Course information
Department
Length
1 year full-time
Course overview
Training as an Occupational Psychologist in the Institute of Management Studies will equip you with the scientific knowledge and practical skills to challenge the status quo and offer innovative solutions to workplace problems.
Occupational Psychology, both as a professional and academic field, seeks to address questions of critical importance in business and enterprise.
- How can we select the best employees?
- How can we enhance health and performance?
- What does effective leadership look like?
- What impact does coaching really have?
The MSc Occupational Psychology, run by the Institute of Management Studies, will equip you with the knowledge and skills to begin considering these questions. The programme has been designed in line with British Psychological Society (BPS) and Division of Occupational Psychology (DOP) requirements and has been accredited since 1995. We recently updated our programme content in line with the 2014 changes to the DOP Occupational Psychology curriculum and, as of September 2014, we are teaching in line with the new curriculum.
The MSc 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.
Excellent employment rates
The programme’s success is increasingly reflected in the excellent employment rates of our former MSc students in both public and private sectors. Some students also go on to carry out PhD level study with us to become academic Occupational Psychologists.
Develop a theoretical and empirical knowledge base
In the IMS we work to the academic-practitioner model. That is, our Occupational Psychology programme is specifically designed to equip you with a theoretical and empirical knowledge base that you can bring to your consultancy and practice. To that end, you’ll have the opportunity to engage in both cutting-edge research, as well as practical skills sessions. For your research dissertation you’ll have access to academics with expertise in areas such as occupational health and wellbeing, talent management and entrepreneurship.
Distinguished Speakers Series
In the IMS we have an invited speakers’ programme called the Distinguished Speakers Series. This series provides specialised talks by either academic or practising experts in various fields of business, enterprise and occupational psychology.
You can find out more about the programme on our Facebook page.
Contact the department
If you have specific questions about the degree, contact Rachael Skews
What you'll study
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 module-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.
| Module title | Credits | |
|---|---|---|
| Organisational Behaviour and Health | 15 credits | |
| Training, Coaching and Counselling | 15 credits | |
| Leadership and Talent Management | 15 credits | |
| Assessment and Selection | 15 credits | |
| Research Design and Applied Statistics | 15 credits | |
| Professional and Applied Research Skills | 30 credits | |
| Option | 15 credits |
Research Project (60 credits)
The research dissertation requires you to execute and document an original research investigation. The focus can be on any area related to occupational psychology, and can take place in either a laboratory or field setting, using a specific population (eg salespersons) or the general public. It is also possible to conduct a piece of archival research (eg 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 late August.
Occupational Test User Training
(Formerly known as Level A and B training)
During your MSc you will be provided with the opportunity to partake in training that will allow you to qualify for the BPS certificates in “Test User: Occupational, Ability” and “Test User: Occupational, Personality.” This qualification recognizes you as an expert in the administration, scoring and interpretation of ability tests and personality questionnaires. Your training will be delivered by Criterion Partnership, a world-recognised authority on objective assessment.
Assessment
Your performance will be assessed by formal examinations, essays, presentations, business reports and a research dissertation of not more than 10,000 words.
Download the programme specification for the 2018-19 intake. If you would like an earlier version of the programme specification, please contact the Quality Office.
Please note that due to staff research commitments not all of these modules may be available every year.
Entry requirements
You should have an undergraduate degree in Psychology, or in a relevant subject (not necessarily Psychology), of at least upper second class standard. Relevant work experience will be an advantage.
Important information about career routes in occupational psychology
For those applicants who have a BSc or a BA in Psychology from a university that is accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS) (This is also known as having Graduate Basis for Chartership; GBC), the Goldsmiths’ MSc Occupational Psychology (if successfully completed) will allow you to progress to BPS Stage two training, and eventually attain professional chartership in occupational psychology (if Stage two BPS requirements are met).
For those applicants who have a BSc or a BA in Psychology from a university that is not accredited by the BPS, you will not be eligible for the BPS Stage two training at present, but will nevertheless be welcome to join the Goldsmiths’ MSc Occupational Psychology. Importantly, it may be possible for you to gain BPS recognition for your non-accredited BA or BSc in Psychology.
For those applicants who are unable to gain BPS recognition for their BSc or BA in Psychology, and those applicants who have a BSc or a BA in a discipline outside of psychology, you will not be eligible for the BPS Stage two training at present, but will nevertheless be welcome to join the Goldsmiths’ MSc Occupational Psychology. Applicants in this situation may consider completing a BPS accredited psychology postgraduate conversion course prior to undertaking the MSc Occupational Psychology. This will permit eventual progression to the BPS Stage two training, if the MSc Occupational Psychology is successfully attained.
International qualifications
We accept a wide range of international qualifications. Find out more about the qualifications we accept from around the world.
If English isn’t your first language, you will need an IELTS score (or equivalent English language qualification) of 6.5 with a 6.5 in writing and no element lower than 6.0 to study this programme. If you need assistance with your English language, we offer a range of courses that can help prepare you for postgraduate-level study.
Fees, funding & scholarships
Find out more about tuition fees.
Find out more about funding opportunities for home/EU applicants, or funding for international applicants. If you're applying for funding, you may be subject to an application deadline.
How to apply
You apply directly to Goldsmiths using our online application system.
Before submitting your application you'll need to have:
- Details of your education history, including the dates of all exams/assessments
- The email address of your referee who we can request a reference from, or alternatively an electronic copy of your academic reference
- A personal statement – this can either be uploaded as a Word Document or PDF, or completed online
Please see our guidance on writing a postgraduate statement
- If available, an electronic copy of your educational transcript (this is particularly important if you have studied outside of the UK, but isn’t mandatory)
You'll be able to save your progress at any point and return to your application by logging in using your username/email and password.
When to apply
We accept applications from October for students wanting to start the following September.
We encourage you to complete your application as early as possible, even if you haven't finished your current programme of study. It's very common to be offered a place conditional on you achieving a particular qualification.
If you're applying for external funding from one of the Research Councils, make sure you submit your application by the deadline they've specified.
Late applications will only be considered if there are spaces available.
Selection process
Selection is by personal application, references and interview.
Find out more about applying.
Staff
MSc in Occupational Psychology staff
Academic staff in the Department who will be contributing to this programme include:
- Dr Jo Lloyd (Programme director)
- Professor Frank Bond
- Dr Nigel Guenole
Find out more about staff in the Institute of Management Studies.
Careers
Skills
You'll develop technical skills related to occupational psychology including:
- stress and safety risk assessment procedures
- work re-design procedures
- designing assessment strategies
- training needs analysis
You’ll also develop the analytical skills that you will need as a professional psychologist.
Careers
Through the Professional Skills Workshops you will be able to interact closely with experts from the world's leading organisations and enhance your professional development.
The programme’s success is increasingly reflected in the excellent employment rates of our former MSc students in both public and private sectors. Some students also go on to carry out PhD level study with us to become academic Occupational Psychologists.
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.
Find out more about employability at Goldsmiths.
