Organisational and Business Psychology (PDip)

Location: Canterbury

Gain insights into the psychology of selection and assessment, methods and statistics, employee wellbeing, entrepreneurship and people management. Our Association for Business Psychology-accredited programme will develop your understanding of the contextual forces within organisations and the role of organisational psychology, including political, environmental, technical, social and legal. 

• Accredited by the Association for Business Psychology, this could offer you a pathway to a career in the field of organisational psychology.
• Get ahead with industry-relevant modules, providing you with emerging insights from practitioners in the School of Psychology and Kent Business School. At Kent’s HR Conference 2021, Psychology staff led with their research on job sharing. You can also watch B2B network events with our staff on YouTube.
• Psychology at Kent was ranked 5th for research intensity in The Complete University Guide 2022. The Social Psychology Group researchers engage in consultancy work for businesses and the government.
• Test out your own theories and hypotheses in our excellent laboratory and field research facilities and modern teaching spaces.
• Flexible PDip and PCert options are available for working professionals.
• Join the supportive and welcoming community on our Canterbury campus, with access to the world-class resources of our Templeman Library.
• Support from the Graduate and Researcher College as well as the School of Psychology. You are joining a strong intellectual and social community.

The Organisational and Business Psychology MSc programme brings together aspects of psychological research into applied, social, and organisational psychology modules from Kent's School of Psychology with modules on organisational behaviour and people management from Kent Business School. 

Duration

MSc 1 year full-time, 2 or 4 years part-time

Knowledge and understanding

You gain knowledge and understanding of:

• the key issues in organisation psychology
• a range of conceptual, historical, theoretical and philosophical issues underlying the discipline of organisational psychology
• research and analytic techniques and methodologies employed by organisational psychologists
• the contextual forces within organisations and the role of organisational psychology, including political, environmental, technical, social and legal
• the utility of psychology and management science to the application of organisational psychology within management and business
• the use of relevant communication methods for the research and application of organisational psychology.

Intellectual Skills

You develop intellectual abilities in the following:

• critical reflection on key themes through oral discussion and written analysis
• evaluating and generalising appropriately, using critical thinking and creativity
• selecting and synthesising complex material through organising, developing and evaluating relevance
• systematic approaches to problem solving, individually and in groups
• studying independently and using resources in a way suited to further study or practice
• communicating persuasively and leading and co-operating within a team.

Subject-specific skills

You gain subject-specific skills in the following:

• the use of major analytic techniques employed by organisational psychologists
• evaluating and selecting appropriate methods for researching questions in organisational psychology
• applying ethical values to research and practice related to organisational psychology
• conducting research in the discipline to address business and management issues
• finding, recording, organising and contributing to knowledge on organisational psychology
• understanding how psychological scientific theories and methods can be applied to organisational issues.

Transferable skills

You gain transferable skills in the following:

• numeracy - data analysis skills to integrate numerical and other forms of information; understanding statistical analyses conducted by others in published works and the limits of arguments based on quantitative arguments
• communication - writing coherently and concisely; oral discussion and presentation; negotiating/persuading or influencing others using a wide range of media
• working with others - reviewing the work of others; working co-operatively in a team/group to recognise and maximise the contribution of yourself and others; understanding ethical issues and methods of obtaining ethical approval for research
• personal development - exploring personal strengths and weaknesses; time management; autonomy; self-motivation and self-management; respect for diversity in people
• technology - computer use for data analysis, research, word processing, reports, presentations and bibliographic research
• problem solving - identifying and defining problems; exploring and discriminating alternatives; testing solutions; scanning and organising data to abstract meaning and potential solutions.

Our aims are to provide you with:

• a programme that satisfies the academic requirements of the knowledge base specified by QAA and other relevant external agencies 
• specialised knowledge of theoretical approaches to organisational psychology and related areas so that you can take effective roles within the discipline
• statistical and methodological expertise, and a multidisciplinary approach to the subject
• the necessary research and transferable skills for entering academic or other careers as practising professional psychologists
• the ability to manage your own learning and carry out independent research
• critical, analytic and problem-solving skills that can be applied in a wide range of settings
• the benefit of our close ties within Europe and elsewhere, especially external organisational partners (eg Dstl, NHS).