MSc in Occupational Psychology/MSc in Organisational Behaviour
Why study Occupational Psychology at Goldsmiths, University of London? Occupational psychology, both as a professional and as an academic field, has grown substantially over the last ten years. Membership figures from The British Psychological Society (BPS) show an increase for the Occupational Psychology Section in excess of 400% between 1984 and 1997. Such growth is a vivid reflection of the increasing importance of psychology in work and performance settings.
The Department of Psychology at Goldsmiths is exceptionally well-placed to respond to student demands for specialist postgraduate training in occupational psychology by virtue of the strength of its staff group in this area. Work and applied psychologists in the Department have international reputations (a fact formally recognised in a recent BPS report) and combine academic excellence with practical experience. Members of the Work Psychology Research Group in the Department are currently conducting a number of funded research projects with prestigious research councils and both private and public sector organisations, including The British Occupational Health Research Foundation, The Corporation of London, Economic and Social Research Council, and NHS Executive.
Rachel, MSc in Occupational Psychology
1 year full-time or 2 years part-time.
Selection is by personal application, references and interview. Due to the popularity of this programme we ask you for a deposit of £450 to secure any offer made to you after applying for the programme. The deposit will be credited against your tuition fees when you enrol.
Find out more about applying
For the MSc in Occupational Psychology you must have an undergraduate degree in Psychology, of at least 2.1 standard, from a university which confers the Graduate Basis for Registration of the British Psychological Society. Relevant work experience will be an advantage.
For the MSc in Organisational Behaviour we consider applicants with an undergraduate degree in a relevant subject (not necessarily Psychology).
If your first language is not English, please check our English Language requirements.
You may go on to work as an independent consultant, as an ‘in-house’ consultant for a private or public sector organisation, in a consultancy, or in academia.
Occupational psychology technical skills including: stress and safety risk assessment procedures; work re-design procedures; designing assessment strategies; and training needs analysis. You’ll also develop the analytical skills that you will need as a professional psychologist.
Please see Tuition fees.
Academic staff in the Department who will be contributing to this programme include:
- Dr Nigel Guenole (Programme Director)
- Professor Frank W Bond
- Dr Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic
- Dr Madoka Kumushiro
- Dr Luke Smillie
You can find out more about us on our Facebook page
Please see Staff research interests.
Contact Val West
The MSc in Occupational Psychology at Goldsmiths was designed in line with BPS Division of Occupational Psychology requirements and has been granted BPS accreditation by the Division of Occupational Psychology. The department has run the MSc in Occupational Psychology for some years and has a growing number of PhD-level research students in work psychology. Its success is increasingly reflected in the excellent employment rate of our former MSc students in both academic and industry settings.
We are pleased to announce that the MSc in Occupational Psychology has been successfully reaccredited by the British Psychological Society for a further five years (2010-15).
As part of the MSc, you'll take part in our Professional Skills Workshops. The workshops – which are sponsored by Hogan Assessment Systems – will enhance your professional development and allow you to interact closely with experts from the world's leading organisations. Hogan Assessment Systems, founded by eminent personality psychologist Professor Bob Hogan, design psychometric assessments that help businesses hire the right people, develop key talent, and evaluate leadership potential.
Programme aims
The MSc in Occupational Psychology aims to equip you with a thorough grounding in the application of psychological theory to work settings, to provide you with the skills necessary to conduct cutting-edge research in applied research projects to a high level of competence, and to impart core practitioner techniques and awareness.
Programme structure
The MSc programme runs for one year, starting in September. Most lectures and seminars are in the first two terms of the academic year, however the programme is structured in such a way that you are expected to pursue your studies beyond formal term times. Apart from the individual course-units listed in the syllabus, you will be required to attend other seminars and workshop series. As far as is practicable, the majority of lectures and seminars will be timetabled for Mondays and Tuesdays.
What you study
The following indicates broad content of the courses:
- Organisational Behaviour and Health
Organisational behaviour; organisational change and development; counselling in the workplace; work organisation and its effects on health; productivity; job satisfaction and motivation. - Human Factors and Ergonomics
Human error; human-machine interaction; anthropometrics; design of the physical work environment; the aging workforce; shift work; risk assessment approaches; counselling for personal development and stress. - Advanced Statistics
Measures of central tendency and dispersion; inferential statistics and estimation; correlation and association; group comparisons; factor analysis; multiple regression; logistic regression. - Planning and Evaluating Research: Research Design and Analysis
Basic concepts in research design; non-experimental, experimental and quasi-experimental methods; ethical considerations; using online research databases. - Training and Development
Performance appraisal; training needs analysis; training design and delivery; employee development (e.g. appraisal, 360-degree feedback, development centres); leadership; practical and strategic issues. - Personnel Selection and Motivation
Job analysis; theories of performance; methods for assessing and selecting people; forming judgements and making decisions; basic and work-oriented theories of motivation; using reward in a work context; related topics in employee relations. - Research Dissertation
The research dissertation requires you to execute and document an original research investigation. The focus can be on any area related to work psychology, and can take place in either a laboratory or field setting, using a specific population (e.g. salespersons) or the general public. It is also possible to conduct a piece of archival research (e.g. meta-analysis), if your supervisor agrees that this is appropriate. You normally begin the research dissertation in the second term (January), together with necessary literature reviews and research design, and the submission deadline is mid-September.
Assessment
Your performance will be assessed by formal examinations, essays, presentations, and a research dissertation of not more than 10,000 words.
Register your interest
If you register your interest in this programme we will keep you informed about open days and send you relevant further information. If you subsequently decide to apply for this programme you will be able to use the same login details to apply.
- MSc in Cognitive & Clinical Neuroscience
- MSc in Foundations in Clinical Psychology & Health Services
- MSc in Music, Mind & Brain
- MSc in Occupational Psychology/MSc in Organisational Behaviour
- MSc in Research Methods in Psychology
- MPhil & PhD in Psychology
- Staff research interests
Goldsmiths, University of London, New Cross, London, SE14 6NW, UK
Telephone: + 44 (0)20 7919 7171
Goldsmiths has charitable status
© 2012 Goldsmiths, University of London. Copyright and Disclaimer