MSc Occupational and Organisational Psychology

We regard our students as professional trainees who will leave Surrey with unique skills and competitive edge in the job market.

The MSc in Occupational and Organisational Psychology has been running since 1995 and has been developing ever since.

The aim of the programme is to:

• Develop sound knowledge of the core areas of occupational psychology and its application to work and organisations
• Promote your ability to diagnose and develop understanding of work-related problems using quantitative and qualitative methods
• Guide you in the effective design, implementation and evaluation of bespoke interventions to address organisational problems

Lectures/forums: 12 to 14 hours per week in term time

Outside speaker seminars: between six and ten hours

Supervision: up to nine hours

Hours of self-study: approximately 130 hours per module across eight compulsory modules

A variety of teaching methods are used on the programme. Typically lectures will be used for the compulsory occupational modules, with an emphasis on discussion and your contribution. Additionally group exercises are used to promote theoretical insight and practical skills. Most assignments will be projects in which an occupational issue or problem is posed and you must apply theory to this practical context. Other assessments typically include presentations and exams on specific topics such as research methods. There are also some class exercises and workshops which are not formally assessed but provide valuable learning opportunities and the chance to practise relevant skills.

The Department of Psychology is a hub of energy, information and support. You will have access to the following facilities:

Computing

Two computing rooms, one dedicated to MSc students

Test library

300+ psychometric tests available, as well as five years of dissertations and theses from all programmes

• Video and audio editing
• Image and audio manipulation
• Interview and telephone recording
• Transcription equipment
• Observation suite (video and audio recording)
• Seminar and classrooms (three fully equipped for presentations)

In order to work as a Chartered Psychologist, you must initially complete Stage 1 of the chartership process, demonstrating knowledge of the eight areas of occupational psychology and psychological research. There are also opportunities to develop a range of skills that are relevant to practice as an occupational psychologist.

Please contact the BPS for specific advice on the process for applying to become a Chartered Psychologist after graduation, or visit: www.bps.org.uk

The Department of Psychology at the University of Surrey is one of the most active and highly regarded psychology departments in the country. We specialise in applied and policy-oriented teaching and research within a strong theoretical context. The international, interdisciplinary, policy and applied strengths of the Department mean that students’ theoretical and methodological research puts them at the cutting edge of the discipline.

We are one of the highest ranked departments in the country for graduates entering employment, and also one of the largest providers of postgraduate training in the UK.
The University of Surrey Department of Psychology has been the centre for many cross-national studies and has attracted funding from research councils and local and national government departments, such as ESF, Defra, the MoD, the Home Office, the Environment Agency, the Countryside Agency, Surrey County Council and the EU.

If you choose to study psychology at the University of Surrey, you will be provided with a combination of opportunities that would be hard to match elsewhere. We offer you a degree that provides a thorough grounding in the theories, methods and practice of contemporary psychology. Our programmes lay particular emphasis on the application of psychology to real-world problems, and also consider issues related to professional practice in preparation for your career as a professional psychologist.

The basis of good postgraduate courses is the research activity of staff, the incorporation of current research programmes in teaching material and a reciprocal relationship between theory development and applied research in everyday contemporary issues. We believe in involving all postgraduate students in the research life of the Department through active participation in one of the research groups, attendance at research seminars and, where possible, an attachment to ongoing research projects. As a student of the Department of Psychology, you will also have access to a number of conferences, seminars and workshops hosted throughout the year.

The University is at the centre of international research projects in the areas of social, environmental, health, occupational, developmental and cognitive psychology, and neuroscience. The Department has strong links with European and other international researchers through the Food, Consumer Behaviour and Health Research Centre (FCBHRC) and the Clinical Neuroscience Research Team (CNRT) which are based in the Department. A number of members of the Department are also members of the Surrey Sleep Research Centre, studying cognitive, health and occupational aspects of sleep restriction and its effects on performance.

The Department has excellent research facilities. These include: laboratories for psychophysiological, perceptual, cognitive, developmental and social psychological research; an extensive library of psychometric and clinical tests; excellent observational and audiovisual facilities; and a wide range of computing facilities.

Members of the programme team are active researchers in the following areas:

• Coaching
• Reasoning and decision-making – individuals and groups
• Distributed cognition in teams
• Work–family balance
• Learning, development and work

Previous applicants and students on the programme have gained experience in the following areas: human resources, training and development, business consulting, recruitment, management, applied research, vocational guidance and counselling, ergonomics and occupational health.

In most cases we will be looking for a minimum of six months’ work experience prior to application. This means that, in general, undergraduates who are still completing their degrees will need to have either undertaken a placement year as part of their programme or have held part-time employment which they can reflect on in relation to the programme and use as a relevant professional development experience.

Our graduates have an excellent employment record. The MSc Occupational and Organisational Psychology is very well established and held in high esteem amongst employers, mainly because of our efforts to facilitate student employability. We have developed a reputation for developing students into competent practitioners in occupational psychology.

Previous students have taken up careers in leading consulting firms including Kaizen, Cap Gemini, Human Factors Ltd, SHL Ltd, Accenture, QinetiQ and Reed. Other graduates have gone into human resource posts involving some psychological input (for example, organisational development roles), training and development posts, assessment and development posts, management/training, vocational guidance, and research teaching, while others have set up their own consultancies.