no national association for psychology teachers, although there was one between 1943 and 2011 (Filosofi- och psykologilärarnas förening, FPF).