MSc Organisational Psychology

This 12-month full-time course is targeted at people who have a first degree in Psychology – a BSc in Psychology (UK only) or equivalent degree (overseas) – and who want to specialise in the field of organisational and work psychology. This new course takes advantage of the growing demand by MNCs and UK companies for psychologists who can apply the latest psychological thinking.

About

The MSc is ideal for people who want to be at the cutting-edge of practice and psychological research into workplaces. Students will work with a world class team who are members of Norwich Business School’s highly-respected Employment, Systems and Institutions group (ESI).

As well as a large programme of activity around wellbeing, staff who teach on the course also conduct research on ethics, leadership, creativity and climate change. Their research is used to inform policy and guidance issued by government departments as well as to inform practice across commercial organisations, the public sector and professional institutions, providing real-life examples of applied research in action. This ensures you graduate with a solid grasp of contemporary challenges to workplace and the latest theories and techniques in Organisational Psychology and the main challenges surrounding them.

You will become expert in the latest techniques and knowledge that inform in-depth understanding of Organisational Psychology.

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Important Information

Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the courses listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the regular review of course programmes. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes, there will normally be prior consultation of students and others. Changes may for example consist of variations to the content and method of delivery of programmes, courses and other services, to discontinue programmes, courses and other services and to merge or combine programmes or courses. The University will endeavour to keep such changes to a minimum, and will inform students.

Assessment for Year 1

We’ll use different methods of assessment to test different skills and knowledge – and they will all be based on a set of clear evaluation criteria.

You’ll find that assessment through practical case studies and coursework will help you to improve your analytical and critical thinking as well as your communication, writing and presentation skills.

Structure

In your first semester you’ll study three compulsory modules:

Organisational Research Methods will introduce you to the different methods used in empirical organisational psychology. Managing Careers to Success focuses on professional development. And Developing Effective Organisations will guide your understanding of the key theories and ethics that underpin work psychology and employee engagement.

In your second semester you’ll add further depth and breadth to your studies. In Driving High Performance and Wellbeing you will design innovative HRM interventions. Work Design and Well-being focuses on employees’ well-being and job-fit. Finally, Statistical Skills will coach you in the statistical techniques you’ll need to conduct effective research in organisational psychology

In your third and final semester you’ll complete your dissertation module under the guidance of your academic advisor. This is a fantastic opportunity to conduct an individual piece of research, exploring a question you are passionate about. Your dissertation is also great preparation for PhD study, as well as being a valuable indication of your potential to employers.

Teaching and Learning

Over 12 intensive months you’ll be constantly challenged to build your knowledge and hone your skills. You’ll develop both theoretical understanding and practical skills.

You’ll learn through a combination of lectures, workshops, seminars and independent study. You’ll also learn how to examine case studies, dissect and critically assess academic papers, and how to use key software needed for statistical analysis. Over the year you will gain access to a range of empirical tools and techniques that underpin organisational psychological research to offer organisational solutions to critical people-management questions.

All our teaching is informed by the latest research and real-world business experience. You’ll be studying with lecturers with an international reputation in their field, who are recognised worldwide for the quality of their research. That means you will benefit from the latest thinking in the field of organisational work psychology. You’ll also develop the critical skills needed to examine and put to use any new theories and methods that come to the fore during your career.

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Assessment for Year 1

We’ll use different methods of assessment to test different skills and knowledge – and they will all be based on a set of clear evaluation criteria.

Compulsory Modules

MANAGING CAREERS TO SUCCESS

Code NBS-7089A

Credits 20

Taking into account that organisations are no longer solely responsible for managing the careers of their employees, this module builds the relevant knowledge and transferable skills relevant to do so. Students will learn in this module how to manage careers, both their own and the one of others they meet in an organisational context. We understand a good person—job fit as central to successful careers, acknowledging that career success criteria are manifold. The means to increase person—job fit continuously over the course of a career are discussed that is job analysis, personnel selection, performance appraisals and feedback as well as training and development approaches. Finally, we take a life-span perspective when thinking about the employability, development, and the successful management of careers. All sessions adopt a research-led and participative approach to learning, combining theory and research in an interactive lecture format with practical class-based activities (e.g. group exercises, cases etc.).

