Masters in People and Organisational Development (Online)

Entry requirements

Applicants are normally expected to hold at least a 2.2 UK bachelor's degree (or international equivalent) and have a minimum of four years' relevant professional experience. However, we also welcome applicants who do not fully meet these criteria. We take a holistic view, assessing suitability based on qualifications, experience and evidence of ongoing personal development. The application form requests career and qualification history plus a short statement on what you hope to gain from the programme. All applicants attend an online interview before an offer it made.

Months of entry

October

Course content

Successful organisational development professionals enable people to thrive, putting people at the heart of organisations. They create a positive and inclusive working environment, encouraging collaboration, removing inequality, increasing performance. Roffey Park Insitute have a long history in supporting practitioners working in organisational development, with a masters course which has run for more than 30 years. We offer an established, internationally recognised master’s qualification.

The MSc in People and Organisational Development is designed as a practical, experiential OD qualification. The programme is delivered through a mixture of virtually taught components, online materials and self-directed group learning. The latter takes the form of Dialogic Learning Groups in which learners work together, share their experiences, provide each other with feedback and expand their horizons. This form of social learning has been a speciality of Roffey Park Institute for many years and offers a powerful and impactful learning experience. Throughout the masters in organisational development you will be challenged to think critically and creatively about organisations, their people and their role in the wider society.

The programme is delivered online but using live sessions so you are not learning alone. As well as providing a thorough grounding in organisational development practice this delivery method allows us to open the programme to fully international cohorts, allowing for global networking among experienced OD professionals and diversity of opinions and perspectives

We are an associate partner of the University of Sussex who act as validating authority for our MSc in People and Organisational Development.

This organisational development master’s programme is for you if you are…

• An HR professional wanting to deepen your practical skillset in organisational development.
• A learning and development and talent manager looking to interpret the requirements of culture change and organisational transformation.
• A transformation officer/CTO/change lead looking for the maximum guarantee of project success.
• A CEO or senior director/partner in need of the full picture of the organisational change process.
• An independent or internal consultant in organisation development and change, now or in the future.

You’ll walk away with

1. A masters in organisational development, an internationally recognised qualification, which will boost your impact and career as an OD professional
2. A thorough knowledge of organisational development theory and its evolution
3. The skills, tools and practice to lead transformational OD initiatives that put people first
4. Greater connections with an international network of OD professionals

Benefits for you

You will graduate with a masters in organisational development, an internationally recognised qualification, which will grow your impact and career as an OD professional. You will:

• Express a thorough knowledge of organisational development theory and its evolution.
• Critically analyse change dynamics within an organisation
• Function as a professional OD practitioner
• Lead the application of group dynamics and dialogic methods as key OD tools
• Critically analyse and demonstrate the relationship between organisational development and organisational design
• Develop and critically evaluate plans for OD interventions
• Generate and integrate a variety of media and materials to build a reflective OD portfolio.
• Build an international network of OD contacts.

Programme Modules:

• Academic reading and writing
• People and Dialogic Practice
• Mapping the field of OD
• Change Expertise
• Values and Influence
• Organisational Consulting
• Case Study
• Research and methods ethics
• Dissertation

Dialogic Learning Groups

Dialogic Learning Groups are a key element of the masters in organisational development. Dialogic practice is also a key OD methodology so practising it over the extended period of the programme is important experiential training. Activity within the DLG will be monitored and course mentors will periodically check in on the group but most DLG meetings will be learner-led. This is an important element to this master’s programme as the DLGs will become strong professional networking hubs for learners. Each DLG is given access to course mentors, which enables them to access advice and guidance from the faculty team when they need it, but without comprising the autonomy of the DLG itself.

Do you have any questions about this MSc? For more information visit MSc People & Organisational Development or contact us at academy@roffeypark.ac.uk.

Information for international students

We welcome applications from international students. If English is not your first language you will need a minimum IELTS score of 6.5.

Fees and funding

An instalment plan may be available to self-funding students.