Organizational Psychology
Entry requirements
A second-class honours degree (2:2) or above. Work experience of any kind is desirable.
To proceed to Stage 2 of accreditation with the British Psychological Society (BPS), you need to fulfil the requirements for the Graduate Basis for Chartered (GBC) Membership of the BPS. This requires a BPS-recognised qualification in psychology.
Management development professionals and consultants without an undergraduate degree but with suitable professional qualifications or significant work experience in a range of organisations may be considered in line with Birkbeck’s mission of widening participation.
On your application form, please list all your relevant qualifications and experience, including those you expect to achieve. As this course requires a commitment of approximately 18 hours (part-time) or 35 hours (full-time) of study a week, please discuss in your personal statement how this time will fit in alongside your existing work, family and personal commitments.
Months of entry
September
Course content
Why choose this course?
- We are proud of being the first department of occupational psychology established over 60 years ago in the UK. We also started the first online organisational psychology programme in 1981. Our MSc Organizational Psychology represents the cumulative research and practice experience of our academic staff, providing you with an insight into some of the experts in this field.
- As the home of organisational psychology in the UK, we have strong links to employers and organisations, with opportunities for additional training, networking, internships, career learning and research collaboration.
- This course is ideal if you are interested in pursuing a career in organisational psychology, want to develop in a role related to managing people, or simply want to pursue your intellectual passion in this area.
What you will learn
As the world of work continues to change, we equip you to ask, and answer, fundamental questions about the impact of work on individuals, organisations and wider society.
You will begin by examining ideas about careers as the axis of the individual-organisation relationship, important at social and economic levels and relevant to you at any stage of your life. Simultaneously, you will learn about a range of organisational research methods in preparation for carrying out your own research project.
You will go on to examine learning, motivation, organisational change, leadership, selection and assessment, and wellbeing. Crucially, we strive to challenge our assumptions and practice, reflecting on paradigms of knowledge, and questioning the role of power and status in the context of work.
How you will learn
Teaching on the course is informed by cutting-edge research from the teaching team and from the field. The course is structured around flexibility, with recorded lectures and pre-set readings offering you choice about where and when you study and learn. These are accompanied by weekly, evening seminar sessions - on campus and online - where you will have the chance to engage with teaching staff and peers discussing that week’s learning content. We also have termly weekend sessions on campus that explore topics across the course and benefit you with additional networking experience and community building.
This course is part of our new Birkbeck Flexible Master’s UK, which gives you the choice of how you want to study - on campus, online or via flexible learning, which combines both.
- For the on-campus route, you engage with high-quality lecture recordings and visit campus for in-person seminars and other activities on weekday evenings.
- For the online route, you engage with high-quality lecture recordings and take part in online seminars on weekday evenings.
- For the flexible learning route, you can opt to study some modules online and some on campus.
Highlights
- We are a small and friendly team with a close-knit staff and student community.
- You will be taught by leading academics and practitioners who have a wealth of experience in supporting and encouraging students who are studying in the evening and online. You will have access to an extensive range of electronic resources for each module.
- This degree provides the materials to enhance or develop your career in organisational psychology, management, human resources, training and development or consultancy.
- The degree is accredited by the British Psychological Society as providing the knowledge base for progress towards professional qualification as an occupational psychologist.
- Birkbeck was the first institution in the UK to establish teaching and research in occupational psychology over 60 years ago. We continue to play a distinctive role in British occupational psychology - and, increasingly, within organisational behaviour. We are also established experts in using digital technologies to create and maintain an engaged and supportive learning environment for our students.
On successfully graduating from this MSc Organizational Psychology, you will have gained an array of important transferable skills, including:
- a broad knowledge base in the field of organisational psychology
- critical thinking skills in order to evaluate theory and assess its application to organisational contexts
- sound research skills to develop your own independent investigations and to critically evaluate existing research investigations and findings
- the ability to critically assess and challenge practices and procedures in organisational psychology
- an awareness of ethical issues in research and practice
- synthesising and applying academic knowledge to an applied work situation and issues
- translating academic understanding to a lay audience.
Our MSc Organizational Psychology is industry-relevant, so graduates can pursue career paths in psychology, human resources and management. Possible professions may include:
- psychometric developer/assessor
- recruitment and selection associate/consultant
- learning and development advisor
- business or organisational psychologist
- management consultant
- human resources officer
- change manager/consultant
- health and safety/occupational health and safety officer
- research associate
- talent manager.
We offer a comprehensive careers service - Careers and Enterprise - your career partner during your time at Birkbeck and beyond. At every stage of your career journey, we empower you to take ownership of your future, helping you to make the connection between your experience, education and future ambitions.
Information for international students
If English is not your first language or you have not previously studied in English, the requirement for this course is the equivalent of an International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic Test) score of 6.5, with not less than 6.0 in each of the sub-tests.
If you don't meet the minimum IELTS requirement, we offer pre-sessional English courses and foundation programmes to help you improve your English language skills and get your place at Birkbeck.
Qualification, course duration and attendance options
- MSc
- full time12 months
- Campus-based learningis available for this qualification
- Online learningis available for this qualification
- part time24 months
- Campus-based learningis available for this qualification
- Online learningis available for this qualification
- MSc
- full time12 months
- Campus-based learningis available for this qualification
- part time24 months
- Campus-based learningis available for this qualification
- MSc
- part time24 months
- Online learningis available for this qualification
- full time12 months
- Online learningis available for this qualification
Course contact details
- Name
- Student Advice Service
- studentadvice@bbk.ac.uk
- Phone
- +44 (0)20 3907 0700