Occupational Psychology MSc at Coventry University

If you enjoy working in a business environment and are interested in how to improve effectiveness at both a corporate and individual level, this professionally accredited course sets you on the path to becoming a practising Occupational Psychologist and Chartered Psychologist.

Accredited by British Psychological Society (BPS), the course confers stage one of two training levels required to be a registered Occupational Psychologist. You’ll be taught by our highly respected and experienced course team, which includes staff who are qualified themselves, who sit on the BPS Board of Assessors in Occupational Psychology and the Division of Occupational Psychology Training Committee, which promotes the professional interests of occupational psychologists.

You should gain a thorough grounding in the theory and practical skills necessary to apply evidence-based social psychological research in the workplace. We cover a wide range of topics, such as work and wellbeing, psychological assessment at work, leadership, engagement and motivation and learning, training and development.

Why Coventry University?

An award-winning university, we are committed to providing our students with the best possible experience. We continue to invest in both our facilities and our innovative approach to education. Our students benefit from industry-relevant teaching, and resources and support designed to help them succeed. These range from our modern library and computing facilities to dedicated careers advice and our impressive Students’ Union activities.

Course information

The course has been designed to meet the accreditation criteria of the British Psychological Society (BPS) Division of Occupational Psychology and provide Stage 1 of the occupational route for eligibility to chartered membership, provided you possess Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) from your undergraduate studies.

As such, it provides a thorough empirical, theoretical and methodological introduction to the field of occupational psychology.

We place a significant emphasis on professional research methods, developing your knowledge and skills in planning, carrying out, analysing and writing about research in applied psychology. You’ll gain a sophisticated awareness of problems, issues and ethics in applied research in psychology, such as confidentiality and data protection.

A core part of the degree will be your dissertation, which enables you to engage in a supervised but independently undertaken empirical research project. This offers a unique and exciting opportunity to provide a noteworthy contribution to the current understanding and practice of Occupational Psychology. You will investigate in depth an area of specific interest – anything from zero hour contracts to workplace bullying.

Career prospects

Occupational psychologists work with organisations and businesses of all sizes across the private, public and voluntary sectors. According to the BPS, the Civil Service is one of the largest single employers of occupational psychologists, but they are also used by the Prison Service, the Home Office, the Employment Department Group (including the Employment Service), the Ministry of Defence and the Civil Service Commission.

There are two stages to becoming a Chartered Member of the BPS through the occupational psychology training route – requiring a combination of professional education and practice. In the first instance, you need the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC), which is achieved by completing an accredited undergraduate degree or conversion course, followed by an accredited Masters in Occupational Psychology, like this course. The second stage requires two years of supervised practice. In order to use the title Occupational Psychologist, you need to have completed both stages and register with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). 

The skills gained from successfully completing this course will help prepare you for senior management roles in a range of different settings, including human resources, business development, personnel selection, career development, training, marketing, advertising and management. The learning and teaching style is designed to aid independent learning and develop entrepreneurial skills, so that you may also consider self-employment as an option.

Coventry University is committed to preparing you for your future career and giving you a competitive edge in the graduate job market. The University’s Careers and Employability team provide a wide range of support services to help you plan and prepare for your career.

Where our graduates work

Our postgraduate degree may open the doors to a variety of positions, from senior HR roles and consultants in anything from organisational change, behaviour and HR, to psychometrics, staff development and talent management.

Many of our graduates either go on to work within academia, build a career through consultancy work or go to apply the skills developed within organisations, typically in roles within human resources and personnel departments.