Please note we are no longer offering this course to new applicants. If you would like information about our alternative course, please visit the MSc Business and Organisational Psychology course page.
Page last updated 20 September 2024
Introduction
Applied Masters-level Occupational Psychology focuses on skills, knowledge and attributes employers and organisations seek. This British Psychological Society (BPS) accredited programme has input from leading researchers and practicing occupational psychologists.
Accreditations and partnerships:
Occupational Psychology applies psychological understanding to workplace, business and organisational issues, and is one of the key applied fields of psychology. Many businesses and organisations employ occupational psychologists to help identify and address many of the key issues organisations face today, like how to select the best talent, train leaders, manage teams, engage employees and develop a culture of innovation all using evidence-based solutions.
Accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS), our MSc Occupational Psychology offers Stage-1 training, which is your first step towards becoming a Practitioner Occupational Psychologist. The course has been designed to reflect the most up-to-date BPS guidelines and has been developed in conjunction with the British Psychological Society's Division of Occupational Psychology.
As well as covering the BPS core curriculum, you'll enjoy a particular emphasis on highly transferable practical, professional and employment-related skills and the opportunity to gain course credit through your own practical work in business and organisational settings.
Whether you're a recent bachelor graduate or a professional looking to develop and enhance skills, the course offers an excellent grounding in the key skills of an Occupational Psychologist. UWE Bristol stands out for its focus on applying skills and competencies to real-world scenarios. The department has excellent links with local organisations who provide connections and invaluable insights.
Structure
Content
The course covers the core areas of the BPS curriculum in Occupational Psychology. The core modules are:
- Leadership, Engagement and Motivation - This module examines theories of work motivation, engagement and satisfaction, and how they relate to engagement and performance at work. We also study issues around leadership, and what makes a successful leader within organisations.
- Learning, Training and Development - How do individuals learn and develop skills and competencies in the context of work and organisations? We focus on the effectiveness of work-based training, understanding development at work and training needs.
- Wellbeing and Work - Here we integrate links between work and individual and organisational wellbeing, focusing on issues such as stress and burnout, how to promote wellbeing at work, and the individual and organisational factors that come into play.
- Psychological Assessment at Work - This module focuses on an understanding of theory and practice in applying psychological assessment techniques in the workplace. These can be used in assessment centres for selection, or to identify talent or develop skills within organisations.
- Work Design, Organisational Change and Organisational Development - Here we take a closer look at the design of working environments and how organisations change and develop. We widen the perspective in occupational psychology to take into account the impact of globalisation.
- Applying Psychology to Work and Organisations - This module allows you to reflect on the skills and competencies you've learnt throughout the course and those obtained from 50 hours of work based learning. The module focuses on evidence-based practice and specific tools and techniques for gathering, analysing and feeding back data in organisational contexts. You will need to be prepared to organise your own work based learning experiences, with the support of a supervisor.
- Dissertation in Psychology for the MSc route - This module gives students the opportunity to conduct a large-scale, in-depth research project into a psychological issue of organisational or business relevance.
- Conducting and Evaluating Psychological Research - Here you learn and develop the key skills in understanding, evaluating and conducting psychological research that generates quantitative and qualitative data. This supports your dissertation, but also your understanding of the science behind psychology in organisations.
The University continually enhances our offer by responding to feedback from our students and other stakeholders, ensuring the curriculum is kept up to date and our graduates are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need for the real world. This may result in changes to the course. If changes to your course are approved we'll inform you.
Learning and Teaching
This course is designed to offer a superb balance of theory, knowledge and applicable skills. The course is a mixture of online and face to face learning. You'll learn through online seminars and discussions as well as face to face workshops, supervised research and work based learning. Some of your learning will be independent, but we also encourage peer learning and taking advantage of the department's resources and staff expertise.
For more details see our glossary of teaching and learning terms.
Study time
One year full-time, two years part-time. This course is flexible and uses a variety of learning methods, with most materials being presented online and using online learning resources and support. The full-time course will have approximately seven one-day workshops in semester one and eight one-day workshops in semester two, so around 15 workshops in total throughout the year, where you will come to UWE Bristol to discuss your learning, develop your skills and competencies and connect with other students and staff. In addition, there will be exams periods to attend, as well as a one day induction. Additional optional sessions will be available, such as a research methods refresher, writing skills workshop, and Stage-2 review.
Assessment
We assess the modules through a variety of formative and summative methods, including case studies and critical essays, pitches and portfolios, videos and interviews. We've designed the assessments to support your learning, cover a variety of skills, reflect real world practice, engage you in the learning material, and develop your personal and professional abilities.
For more details see our full glossary of assessment terms.