MSc Occupational and Organizational Psychology

Key information

• Duration: 1 year full-time, 2 years part-time
• Start date: September 2023
• Apply by: 1 August 2023 (international), 1 September 2023 (UK)

If you’re interested in how people think and behave at work – and in helping them optimise their well-being and performance – this is the course for you. You’ll learn to play a key role in developing knowledge, and influencing best practice and policy in the workplace, both today and in the rapidly changing workplace of the future.

Taught by the School of Psychology and the University of Sussex Business School, you’ll gain valuable skills and knowledge in:

• Psychological assessment at work
• Learning, training and development
• Leadership, engagement and motivation
• Wellbeing and work
• Organisational design, change and development.

The course will also cover issues relevant to the future of work, bringing you the latest thinking on a range of topics such as digital connectivity and agile working practices, emotions and wellbeing at work, managing work conflict, employing vulnerable groups such as refugees, relational attachment at work, attitudes to diversity, and modern leadership.

Accreditation

This course is accredited against the requirements for Stage 1 of the route to chartership for becoming an occupational psychologist with the British Psychological Society (BPS). Taking a BPS-accredited course is necessary if you wish to pursue a career as an occupational psychologist, and work towards chartered status. Those wishing to achieve Stage 1 accreditation must hold Graduate Basis for Chartership (GBC) from the BPS.

Our professional networks include Roffey Park Institute and the Institute for Employment Studies (IES). Both are involved with our students through the provision of specialist sessions, professional mentoring and other ad-hoc opportunities.

On graduation, you’ll be well prepared for professional practice as an occupational or organisational/business psychologist in fields such as:

In-house in the private sector and the public sector (MI6, military, NHS, emergency services, Government and the Civil Service)

• Test-publishing houses
• Research consultancies and institutes
• Policy think-tanks
• Management consultancy
• HR consultancy, and within HR/people/wellbeing departments in organisations
• Self-employment.

On the course, you’re invited to meet psychologists from different industries and to attend real-world assessment days. You’ll also cover important areas relevant to the future of work including the impact of technology, attitudes to diversity and the fourth industrial revolution.

Completion of this course gives you the basis for:

• Entry to further professional training towards eligibility to practise as an occupational psychologist
• Chartered membership of the Society (CPsychol)
• Registration as an occupational psychologist with the health and care professions council (HCPC).

Full-time and part-time study

Choose to study this course full-time or part-time. As a part-time student, you’ll be taught mainly on one weekday across the year, with approximately two weeks of intensive blended/remote learning modules (maximum two), taught across the summer term of Year 1 to fit around your work commitments.

We’re planning to run these modules in the academic year 2023/24. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to COVID-19, or due to staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum. It may not be possible to take some module combinations due to timetabling constraints. We’ll make sure to let our applicants know of material changes to modules at the earliest opportunity.

Core modules

Core modules are taken by all students on the course. They give you a solid grounding in your chosen subject and prepare you to explore the topics that interest you most.

Autumn teaching

• Assessment and Development at Work
• Leadership Engagement and Motivation
• Research Methods
• Sussex Experts Research and Practice
• Workplace Learning, Training and Coaching

Spring teaching

• Advanced Research Methods for Occupational Psychology
• Dissertation
• The Future of Work Design
• The Social Psychology of Organizations
• Well-being at Work

Internships

You may have the opportunity to secure an internship through our local professional partnerships and professional psychologist mentors, along with applied research project offerings.

We’ll make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the courses, services and facilities described in this prospectus. However, we may need to make changes due to significant disruption, for example in response to COVID-19.

• 1st in the UK for annual research income in 2020/21 (Chartered Association of Business Schools)
• 13th in the UK for Business and Economics (The Times Higher Education World University Rankings by Subject 2022)
• =14th in the UK for Psychology (The Times Higher Education World University Rankings by Subject 2022)