MSc Master of Science in Business Psychology

Course details

The MSc/PGDip/PGCert Psychology for Business aims to allow students to study a wide range of topics at the interface of business and psychology through Heriot-Watt University. The content of the programmes reflects the aim of representing a range of perspectives: within the full MSc, four courses concern different aspects of management (leadership, persity, organisational culture, organisational change), with the remaining courses covering consumer and economic psychology, consumer ergonomics, coaching, and research methods. As such, the courses cover managing people and organisations, designing products and services, selling products and services, and carrying out original research to determine the effectiveness of any of these interventions.

The programme aims to provide subject-specific knowledge, skills in critical analysis, and other transferable skills. In addition to this, the programme prepares students for entry to careers in business and occupations that do not require a legally-defined psychology qualification. The programme aims to enable learners to develop knowledge, understanding and subject skills in areas of Psychology for Business for employment in a variety of careers in commerce, industry, education and public administration; and to develop personal abilities (and attitudes for employment in a variety of careers and prepare for lifelong learning and personal development.

Average Teacher to Student Ratio

1:20

Course Modules

Consumer and Economic Psychology

This module describes the major features of consumer and economic psychology. Each of the eight Units addresses a discrete topic, with particular emphasis on the application of the principles in question to particular commercial issues. The module begins with psychological processes that occur entirely within the inpidual concerned and then progresses towards a consideration of first the interpersonal, and then the broader cultural groups that the inpidual operates within.

Leadership

This module addresses what constitutes effective leadership and how leadership skills can be improved. Each of the eight Units introduces a key reading in the area of concern, and the introductory text and key reading complement one another in forming the core teaching materials.

Psychology of Coaching

This module describes the role of coaching in business practice. We address practical issues in the introduction of a coaching programme into an organisation, and the ongoing management of such. We also consider the associated psychological principles and theories, the particular approaches to coaching that arise when one or another of these principles and theories is given prominence by the coach, and the associated professional issues that follow from this emphasis. The module is organised from a practical standpoint. Units 1-3 describe what coaching is in general terms, what a typical coaching session looks like, and what the primary functions of coaching are. Units 4-7 provide more detail on the key psychological elements of coaching, describing the role of goals, motivations and differing theoretical perspectives in actual coaching practice. Finally, Unit 8 assumes that the decision to implement a coaching programme has been adopted by the organisation, and addresses some practical next steps that should be taken.

Consumer Ergonomics

This module aims to introduce students to key principles in Ergonomics. and to present major issues in consumer ergonomics. Specifically, students will have an understanding of the different stages and types of design in which ergonomics come into play, and of the different theoretical approaches to this.

Organisational Culture

Organisational Culture considers how the culture in which a business operates can influence all aspects of its commercial practice, from those markets and challenges that it identifies as interesting or important, to the means by which it organises itself in order to address these; the manner by which it defines organisational roles; the means by which it motivates employees; the means by which groups of employees interact; the approach to leadership taken by senior managers; and the strategic decisions that these managers make.

Social and Organisational Change

Social and Organisational Change considers why organisational change is currently so prevalent, and those strategies that might best be implemented for bringing it about. The objectives of the module are to present major issues in social and organizational change from the perspective of psychology and management theory. Specifically, students will develop an understanding of the major driving forces of organizational change, some of the problems of management in change situations, and the major psychological theories of social and personal change.

persity

persity considers the commercial implications of growing persity in the workplace, with particular regard to optimal management techniques. The aims of the module are to describe the impact of persity on organisational practice, and the optimal means of management for addressing and maximising the potential opportunities presented by several sources of persity.

Research Methods

This module describes how to carry out scientific research in everyday contexts. The module provides explicit preparation for the MSc project, but the material (is written so that it) also has direct relevance to students' practice in real life business contexts, where an understanding of scientific research methods is perhaps not as well known as it might be.

Psychology for Business Master's Project

The aims of the module are to introduce students to carrying out psychological research in business settings, and by implication to considering the optimal means of addressing different research questions. Although assessed at the end of the course, work on the Project is expected to commence much earlier, when students will be encouraged to begin considering what research they will carry out. All projects will address the application of some aspect of the course material to the student's own employer. The bulk of the module will be completed later in the course when students will formulate a research question before then following either a 'collect and analyse data' model or a 'professional practice' model in which the emphasis is on using the psychological literature to develop new policies and practices. 

Entry Criteria

• A recognised bachelor's degree (or equivalent).

Candidates with significant work experience are also eligible for entry.

For those with a minimum of 5 years relevant working experience (for the Postgraduate Cert/ Diploma) and a minimum of 10 years relevant working experience (for the Masters of Science), candidates are required to have at least 5 GCE 'O' Level passes including English and/or Polytechnic Diploma, Professional/Technical Certificate or Diploma from a recognised academic or vocational institution.

Applicants would be required to submit all their academic and professional qualifications and testimonials from their employers. All of these would be taken account when we are assessing the suitability of each candidate to embark on any of the above-mentioned Postgraduate courses.

Students who do not speak English as a first language are also required to have an IELTS score of 6.5 (or equivalent).

Assessment Mode

Examination, Coursework & Project

Award Criteria

• Minimum 75% attendance is required for each subject to qualify for a Certificate of Attendance if requested and be eligible to sit for exam
• MSc / PGDip / PGCert Business Psychology - Students who complete each pre-MSc stage of the course (i.e., PG Certificate, PG Diploma) may opt not to graduate but to instead carry the credit earned on to a higher level qualification. More simply, students who take a particular course on a CPD basis would not be required to complete the same course to earn a PG Certificate; students who had completed four courses could opt not to take a PG Certificate and would not be required to take those same four courses in order to qualify for award of the PG Diploma; and students who had completed eight courses could opt not to take a PG Diploma and would not be required to take those courses again in order to qualify for the MSc.
• Students who wish to attain the MSc are required to pass each course with a minimum of Grade D, and an average mark across all courses equivalent to Grade C, and may be allowed to re-take the course assessment (as detailed in the course handbook) in order to attempt to achieve this.