DEVELOPING EFFECTIVE ORGANISATIONS

Code NBS-7090A

Credits 20

How can we best motivate and engage employees? What role do leaders play in developing people and managing change? This module aims to address these questions. Students will study core theories and research in organisational psychology relating to individuals and teams, and leading and managing change in organisations. Throughout the module we will consider the implications of the different theories and approaches for individual well-being. The module adopts a research-led and participative approach to learning, combining theory and research in an interactive lecture format with practical class-based activities (e.g. group exercises, cases). Students will also attend workshops dedicated to developing applied communication and consultancy skills, and ethical understanding relevant to the professional occupational psychologist role.

ORGANISATIONAL RESEARCH METHODS

Code NBS-7091A

Credits 20

The Organizational Research Methods (ORM) module aims to broaden students’ knowledge of the fundamental principles, approaches, and resources for undertaking research in work and occupational psychology. The module will give students a good practical understanding of how to undertake critical reviews of published research, formulate and examine research questions, and apply various qualitative and quantitative data collection techniques. Emphasis will be placed on the importance of research ethics, research design, and statistical methodologies for analysing and interpreting data. Overall the module will prepare students to develop a sound, workable and ethical empirical research project for their MSc Dissertation.

WORK DESIGN AND WELL-BEING

Code NBS-7092B

Credits 20

How can we design work so that employees feel better both at work and outside work? This module is designed to provide you with knowledge on the theory of work design and its impact on employees’ well-being. You will engage with the traditional models on how to best design work as well as the latest theories about job redesign and how to make the most of the working environment. Among other topics, we will talk about how the use of technology is affecting people’s work-life balance or how employees can “craft” their jobs to feel happier. These approaches will be discussed from a theoretical and a practical point of view. This means you will learn theories from the latest academic papers on these topics but will also put in practice what you learn via practical exercises/case studies. You will be assessed via a group presentation and an individual essay. These two assessments will help you develop critical thinking, communication, and research-related skills.

DRIVING HIGH PERFORMANCE AND WELL-BEING

Code NBS-7093B

Credits 20

The world of work is changing rapidly. Organisations are investing in developing workplaces for employee wellbeing in order to achieve high performance, attract and sustain talents, but a few organisations succeed. The module uses a multidisciplinary lens drawing from the fields of Strategic HRM, organisational behaviour and occupational psychology to understand and critically evaluate how organisations can design, implement and measure high performance management practices. Students will practice to design and implement high performance, creativity and wellbeing interventions as well as learn about challenges and barriers that organisations face while driving high performance. All sessions adopt a research-led and participative approach to learning, combining theory, research and practical cases in an interactive lecture format. Students learn to employ evidence based approach and solve contemporary workplace challenges; participate in individual & group activities as well as creativity workshops.

STATISTICAL SKILLS

Code NBS-7094B

Credits 20

The Statistical Skills module follows Organisational Research Methods and aims to develop students’ knowledge and skills of advanced statistical methods and software skills for conducting research in work and occupational psychology and other social science disciplines. Through a mix of lectures and workshops, the module is designed to develop students’ advanced statistical skills applied in the different areas of work and organisational psychology (e.g. personnel selection, assessment, interventions). The lectures cover the statistical models behind the data analytical techniques (i.e. multiple regression, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation model), while the workshops help students to apply such techniques in real contexts, learn statistical software for data analysis (e.g. SPSS and Mplus) and how to report the results in line with the ethical standards. Overall the module will prepare students to plan, analyse and present the results of the empirical research for their MSc Dissertation.

DISSERTATION

Code NBS-7095X

Credits 60

The dissertation element offers you the opportunity to develop independent research skills on the subject of your choice. It goes much beyond the taught modules in the Master’s programme. It attempts to integrate the knowledge that you acquired from the individual taught modules and take it forward by offering you the necessary skill set to probe an organisational research problem in-depth and come out with contributions that are original in the occupational psychology literature.

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Open Days

Important Information

Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the modules listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the annual monitoring and review of modules. Where this activity leads to significant change to a programme and modules, the University will endeavour to consult with affected students. The University may not be able to offer a module for reasons outside of its control, such as the illness of a member of staff. Availability of optional modules may be restricted owing to timetabling, lack of demand, or limited places. Where this is the case, you will be asked to make alternative module choices and you will be supported during this process.

MSc ORGANISATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY