Occupational Psychology Masters (MSc)

Kingston's Occupational Psychology MSc is for people who have previously studied psychology in a British Psychological Society-accredited honours degree. If you do not have this background, please choose our Business Psychology course.

Occupational Psychology graduates have a wealth of career options ahead of them. They can work in occupational psychology consultancies or test publishers, talent management consultancies or recruitment companies.

The scientific approach they take, as psychologists, differentiates them from people with human resource management (HRM) degrees – they find solutions to workplace issues based on the evidence they gather.

Organisations and a broad variety of consulting practices value their ability to study and analyse staff, identify talent, then coach, develop and enhance people's motivation and performance at work.

They even have the option to become a full Chartered Psychologist in the future, if they choose.

Find out more about Occupational Psychology in the video below.

Placing psychological theory into business practice

Kingston's Occupational Psychology MSc is taught by academics and consultants who bring their own specialisations and experiences to the course. Because we are psychologists working in a business school environment, you have unique access to psychology, organisational behaviour and HRM resources.

Within the course, you will investigate various approaches to applying psychological principles in the workplace and how these ideas can increase organisational, team and individual performance. You then apply these theories and evidence to case studies, examples from the field and real life practice – either at your own company or during a short internship.

Personal and professional development

Your development is at the heart of the course. Psychometric tests, completed during the induction programme, help us focus on the skills you need to gain for your personal career aspirations. Access to a qualified career coach enables you to build and progress in your career.

The course provides you with the opportunity to meet practitioners in the field and attend work experience days. You can also qualify in Occupational Testing, covering ability and personality, at a fraction of the private market cost.

British Psychological Society accreditation

Kingston's Occupational Psychology MSc is designed for students who have an honours degree in a British Psychological Society (BPS)-accredited psychology course. When you graduate, you will have satisfied the criteria for stage one of the BPS chartership process. This lays the path for you to become a full Chartered Psychologist in the future.

Our course has been ratified by the BPS and covers the eight main areas of study they require. This accreditation demonstrates the quality and rigour of our approach, and shows employers and clients that you have a thorough understanding of psychology in a business context. It empowers you to critically evaluate the evidence base, ethical considerations and your role in organisations as a business psychologist to enhance your professional skills.

Part time and full time options

Choose to complete your studies in one year, with our full time programme, or over two years, with our executive weekend programme. Both courses cover the same core modules and are taught by research-active academics and experienced practitioners.

For full time students, and those with less experience, our experts are able to illustrate concepts in context and enhance their learning experience.

For part time students, and those with more experience, our experts can provide examples and methods of overcoming the barriers many occupational professionals face when trying to implement their programmes in an organisation. We deliver the core course modules during weekends, with a flexible ‘blended learning' approach that suits the needs of people who have hectic careers during the week.

Watch a video to hear students talking about studying the Occupational Psychology MSc and Business Psychology MSc, followed by course director Rachel Lewis:

Other practice-based training will also be offered, including psychometric testing (offered as an additional short course).

Please note that this is an indicative list of modules and is not intended as a definitive list.

Available modules

• Career Counselling, Training and Development

• Career Counselling, Training and Development

  Explores the ways in which organisations, managers and employees approach career management and associated learning and development.

  Take both academic and practitioner perspectives, and reflect on your own development to-date. Assess how your career has unfolded, and gain practical tools and information to consider possible future directions. Evaluate:

  • the links between career expectations, personal development and learning; and
  • the modern practical approaches to training and development at work, along with a critical review of the evaluation techniques used.

  This module covers two BPS-prescribed key knowledge dimensions: (i) training and (ii) counselling and personal development.

