Psychotherapy: New Master’s Program at the University for Continuing Education Krems starting in 2026

In the winter semester 2026/27, the University for Continuing Education Krems will introduce the Master’s Program in Psychotherapy in accordance with the Psychotherapy Act of 2024. Complementing the existing continuing education programs, the new program is structured as a regular degree program and will make a substantial contribution to psychotherapeutic care in Austria in light of the rapidly growing demand for therapy places.

The University for Continuing Education Krems brings more than 20 years of experience in the education and training of psychotherapists to the new program model. Long before the Psychotherapy Act of 2024 came into force, the university had already developed, implemented, and scientifically supported psychotherapy programs at an academic level. This well-established expertise informs both the academic content and the organizational design of the new regular master’s program

The program is designed as a full-time, on-campus program with continuous teaching and examination and is aimed at graduates of a relevant Bachelor’s degree program. It combines scientific foundations with practice-oriented teaching and learning formats and follows a nationwide standardized framework established as part of the recent legislative reform. Teaching is delivered by faculty members who bring together extensive clinical experience and recognized academic expertise.

Largest number of study places nationwide

With 80 tuition-free study places, the University for Continuing Education Krems provides a substantial share of the 500 places allocated nationwide for the regular Master’s Program in Psychotherapy. In a national comparison, Krems thus offers the highest number of available places within the new training model.

This position builds on the university’s long-standing role as one of Austria’s largest providers of psychotherapy education. Given the current state of care provision and the high level of psychological strain within the population, the expansion of training capacity is of considerable societal relevance.

Modern infrastructure for innovative teaching methods

Teaching and learning for the new master’s program will take place in the campus extension opened in Krems in 2024. The new building comprises approximately 18,000 square meters and offers state-of-the-art lecture halls and seminar rooms specifically designed to meet the requirements of contemporary teaching and research.

The program is jointly led by Katharina Luttenberger, Professor of Psychotherapy Research and a behavioral therapist appointed to the University for Continuing Education Krems from Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, and Professor Christoph Pieh, Head of the Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy. Luttenberger has extensive expertise in researching innovative psychotherapy concepts, including the psychotherapeutic use of bouldering, a concept that has already been successfully evaluated multiple times and is also integrated into the program.

Accordingly, the infrastructure includes sports facilities with an integrated bouldering wall, enabling innovative teaching formats. “Many therapeutic methods, such as exposure or problem-solving, can be implemented and experienced in a highly practical and impactful way on the bouldering wall,” Luttenberger emphasizes. The bouldering wall is also suitable for self-experience groups, with initial groups already scheduled for January and February.

Three specialized tracks at a single study location

In terms of content, the master’s program in Krems already offers specialized coursework within the two psychotherapy clusters of Humanistic Therapy and Behavioral Therapy. This allows students at campus Krems to deepen their expertise in the discipline-specific approaches of Integrative Therapy, Existential Analysis and Logotherapy, as well as Behavioral Therapy, and to transition directly into postgraduate specialist training.

A close integration of theoretical content and practical experience is a core element of the new program, with hands-on training available directly through the university’s outpatient clinic. A distinctive feature of the Krems model is the possibility of completing the entire psychotherapy training pathway at a single location: following the master’s program, the third phase of psychotherapy training can also be completed in Krems. This ensures optimal coordination of all training stages, as the University for Continuing Education Krems itself holds responsibility for training in these specializations.

In this way, the university builds on its long-established role as a center for psychotherapy education, where theory, practice, and scientific reflection have been successfully integrated for many years. Alongside the existing professorships in Psychotherapy Sciences and Psychosomatic Medicine, covering both qualitative and quantitative psychotherapy research, a new professorship under Section 98 of the Austrian Universities Act will be established in Humanistic Psychotherapy Sciences. The new regular master’s program is embedded in the existing campus and study environment and will be implemented as part of the new statutory training model beginning in the winter semester 2026/27.