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MSc Occupational Psychology

Why choose Herts?

Industry Accreditation: Accredited by the Association for Business Psychology and the British Psychological Society providing stage one for chartership as an occupational psychologist.

Teaching Excellence: You will be taught by a team of experts who have industrial experience and were Awarded a Teaching Quality rating of excellent in our subject review.

Employment Prospects: Graduates work as consultants for organisations such as Arup, Easyjet, and SHL.

  • Entry requirements and key information

    A 2:1 UK Honours degree (or overseas equivalent) in Psychology. If students do not have the above requirements, but have relevant work experience (equivalent to one year full-time or two years part-time) or evidence of working at a 2:1 standard, they will be invited to apply, and each case will be considered by the Programme Leader.

    The criteria used to assess suitability are likely to be:

    • any psychology relevant qualification obtained such as a Higher National Diploma
    • relevance of previous work experience to the programme
    • any recent CPD undertaken
    • academic writing skills
    • critical analysis and critical reflection skills
    • communication skills
    • data analysis skills.

    English language requirements

    All students from non-majority English speaking countries require proof of English language proficiency. The following qualifications and grades will be considered - GCSE English language grade A-C - IELTS 6.5 (with no less than 5.5 in any band) Other English language tests are accepted. Please contact the International Office for details.

    If you do not have the required level of English for entry, our academic English courses can help you to achieve this level.

    Find out more about our academic English courses.

    Institution code

    		 H36

    School of study

    		 School of Life and Medical Sciences

    Course length
  • Full Time, 1 Years
  • Part Time, 3 Years

    • Location
  • University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield
  • Employability

    Careers

    This course prepares you for careers in a variety of areas including consultancy, specialist roles within organisations, research and areas of technical expertise.

    Work placement

    N/A

Professional Accreditations

British Psychological Society

About the course

If you’re looking to develop your skills as a psychologist and work towards your chartership in the field of occupational psychology, this programme could be for you. This course is one pathway within the Industrial and Work Psychology programme. The MSc Occupational Psychology forms stage 1 of Chartership (subject to BPS membership requirements) and is suited to you if you have a psychology undergraduate degree. It is accredited by both the British Psychological Society (BPS) and the Association for Business Psychology (ABP). 

Across the programme, there's a focus on evidence-based practice and developing reflexivity as practitioners. You'll be equipped for a variety of careers including human resource practitioners, learning and development, or careers in consultancy and business psychology.

There is a range of modules common to both pathways, including Psychological Assessment at Work, Learning Training and Development, Culture Change and Leadership, Well-Being, Engagement and Motivation, Consulting Skills, and Mixed Methods Research. The MSc Occupational Psychology pathway also includes a performance management module, and you will have the opportunity to apply a reflexive practice approach to a work assignment.

Staff who teach you include permanent academic staff who have industrial experience, those who undertake regular consultancy work, and external psychologists. Teaching and learning methods include lectures, workshops, seminars, tutorials, and practical sessions. Full-time, you are expected to be on campus for 2-3 days each week in semesters A and B.  Note, there are further study expectations beyond these times too, so the course is intense. There is an emphasis on putting theory into practice.

The recent BPS accreditation visit to the course commended “the level of formative feedback which is highly supportive to the development of students” and noted, “the programme team is recognised for creating a programme structure where the applied and practical nature of learning is embedded throughout the content”.

The recent ABP accreditation commended the course for its “strong focus on application and research into practice” and highlighted the applied psychology research project and consulting skills modules as particular opportunities to do that.

Why choose this course?

  • This programme provides many of the professional skills and competencies needed to become a Chartered Occupational Psychologist and to apply psychology in the workplace
  • Accredited by the British Psychological Society, and counts towards gaining Chartered Occupational Psychologist status
  • Psychology ranked joint first nationally for research impact, obtaining 100% outstanding rating (Research Excellence Framework, 2021)
  • One of the largest psychology departments in the country
  • Our staff are actively engaged in significant research which is reflected by our excellent, Grade 4 rating in the Higher Education Funding Council's last Research Assessment Exercise.
  • We were awarded a Teaching Quality rating of excellent (23 out of 24) in our subject review
  • A vibrant research seminar series - with contributions by leading academics from across the country
  • Ranked 10th for psychology in the Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey (PTES, Advance HE, 2023)

What will I study?

Assessment is by examination, coursework, demonstration of a series of competencies and completion of a project.

  • Level 7
    Module Credits Compulsory/optional
    Learning, Training and Development 15 Credits Compulsory
    Psychological Assessment at Work 15 Credits Compulsory
    Performance Management in the Workplace 15 Credits Compulsory
    The Workplace and Psychology 15 Credits Compulsory
    Culture, Change and Leadership 15 Credits Compulsory
    Mixed Methods Research Principles 15 Credits Compulsory
    Mixed Methods Research Skills 15 Credits Compulsory
    Wellbeing, Engagement and Motivation 15 Credits Compulsory
    Consulting and Professional Skills 15 Credits Compulsory
    Reflexive Practice in Psychology 15 Credits Compulsory
    Applied Psychology Project 30 Credits Compulsory

    • Further course information

    Course fact sheets
    MSc Occupational Psychology Download
    MSc Occupational Psychology Download
    Programme specifications
    MSc Occupational Psychology Download
    MSc Occupational Psychology Download
    Additional information

    Sandwich placement or study abroad year

    n/a

    Applications open to international and EU students

    		 Yes

    Student experience

    At the University of Hertfordshire, we want to make sure your time studying with us is as stress-free and rewarding as possible. We offer a range of support services including; student wellbeing, academic support, accommodation and childcare to ensure that you make the most of your time at Herts and can focus on studying and having fun.

    Find out about how we support our students

    You can also read our student blogs to find out about life at Herts.