  
   
• Leadership, Change and Consultancy

• Leadership, Change and Consultancy

  Understand the leadership, processes and practice of change in organisations and the essential building blocks for organisational development. Consider:

  • key concepts such as organisation structure, cultures, group relations;
  • leadership and management challenges for development and change;
  • the contemporary organisation developing within societal trends and situations;
  • implementing change and change agents and evaluating change strategies;
  • power and politics, negotiating and bargaining;
  • theories of creativity from basic to more cutting edge approaches;
  • employee motivation through rewards systems (e.g., pay, leadership, job design);
  • consultancy practices and interventions, from both internal and external perspectives; and
  • ethical contracting and the consultancy cycle.

  This module covers two BPS-prescribed key knowledge dimensions: (i) employee relations and motivation and (ii) organisational development and change.

  
   
• Performance Appraisal and Identifying Talent

• Performance Appraisal and Identifying Talent

  Explore the theory and practice of performance appraisal and career development. Understand the concept of work performance and its assessment. Investigate and discuss individual career determinants, including self-concept and life role importance.

  Explore the disconnect between academic research findings and organisational practice in this area. Identify the cognitive processes underpinning decision making and judgement formation and their potential influences within a selection processes.

  Topics include:

  • the selection system, including prediction, standardisation, social processes and technology;
  • theoretical performance models and motivation, and techniques for assessing work performance; job descriptions, person specifications and performance criteria with reference to job analysis and competencies and translating these to assessment and selection criteria;
  • standards for choosing selection and assessment methods, including validity, reliability, utility analysis;
  • assessment methods such as biodata, application forms, work samples, interviews, in-tray exercises, assessment centres, psychometrics;
  • performance appraisal schemes and the psychological contract;
  • designing assessment procedures from job analysis and competency development to generating person specifications and designing an assessment programme;
  • individual career determinants such as self-concept, life role importance and spillover between work and home;
  • fairness and the interests of applicants with reference to adverse impact, ethics of assessment, applicants' rights, data protection, UK legislation;bias in performance assessment; and
  • contemporary issues in selection, assessment, performance appraisal, and career development.

  This module covers two BPS-prescribed key knowledge dimensions: performance appraisal and career development, and personnel selection and assessment.

  
   
• Social and Cognitive Perspectives on Work Design

• Social and Cognitive Perspectives on Work Design

  Explore individuals' well-being and efficiency at work and examine how equipments, tasks and environments can be adapted to better match individuals' abilities, limitations and needs. You will explore:

  • workload, skill and performance areas including the attentional processes, situation awareness, various forms of task analysis and mental models, the acquisition, maintenance and transfer of skills, and expertise and aging;
  • human-computer interaction design topics including visual displays and control/display integration, interface design, cognitive systems, epistemic actions, and the role of artefacts, culture, and time on cognition;
  • safety, risk and decision-making areas including human error taxonomies, risk perception and communication, warnings and accidents, individual and group decision-making, and team conflicts;
  • workplace health topics including physical health promotion and prevention interventions, and the implications of legal health and safety requirements;
  • stress topics including the causes and consequences of work-related stress, stress assessment and intervention, and resilience; and
  • social and physical environments topics including workspace design and layout, the effects of light, temperature, and noise on health and well-being, the impact of workplace bullying and harassment, and positive psychology and well-being at work.

  This module covers two BPS-prescribed key knowledge dimensions: human-machine interactions, and design of environments and work: health and safety.

  
   
• Research methods and Dissertation

• Research methods and Dissertation

  Explore how to secure knowledge relevant to Occupational Psychology and Business Psychology, focusing on the skills and knowledge needed for a masters research dissertation. You learn to:

  • critically evaluate the literature;
  • assess and develop the design of the research and the dissertation;
  • understand ethical conduct, professional issues and practical constraints;
  • collect and analyse data; and
  • present results.
  
   

This course is accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS). It covers the eight main areas required by the British Psychological Society.

Attend an open day at Kingston Hill campus to find out why Kingston Business School is the perfect choice for your postgraduate study. 

This unique programme is jointly offered by Kingston Business School and the Psychology Department in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.

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Research is an essential part of the day-to-day life of both Kingston Business School and the Psychology Department, and is embedded in our intellectual activities and development.

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